Everyone - everyone - is a media brand

Changing the Face of Media - Ze Frank, Philip Kaplan and Jeremy Allaire

• Question: What constitutes a media company? Kaplan says the network model is being lost, that people don't care about the package as much as the content and that, with the plethora of choices we make our own media. Ze Frank defines media as anything you can advertise against, meaning just about anything that's created can be considered media. Allaire points out that the behavior around that media (tagging, linking, etc) is as important as the media itself.
• Question: How do we (marketers) access that sort of chaos? Allaire says it's difficult because the content can wind up just about anywhere and that the monetization of that "hyper-syndication" is still lagging. Frank points out that once you embrace the bottom-up, non-controlled space you will begin to see patterns and boundaries emerge and become clear. Kaplan says media buying is more interesting because scarcity of ad inventory doesn't exist any longer.
   
• Question: How do you take the traditional ad-buying model and put it in the bottom-up world? Kaplan makes the point that the authority and the trust readers put in the source (ie, ESPN vs. someone's fan blog) is transferable to the ads that appear on that site. So as the audience is shifting their ad exposure is shifting, but influence is not necessarily being lost because of that.
   
• Question: How do you overcome advertiser fear over ads on CGC? Kaplan says they use trust and transparency, trying to show where ads might appear and what their impact is going to be, even though metrics aren't at the level some advertisers need to feel comfortable. Allaire reminds everyone that Flash and other online formats reduce the cost of creative execution and creation (Ed. note: That means you can try new things, fail, and then try something else without the huge impact a bad TV spot will have on your budget.)
   
• Don't overlook PR value of the advertising industry. Ze Frank says the internet is all about stories about stories, with buzz being generated by crazy stunts that are covered elsewhere. Think Second Life kiosks - no one knew what they would or really should cost until people started doing it.
   
• The panel points out that the one thing to worry about with social media is having a bad product. After that it's all gravy.
   
• Allaire says it's about being where the consumers are and not where you want them to be. That's why people are emphasizing embed codes and other things to allow the easy transference of content from one place to another. But it's also important to use the tools people are already using and not always try to reinvent the wheel - the magnifying glass is going to be more focused on you if you try to be "The next (fill in the blank)."
• Ze Frank: "Brands actually create context." The media brand, wherever that brand's content might appear, brings with it the context of the brand. So very, very true.
   

The whole discussion of ad inventory, honestly, I don't think is being put into context. If we're talking about the low, low barrier to entry to syndicate content, and if we're saying that all brands are media companies, then what role does advertising play? I'm not saying there isn't a role, but I think companies need to have the discussion when ever they're planning a campaign of what's going to best fit the end goals - Content creation in and of itself or paid advertising efforts?

When you get to the point where that conversation is happening then you're in a good place.