It's Not About the Delivery Platform - Content Remains King

This makes me think of Izzy Video, a subscription website I use to tune up my video shooting and production skills. Izzy recently asked subscribers to tell him what they wanted for his next tutorial. Many responses later, the content has been selected and I'm looking forward to seeing it. But not one of the video mags I receive has asked what I want to see. And like other mags, they are thinner than they used to be. The content is fine, but is not always attuned to what I want. But they don't know that because they don't ask.

Meanwhile, the allure of digital delivery has marketers scrambling to leverage new platforms like the iPad and other digital readers. Zoratti notes that consumers are wondering if Web advertising, no matter how relevant or personal, will be more intrusion than experience. In the InfoPrint study, 41% of consumers would respond to personalized magazine advertising delivered via a digital reader, versus 63% who would opt in for the next step on engagement through a printed subscription. A smart publisher can take that to the bank.

The other side of this is how content should differ between Web and print. That's a different story, and each media can certainly drive the other. But relevance is still crucial and in the battle for readers' eyeballs and mindshare, delivering what people want to see and hear is, as always, the core of a successful publication, no matter how it's delivered.