A SIMPLE MATTER OF TRUTH

With news and rumors of print publications being acquired or closed down, one has to think 'What went wrong?' Many will say Facebook, Google and the all-encompassing 'digital' killed print, but I think many of them are missing the point.

Having run three magazines in my lifetime, and fairly successful ones if I may say, I think the fundamental problem with print boils down to one single truth: it no longer delivered on its promise. Coming from a time where the only form of entertainment or, better yet, where the best way to alleviate boredom was tv, radio or reading material, it no longer has the same pull.

Why? Today bored people turn to the Internet, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube when they are bored and this is the time they are most susceptible to some suggestion or better yet brainwashing. Nothing can penetrate the mind like boredom. And these guys know boredom in spades. They're in the business of fucking boredom. A bored audience and an interactive platform results in advertising money galore. Which lets these guys further the cycle and own more of the pie.

And they have data lots of it. Data you can sort, categorize, filter and more importantly sell to the highest bidder on the cheap and at massive volumes. And data doesn't lie. Especially big data. Imagine having the shit on millions of people and being able to deliver what they want content wise and ad wise? It's a money making, media world conquering machine.

There is no word more dreaded by a publisher than a request for audit numbers or a meeting like a grilling from a client who had run a print business beforehand. Why? It will most certainly involve having to lie and squirm your way around for a fair bit. The complete opposite of what the unslayable giants can now do. They'll slap you around with reports galore until your nose bleeds.

Print had a window to catch up or even innovate and deliver what they initially set out to deliver on a content and advertising level. Gaining an audience on multiple platforms is not that hard in this day and age. Shaping that audience accross the Internet is also not that hard at all. Making sense of it all, getting out of their comfort zones, and finding the right people to tie it all up together has proven to be the challenge. And keeping a straight face while they continue lying as they struggle to make sense of this brave new world. Thank God for companies like Hearst and Summit that continue to try and figure out how to deliver on their unforgetten, initial promise - great content and viable advertsing platforms. garments to wear that looks sexy in the cocktail

Sure, at the end of the day, 'digital' conquers all. But it conquers because nothing beats a business founded on truth and delivering on what is promised.