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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S COLUMN
Learning Lessons from a Silver Anniversary
by RON STARNER
Ron.Starner@IAMC.org
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Ron Starner,
executive director
of IAMC |
Twenty-five years ago, the critics said it would never last. They said it was too colorful, too fluffy and too flighty to make a difference.
They mocked its design and lampooned its message. They predicted a short life for this new product that dared to change the rules of its business.
And, of course, there was the ultimate insult. "McPaper," they called it, in a dismissive attempt to both ridicule and ignore it at the same time.
By now, you've probably guessed what "it" is — USA Today, the national newspaper that celebrates its 25th anniversary on Sept. 15.
At IAMC headquarters, we have a fondness for noting anniversaries, as we just marked our fifth, but we also believe that we can learn from other organizations that have proven staying power.
USA Today may not be a perfect newspaper, but it's doing something that no other national paper has accomplished in the past decade. It's growing.
USA Today ended 2006 with a circulation of 2,259,329 and 5.2 million adult readers. And while some journalists compare the paper's content to fast food, you might be surprised to learn that the median household income for USA Today readers is $77,462, and 74 percent have a college education. That's why the paper can command $205,600 for a full-page, four-color ad on Friday.
Part of my journalism education at Liberty University in Virginia involved taking a tour of the fledgling USA Today headquarters just across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. (They have since relocated from Arlington to McLean.) Even then, in 1984, the technology was impressive: satellite news feeds, electronic desktop publishing, television monitors showing events happening around the world — all precursors to the modern era of journalism.
Looking back on the paper's history, it is obvious that USA Today overcame not only its many detractors at competing news organizations, but also the odds against startup publications. Launched in an era when 80 percent of all new publications fail within the first year, USA Today understood trends at work in the marketplace long before their competition did.
The staying power stems ultimately from the paper's appreciation of these seven trends:
Effective delivery of the message is just as important as the message itself. USA Today recognized this before anyone else in the newspaper industry. The editors created a product that people could quickly and easily both read and understand.
Color captivates the eye and enhances the message. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then USA Today figured that a colorful picture must be worth 10,000 words.
Time is what people really pay for a paper. Forget that after 25 years USA Today still costs only 75 cents. Its real value is that it can be easily consumed in less than 30 minutes.
People have down time when they are traveling, and USA Today helps fill that gap with useful information. That's why you see so many travelers reading this paper in airports, hotels, taxis, trains and cafes.
Americans love America. It may sound trite, but USA Today tapped into a patriotic spirit at a time when the country needed it. "The Nation's Newspaper" is more than a slogan; it's a strategy.
Tomorrow's readers consume content differently. Just as USA Today was the first to recognize the role color could play in attracting younger readers, the paper was one of the first to feature extended content links online. As a result, the paper now reaches 10.6 million unique online readers.
Diverse audiences have different needs. It's no accident that two-thirds of USA Today readers are male; the paper has the best national sports section of any daily. But the paper also meets the needs of business news consumers and those interested in lifestyle stories.
IAMC, and almost any organization, can learn a lot from USA Today. We can learn the value of embracing new technology tools to communicate with our shareholders; delivering messages in compact form to save our members valuable time; recognizing generational shifts and the changing needs dictated by them; and creating new content offerings to meet the demands of a changing marketplace.
You have already seen a lot of these changes on IAMC.org — in the form of Surplus Property Clearinghouse, the IAMC Career Center, BCIR and many more — but you will see a lot more in the year to come.
At IAMC headquarters, we are embracing new technology tools to make your membership in our association even more practical and more valuable. We recognize that the marketplace that exists today doesn't look exactly like what it will be five years from now — or even two years from now.
Business professionals are adopting, at a rapid pace, everything from blogs and social networking sites to downloadable podcasts and online video. Increasingly, webinars and webcasts will become preferred methods of content delivery.
USA Today never would have made it to year 25 by simply producing the same kind of newspaper as everyone else.
At IAMC, we know we won't thrive by delivering an association that mimics others in our industry.
Stay tuned. If you thought you saw a lot of breakthroughs in our first five years, wait until you see the next 20.
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IAMC Notes