One of the most impressive things about the New Media Expo was the wide variety of good content produced at a small
scale by talented, regular folks. These are the internet users who are immersed
in the environment and have perfected the art of creating message & meaning
for this medium. It’s no surprise that the big corporations want to jump on the
bandwagon, trying to bring some of the fresh outlook of these content creators
onto their business image. New media, such as podcasting, blogging, and video blogging, are all appealing outlets because of their perceived authenticity and broad spread among the online demographic. However, it's exactly these characteristics that make new media troublesome for businesses. The various media types lose their mass appeal and authenticity if submitted to the typical methods by which companies control/approve their content.
New media is not as much about relieving control as it is about having
a person who understands the brand & medium empowered to lead the initiative."
Social media/new media experts often talk about the need for corporations to relinquishing control, if they wish to enter the new media conversation in the online space. However, it's not as much about relieving control as it is about having a person who understands the brand & medium empowered to lead the initiative internally. As long as the message is a positive one and the people involved in making the new media content are excited about what they do, chances are that the end product will reflect positively on the company. When you fail to have the right person lead the new media effort in your company, the end product will not sound authentic. It will be positive or neutral, but it's almost like failing to speak the correct language when you're in a foreign country: even if you smile, people will still not understand the message you're communicating.
Once you have an appropriate internal person leading the initiative, they will act both as internal ambassadors for the initiative and insure that the work published will be authentic, and on key with the idea of a fluid brand.
Legal & brand review can sometimes be as detrimental as a design by committee."
Without
doubt, the longest and sometimes most heart-wrenching part of getting a
project out the door is when the brand and legal team get a chance to
see it. This is where even the greatest creative ideas are toned down, brought
back to a level where everyone feels comfortable with, and potentially
altered to the core. In its worst case, this reminds me of the process
of
designing by committee,
which is known to produce some pretty bad or, at the very least,
mediocre results. In both the case of public relations and marketing,
this process produces concepts that aren't often as bold or as unique
as they were initially designed. In the case of new media, this process
can really stop any projects in the tracks.
Authentic in the new media means being ready to cut through unnecessary corporate red tape in order to serve your internet audience."
The other part of the appeal of new media is their availability to be on site - to run impromptu interviews or collect coverage material that is relevant to an event, and then turn it around into a publishable piece with a minimum amount of post-production. This way, you keep an audience of active followers up to date on what is happening and give them an inside scoop into the event. The internet audience never wants to feel like it's a secondary or tertiary goal of your project - they want to know that you are respecting their wish for fresh content and want to keep them informed as fast as possible. Authentic in the new media scene means being ready to cut through unnecessary red tape in order to serve your audience, who might also be your consumer base. And who doesn't want a loyal and excited consumer base?