I am not a card-carrying member of the Steve Jobs Cult by any means, but the smug “Mac vs. PC”…
Author: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Sometimes loud, formerly poet, always opinionated. He/Him.
Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is primarily a marketer by day, but he's worn many other hats over the years. This is his personal website reflecting his personal thoughts and opinions, some of which may have evolved over time. YMMV.
How Much is a Magazine’s Content Worth? Part III
There will always be gatekeepers of one form or another, whether traditional publishers or the crowd-sourced variety. In both cases, the crowds are usually led by a few vocal minorities, and both have a history of chasing trends while ignoring new voices and ideas, so what’s old is basically new again. The true value of content is more measurable than it’s ever been, so publishers’ primary focus should be on curating great content that people are willing to pay for, and to organize and nurture a community around that content and the authors who create it. That community will exist in multiple places and spaces, and vary wildly in size; in some cases, they won’t be the least bit interested in having advertising invade their space, overtly or covertly.
Beware the Social Media Kool-Aid
“Be a little cautious of the social media kool-aid… It does work slowly over time, but if you need to…
In a time of crisitunity, you gotta have soul!
“Ad networks have scale and data, but they lack soul. Customers don’t join ad networks.” —John Battelle, Founder & CEO,…
Publishers should be idea advocates
I attended my second BookExpo America last Friday — walking the main floor, talking to several exhibitors and attendees, checking out a couple…
Conversational Marketing Summit: NY 2009
I’ll be attending Federated Media’s Conversational Marketing Summit the next two days — “an exclusive two-day event that brings together…
How Much is a Magazine’s Content Worth? Part II
With advertising revenue less reliable than ever—overall ad spending declined another 15.1 percent in Q1 2009 (Bernstein’s Research)—this prolonged and brutal economic downturn will claim even more magazines before the year is over, requiring the rapid development of alternative revenue streams and pitting those still standing in an intriguing, high-stakes game of “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”. One of the seemingly obvious steps to take would be to raise the deeply discounted subscription rates that were formerly subsidized by advertising, sending a clear message to readers (and advertisers) about the true value of the content being published. While most magazines would undoubtedly lose subscribers, the ones they retained would be more profitable, more engaged, and more responsive to relevant advertising and direct-to-consumer offerings.