This time of the year is naturally devoted to some introspection of the past and reflection into the possibilities that the future would bring. We can look forward to glossy anniversary editions of magazines, the catalogs of ‘the best and the worst’ developments in the newspapers and panel discussions on TV on the’ celebratory and grievous moments’ for 2007.

Since there will be all this and more to assimilate, I promise to keep this post on my learnings and observations on media in 2007 as brief as possible.

The Fall of Simplistic Media Relations and the Rise of Space Crunch

This report in the Business Standard on the record number of product launches this year corroborated what I have been experiencing in my daily media outreach as a Public Relations professional. While in the past 2 years we have seen an increase in the number of newspapers, magazines and TV channels, this increase is hugely outpaced by the number of brands in the market today. Given their new presence in the space and therefore the obvious need for visibility, media relations IS BOUND TO occupy a significant place in their communication plans. The RESULT is the impending reality for the PR professionals –

- More press conferences, more on-ground events, and fewer journalists to attend the same

- Increasing competition from within. E.g. If I am handling 2-3 brands in the same space (colas, shampoos, etc.) from the same company, no longer am I faced with crunch in media space due to other cola or shampoo brands but also by my own brands.

In-Transit – traditional media in the internet space

In the past year, we have constantly debated about the rise of consumer generated media as an alternative to the traditional media and yet the undeniable significance of traditional media in our lives. What I think we haven’t spoken enough is the transition and consolidation of the offline media in the online space -

- Level one – the stories carried in the print publications are also displayed in their online editions

- Level two – online editions of traditional media are creating completely unique content. So IBN-Live has a separate editorial team that shoots stories independently of CNN-IBN as also the leading financial papers as the ET and BS that regularly update the content

- Level three – growth of geography-centric portals that either aggregate content from other sources or create their own content. Again they function either independently for that region or are part of a larger portal.E.g. while doing a standard check on Google for stories on an event that we had recently concluded for a client in Bangalore, I came across a completely unique footage of the event on AOL, City Guide, Bangalore. I was quite fascinated how this individual had attended the event, interviewed the relevant stakeholders including our spokesperson, and created compelling content from the same.

Digital media – and the Crown of Expertise goes to…

While we can look forward to a full-fledged battle in the year ahead, this year has been interesting in terms of the claim for the coveted title of MSM (Masters in Social Media). From advertising agencies, PR agencies, smaller digital agencies and independent bloggers, all have been trying to co-opt this emerging medium of communication and build salience for themselves in the space. The verdict is still to be out but I suspect the winners are going to be those who are not scared of making and learning from mistakes and respect the dynamism of medium enough to realize that it is impossible to ever fully “know” it.

I wonder if the above post fits the definition of “brief” :). Here’s wishing all the readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

PS: Do pitch in what you thought were the trends, developments that stood out for you in the year 2007.

Tech Tags: pr public+relations india