Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

They say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself - Andy Warhol

While most people are obsessing over Apple’s latest beauty, the iPod Nano (thank God for backups because they almost fell flat on their face with the Rokr…Razr + glued on Nano = much better!), there are a few folks who will eagerly be picking up the new version of the Guardian.

The iGuardian Nano…oops sorry, I meant the Guardian in Berliner format marks a change in direction for the modern newspaper. One only has to look at the success of the Metro edition of the Irish Independent here to see how the change in format makes it much more appealing to the modern consumer. As Stephen Davies said, broadsheets are ‘far too big and inconvenient.’

At the same time I would go back to another point I made last week about traditional media incorporating Internet content into their offering. Traditional media are going to have to focus on the four P’s of the Marketing mix over the coming years:

• Price
• Product
• Place
• Promotion

Price: There’s no point in charging for your online content, people will find it elsewhere for free if you do.

Product: By not offering content online, you are losing out to your competitors to do. By embracing Web 2.0 and recognising the fact that people are starting to use the Internet differently, you can position your publication in the minds of your target audience. Look at what the modern consumer wants and your content will sell itself.

Place: A no-brainer really. If you’re not using the Internet as a distribution channel then you may as well just shut up shop now. Jump onto the Webfeeds/RSS bandwagon now and watch the amount of regular visitors to your site increase.

Promotion: By making your content freely accessible, i.e. not having to register, then watch as the link love makes you rank higher in Google and the explosion in linking lead to higher readership.

Stuart Bruce points out that to celebrate the launch of the new Berliner format, the Guardian is offering free access to its digital edition in PDF format.

Technorati Tags: Guardian, Marketing Mix, Piaras Kelly, Stuart Bruce, Stephen Davies, Traditional Media