Comment:  Convergence of traditional and online media brings communication challenges   by Grant Common Editor Published April - May 2007 Grant has 30 years direct experience in public relations and communication in Australia and New Zealand - as well as directing and managing programs in the UK and USA. He has consulted to Governments, publicly listed companies, industry bodies, marketing organisations, multinationals and not-for-profit organisations. He is Managing Director of Sydney-based Network PR and as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (having completed the Company Directors Diploma examination) he is also one of the few PR practitioners to have the perspective of the company director. The challenges organisations face in reaching their stakeholders and consumers are increasing as the convergence of online and traditional media in Australia continues. And, as when a strong flowing river reaches the sea, there’s a lot of turbulent water which can make it very tricky to navigate. Some are happy and confident enough to jump in, while others prefer to watch from the shore. Evidence of the changes in the direction our local media comes from these two insights:   The latest Roy Morgan Research showed that most daily newspapers in Australia posted readership declines while the latest figures for key news websites all posted double-digit growth in terms of ‘unique browsers’.  In fact the number of people using the websites of both News Ltd and Fairfax newspapers jumped by at least 20 percent. In an email to staff of Fairfax, CEO David Kirk, when talking about their move to new premises in Sydney said… “At One Darling Island, online and print editors will be working on newsdesks across from each other. There will be a massive multimedia wall that will bring the world to our newsroom and connect us with the world. Editorial decisions will be made with print, internet and mobile options available”.  Further evidence of the power of online is how Australia’s major telecommunications providers are slugging it out in a ‘my website is better than your website’ battle that is to continue for quite some time.   Telstra’s www.nowwearetalking.com.au is a deliberate, and carefully planned, online Web 2.0 strategy aimed at going ‘around’ the traditional media (which Telstra claims are biased against it) direct to the consumers in what it calls a ‘grassroots’ campaign.  And it claims 100,000 visitors a month go to the site.   In response, most of Telstra’s competitors have joined forces to set up their own website - www.tellthetruthtelstra.com.au, where they too claim to have a growing visitor base in this battle in cyberspace for the hearts and minds of those with an interest in the future of telecommunications in Australia.  Meantime the Trade Unions in Australia have really shown they are in tune with today’s environment.  They have been running lots of interactive campaigns: http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/community/index.php .  They have also been placing their videos on YouTube: http://www.actu.asn.au/Campaigns/YourRightsatWork/WatchourTVads/ACTUlauncheshardhittingadvertisements2007.aspx, as well as getting into podcasts: http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/podcast/  The Trade Union movement provides an example of the convergence of online and offline. Their ‘rights at work’ site http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/campaigns/nolaughingmatter was used as a fundraising mechanism to fund a newspaper ad in The Australian.  Within 24 hours they had raised $30,000 to pay for it. Is it just a coincidence that the Trade Union communications effort is credited by some commentators as having strongly influenced Australian public opinion to the extent that Labor is now significantly ahead in the polls as the countdown to the election begins? Another example of smart use of new media is GetUp http://www.getup.org.au/  GetUp is a new, independent political movement. GetUp brings together like-minded people who want to bring participation back into our democracy.  GetUp are also encouraging UGC (user generated content). View this mock election ad submitted by a reader http://www.getup.org.au/campaign.asp?campaign_id=86 Meantime, back in the traditional world, our national airline, Qantas, has been showing that it is not yet swayed by all this ‘new fangled communication stuff‘. Obviously smarting after a bruising editorial experience in Australia’s traditional daily media (newspapers, TV and radio) following the aborted private equity bid for them, they decided they needed to do something to improve the image. Not for them any ‘engagement’ with key audiences or the starting of any conversations. No - they took a 90’s approach. They went out and bought space in traditional media and ran a beautifully created and probably expensive advertising campaign. While this no doubt gives Qantas management a warm feeling, one wonders how effective this single-minded - and dare we say rather ‘yesterday’ approach is likely to be, especially as there is no shortage of anti-Qantas ‘chatter’ on forums and blogs from people with an axe to grind!

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