No “doldrums of summer” this year. A forecast of the changing media landscape in the coming season.
The CGPR team just wrapped a busy week in New York City, representing clients and helping to organize the second annual Get Outdoors-NYC, a consumer media event hosted by Outdoor Retailer. While the event was extremely successful in connecting consumer and national media with outdoor brands, there were definitely signs of a changing media landscape both in New York and beyond.
The national events that are affecting the traditional ebb and flow of media coverage, as well as the overall approach to securing coverage of the industry, products and trends, are in a season of change.
CGPR presents five media landscape trends leading us into summer and how to “stay cool” this season:
From cycle to cyclone: In a recent story in the New York Times on the journalist, Judy Woodruff at PBS, the reporter Katie Rogers, noted, “The modern news cycle is a little different now — less of a cycle and more like a cyclone, the informational equivalent of standing in front of a tennis ball machine.”
CGPR Recommendation: Communicators should keep pitches precise and targeted in these turbulent times
Trump, Trump and more Trump: As the Trump Administration continues to make news on an hourly basis, it has turned the media world upside down. This means there is far less space and time to generate media coverage on consumer brands – whether it be apparel/fashion/gear/accessories or trends. We have not only seen changes in broadcast, but also in print e.g. the WSJ has virtually eliminated its daily coverage of lifestyle and reserved this for its weekend Off Duty section.
CGPR Recommendation: Competition for coverage will be fiercer then ever and brands will have to be creative in positioning their news in enticing ways to editors.
Tightening of budgets: The media world continues to tighten its belt as the demand for print remains in decline. This means reduction in staff and frequent changeover – more than ever before.
CGPR Recommendation: Communicators should stay vigilant and aware of staff changes. It will be key to nurture existing relationships while working to build new diverse networks.
Deeper digging: With the speed and breadth of news available to consumers with the click of a mouse, media are working to deliver more in-depth understanding of brands and products. Media are looking for stories that reveal the “intel – inside” or the background of the product, producers, or supply chain. A new product is no longer automatically news.
CGPR Recommendation: Brands should be mindful of intriguing background stories or new angles that make their product or service relevant to timely events and larger audiences.
Media or Marketer? To stay competitive, media entities are turning to marketing and e-commerce to stay relevant. Branded content blurs with editorial coverage and the opportunity for creative marketing is expanding.
CGPR Recommendation: Consider branded content or leveraging paid bylines in influential publications.
While summer used to suggest a slowing of pace both for brands and media, the competitive fast paced environment of the new media landscape promises otherwise. Brands must stay active, consistently building relationship with media, and creative, offering media unique angles and authentic stories, to stay relevant in the coming seasons.