Winning On the Run - Michael Kassan - MediaBizBloggers

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How do we win the future? I suggest we follow the lead of two outlaws trapped on a cliff over a raging river:

Butch Cassidy:"Alright. I'll jump first."
Sundance Kid:"No."
Butch Cassidy: "Then you jump first."
Sundance Kid: "No, I said."
Butch Cassidy: "What's the matter with you?"
Sundance Kid: "I can't swim."
Butch Cassidy: "Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you."

Just jump.

Could the secret to success in media today really be that simple?

Yes, it could.

And that's why this week's deal between The New York Times and our location-based network client RMG, in which the latter has transformed its Urban Mobile Network into NYTimes.com Today, is so cool.

Because the Times just jumped.

This is an extreme, full branding makeover that marries the power of brand and content with targeting of place and mobile interactivity, bringing the NYT look and feel—and the legendary newspaper's unrivaled content—to more than 850 locations in the affluent, urban, target-rich environments of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and 35 airport locations.

That's 6 million viewers per month and an average dwell time of 14 minutes. And every bit of those impressive numbers based on the deceptively simple idea that even people on the go stop every now and then, and take what RMG calls "natural pauses" in their busy day.

I asked MediaLink Strategic Advisor Eric Fernandez, a former brand activation expert at AT&T, for his take on this fascinating media play. The key, Eric says, is in the focus.

The NYTimes.com Today network "is built for the affluent influential urban consumers who are actively changing the game for media companies and brands," he says. And he predicts that the program "will change behavior related both to the consumption of content and also around brand and marketing activation on a hyper-local basis."

Okay, a little heavy on the buzzspeak. But he's right, this is the very model of the modern media program. Blue-chip branded content. Dynamic ads with real-time feed integration. Mobile interactivity through SMS and content downloads. It even integrates stalwart old-world opportunities like signage, coffee sleeves, and such.

That's how you succeed in media today.

Devise a great content play and put it on the move, make it mobile, just like the quality audience you're chasing. Find a savvy, 21st Century media technology partner to help you activate it.

And just jump.

Michael E. Kassan is Chairman and CEO of MediaLink, LLC, a leading Los Angeles and New York City-based advisory and business development firm that provides critical counsel and direction on issues of marketing, advertising, media, entertainment and digital technology. Michael can be reached at michael@medialinkllc.com

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