Re: BoSacks Readers Speak Out: On the MPA Response to Mary Meeker Trend Report

Re: BoSacks Readers Speak Out: On the MPA Response to Mary Meeker Trend Report

Print has been miss and poorly defined for years, yet the industry does not seem to care, If Print were a brand this branding issue would be changed immediately. I teach print technologies for designers, as well as print production and most designers have lumped magazine/newspaper design into an overall opinion of print and the ever increasing decline of this vertical. This has caused a negative impression to be rampant in the creative industry. Meeker has always looked as do other digital investors look to a future without any other media competing with the world of digital media based tools.

What Meeker and others seem to ignore is that nearly every legacy media, rebounds, and finds a most wonderful place in the chain of communication, a location that often provides alternatives to new and emerging media. Newspapers/Magazines fall within the first section of the three sections that define print, yes, these are in decline. The promotional or marketing aspect, the section that supports among other tools; direct marketing and direct mail is steady and in some instances increasing - this is competition to digital that the world of digital does not wish to address, ignoring it may be their best strategy. Packaging, officially called Product Logistics is on the rise. Print unlike digital is a truly integrated media and continues to be integrated (digital and legacy integration) at levels that had been unheard of for years. I would answer Meeker with the line from Meatloaf's song, "two out three ain't bad".

Realistically, print needs to rebranded, redefined and based not on the media but on the results, I have argued this point for 7 years, I even wrote a book on it and we still, as print based supporters are lost in the woods. Best to you, thanks for the articles and your evaluation. (Submitted by a Professor/writer and Long-time Bo Reader)

Re: BoSacks Readers Speak Out: On the MPA Response to Mary Meeker Trend Report

Interesting response and kind of ironic that Linda Brooks suggests that Mary Meeker is biased in her reporting and yet are we to believe that the MPA president, Ms. Brooks isn't? How do you reconcile that? Each has their own agenda to push. (Submitted by a Paper Person)

Re: BoSacks Readers Speak Out: MPA Response to Trend Report, High Times, & Marketing

1) If the effects of magazine advertising are that compelling, why isn't the industry booming instead of contracting? Businesspeople are cheap -- if they don't see returns on their investments or best use of their costs, they stop them. Not all of their costs can be measured or known by outsiders. But somehow, Google, Facebook, and others are making money from free services to their audiences.

2) If the engagement of magazines is that good, why are the publishing companies downsizing and always complaining about "monetization"? Why is it that small publishers seem to find niches but the big ones can't despite all those MBAs and sales people and research departments? The justification confuses research about emotional preference with actual use, frequency, and the benefits of immediacy and relevance.

3) the funniest part? " Mary Meeker is a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Her analysis needs to be viewed through the lens of her role, defending her company's investments in incubation, early stage and growth companies." Duh! And let me guess -- Ms. Brooks is NOT paid to produce "the parrot is not dead -- he's pining for the fjords -- beautiful plumage that Norwegian Blue"? (Submitted by a Print Analyst)

Re: BoSacks Readers Speak Out: MPA Response to Trend Report, High Times, & Marketing

Ms. Brooks is relying on the fact that many of her members and others don't know who Meeker is. Meeker has had her problems in her career -- she was one of the analysts caught up in the research / ratings / stock recommendations game in the late 1990s. The thing that is funny is that Silicon Valley is a land of failure of promising ideas that turn out to be bad and money that gets flushed down the toilet -- and massive successes that emerge from all of those mistakes.

One of the things that she does is put all this technology in amazing context of demography and economy, and gives a worldwide perspective that others can't seem to do, especially our trade associations. there's an amazing world out there -- and Meeker helps us discover it.

And as far as consumer time and advertising spending -- that's a laugher -- of course it balances out that way in the LONG term -- but it's much harder to see nowadays and it may not be relevant much longer anyway -- we're just taking baby steps in terms of understanding content marketing -- and modern analytics are barely out of the womb in terms of their actionability. the idea of buying print space or generic broadcast time may go the way of the beeper (Submitted by an Industry Journalist)