Publishers: Go Digital or Go Away
Isn’t that the truth for all of us? Go digital or go away. It happened to advertising – in large part because of the change in publishing and broadcast – and so, the circle gets wider. Now books and newspapers and magazines have to give it up to the digital age.
That’s what we’ve done – and it really hasn’t been all that bad. Some days I might even say it’s been fun. We have spent the last year refocusing our business and integrating digital technology, interactive design and innovative strategic thinking into our arsenal of creative offerings. As a result, we have created a business model that allows us to offer our clients more services and more strategic solutions, all under the same roof. And one of those services is in the world of publishing. We have begun to create trailers for books – and it’s a growing business segment. Publishing houses are in the business of creating content – content that is moving to the iPad and mobile platforms. We can help them not only sell books, but downloads as well.
Al DiGuido of Zeta Interactive, wrote a terrific piece in this week’s AdAge on this issue, and I think his insights are right on target. His post addresses the rumors circulating about Hearst’s potential purchase of interactive shop iCrossing. There is no shortage of people willing to knock this idea, but DiGuido makes a compelling argument for the publishing industry’s move into the digital realm.
I still buy books and newspapers but, like many consumers today, I also get them delivered to my iPad. The transition is happening, like it or not. As the world of consumption of media has changed, the world of publication must change with it. Whether that means publishing houses acquire digital agencies to help them accomplish that or hire interactive agencies like ours, the paradigm is definitely shifting and it’s time for the industry to embrace that shift.
What do you think?
