Bob Garfield invites us to think about the unthinkable, a world without brand advertising. In The Post Advertising Age, published by AdAge, Garfield lays out why he thinks such a world is approaching. He questions the evidence some use to say all is well when he writes about newspapers and magazines:
There are some clues in a February speech by Timothy Balding, CEO of the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers: “What we are seeing completely contradicts the conventional wisdom that newspapers are in terminal decline. … The fashion of predicting the death of newspapers should be exposed for what it is — nothing more than a fashion, based on common assumptions that are belied by the facts.”
Balding’s set of facts comes courtesy of the proliferation of skimpy freebies, such as Metro, which are to newspapers what Skittles are to cuisine. His rosy outlook, however, does sound familiar. In the halls of media power, the optimism seems positively infectious. Jack Kliger, president-CEO of Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and chairman of the Magazine Publishers of America, declared this spring: “We are no longer threatened by digital media.” Perhaps he didn’t notice the precipitous drop in readership, what with the industrywide circulation fraud and all. Or perhaps he was busy killing ElleGirl and Premiere, but never mind. He’s dug in: “I’m not ready to end up my career watching our industry get marginalized and fade away.”
Newsagents are regularly being told that the talk of doom and gloom is misplaced and even mischievous. Newsagents are being misinformed by publishers and their mouthpieces because ignorance among newsagents serves publishers well.
Jeff Jarvis offers, as usual, an excellent perspective on the Garfield article at his BuzzMachine blog including this:
And what he’s really saying behind all that is that the fundamental economics of media are, if not imploding, deflating. That is a big deal and has implications we can’t yet imagine in media and marketing as well as in the proliferation of small media that can afford to live without big marketing — if it’s ready. Hang on. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Downhill.
It suits newsagents to listen to publisher claims that it is business as usual – we’re too scared to contemplate the reality. It also suits newsagent associations to remain silent on what is really happening since they rely on publishers for funding.
The facts as shown in the balance sheets of publishers in Australia and overseas speak for themselves. Smart newsagents see this and are adjusting their business models accordingly. If only more would do this and, at the same time, exert more control over their businesses and, in particular, supply arrangements with newspaper and magazine publishers and distributors.
This is what newsagents must discuss. Nothing else matters right now but the disruption our channel faces.
One reason I started this blog was to educate Australian newsagents about the changes which will affect their businesses. I have no doubt that Jarvis, Garfield and many like them are right. We are in for a rough ride. But it is a ride newsagents can survive and even enjoy if they take the reins of their businesses and stop allowing publishers to control their lives.