Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

The clamor for information rages on, but where will we get it? Traditional media are dying a slow death – an AP article last Sunday said newspapers are now in survival mode. Staff cuts are hitting hard at the Hartford Courant, the Baltimore Sun, and the Daytona Beach-Journal. The venerable Tribune Co. is looking to sell Newsday. Closer to home, the News & Observer announced last Friday that its Business section would be integrated into the same section as local news, a reflection of cutbacks. McClatchy Co., N&O’s parent, said more staff cuts are coming.

So what’s going to take the place of newspapers? Will it be a new breed of media company? At Web Content 2008, Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 declared that online content marketing is the future of media and expressed his condolences to anyone working in traditional media. Pointing to shrinking media company budgets and the myriad technologies that allow the smallest companies to deliver targeted content, Pulizzi and Junta42 are banking on custom publishing. This company helps match marketers with branded content providers, content advertising agencies, direct marketing and PR firms, integrated marketing firms and post-advertising agencies — at no charge.

And content delivery goes beyond blogs and e-newsletters. Junta42 lists – you guessed it – 42 ways to deliver your content, including virtual tradeshows, online games, e-books, vodcasts, and digital magazines.

What's missing here is any type of objective reporting. I understand the power of customized content, but I’m not sure it will totally replace the role of the fourth estate – or if it should. Maybe instead of journalism empires like the Tribune or McClatchy, we’ll just have journalists for hire, building personal brands as trusted, impartial sources of news. Or maybe product marketers will draw crowds by providing news articles even if it doesn't tie into their products.

Sure, the line has blurred between news and entertainment, and I'm all for online content marketing. But shouldn't news and marketing still be separate?