New York-based media giants are suddenly getting jiggy with the new new Media. CBS announced its mega-digital media strategy, which means Quincy Smith, the CBS Interactive head-honcho is finally putting a PowerPoint presentation he showed me last year to good use. You all know about the NewNoNameCo, and Viacom’s latest efforts.
Final proof that what started out as a little wave on the West Coast has hit the eastern media establishment: Rolling Stone magazine, once a favorite and must read for all music and pop-culture nuts is going to establish a social network. (If this means their uglier than pooch’s-rear-end site is going to get a facelift, I am all for it.)
Blanchard plans to launch a separate site that will be a social network for music fans, complete with profiles and the ability to have a say in their “Best of” lists. Blanchard called it the “American Idol version of lists.” Let’s hope Sanjaya doesn’t make it on any of those.
Err …. have they checked out MOG lately? Rolling Stone clearly has its work cut out: the college crowd doesn’t care much for the brand, though formerly cool but rapidly aging hipsters still read the magazine, in a blatant attempt to capture their lost youth. (Okay, I am just speaking for myself.)
The challenges faced by Rolling Stone in the post-MySpace era are pointed out by NYU student journalist Andrea Feczko in this post.
Although college students are RS’s “target audience,” I’m under the impression that people 30 and above are the ones who actually read the mag. Did any of us really watch the MTV-RS reality show? No. Oh, and to clear the record, as a student journalist, I am NOT drunk writing this post.
Such sassiness… Andrea is going to be a great blogger.
MOG.
Perhaps RS could just purchase MOG for a few billion?
Seriously… I think it is great that Rolling Stone is trying to reinvent itself. I think it is looking at the wrong model if it even mildly looks at MySpace.
Just my two cents…
Poor old media icons. They have no idea what works or how. Perhaps they should partner with a current site, rather than build their own.
For Supermarket tabloids Rolling Stone is second only to Star Magazine. What’s next? (Enquiring minds want to know)
Both Billboard – and Variety should also consider doing this for their niche audiences
The social networking business model is the future of branding and loyalty – and will be very widely adopted by leading organizations.