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April 20, 2009
Old Media + New Media = NOW Media
Old Media + New Media = NOW Media. NOW Media is the fusion of Old Media and New Media.
As it turned out, after the investment of Billions of Dollars, the advent of New Media never replaced Old Media. New Media is different and while it means different things to different people, as my friend Shelly Palmer pointed out during his talk at SocComm back in February, in the end the people who are on the outside of the Gates (New Media) really wants to be on the inside of those Gates where Old Media is. And once you are on the inside you will discover a much different world and perspective on things than when you are on the outside.
Since being part of the CNN / Facebook experience during President Obama’s Inauguration, I have been thinking about about something which I have been calling: NOW Media. At first I thought it New Media should just be rebranded as NOW Media. But I was wrong. NOW Media is different. It represents the fusion of both platforms more than just a rebranding of one or the other. And a week after the world discovered Susan Boyle and a week which included a “Race to a Million” followers on twitter between Aston Kutcher and CNN, I believe none of these things would not have happened if it wasn’t for the advent of NOW Media.
Looking back, it was the July 2nd 2005 AOL Live 8 Broadcast was one of the first events of recent memory that was a NOW Media moment for me. As a consumer I had the chance to watch the concert live on MTV and Vh1 but also via their website. And on the web I could choose which of the 8 stages I wanted to watch and be my own director of the event. This allowed some of us to watch live the reunion of Pink Floyd while others on cable had a different viewing experience.
New Media empowers Ashton Kutcher with platforms like UStream and Qik and twitpic and he uses them to connect directly to people for free. And Ashton knows how to leverage these platforms to promote a cause, to make a point and to be heard. And it isn’t just Ashton who uses these platforms, they are there for anyone who has broadband access to take advantage of. But mix UStream or Qik with Old Media and something special can and sometimes does happen.
Susan Boyle’s original video from Britain’s Got Talent reached now has over 33 million views (and counting.) Five days ago that same video was at 4 million views. And when I first saw the video on Sunday, April 12th it had about 65,000 views. What happened? And what caused Susan Boyle to become an overnight sensation heard around the world? I believe a lot of the success of this video has come from the messages it carries in addition to the amazing voice that is heard on it. Susan Boyle’s video reminds us to be humble and not to jump to conclusions and not to judge. She also brings out an emotion that is just not felt in many of our everyday lives and her video shares the humanity in it all with regard to what happens when someone when you least expect it opens their mouth and can really sing. Each time I watch her video I can’t help but feel both a chill and a tear. The lyrics from Les Miserables which she sang just made the captured moments even more ironic. Susan had a dream and after all these years the world now knows who Susan Boyle really is. And regardless about the outcome of the competition on Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle has already won.
I believe that the advent of NOW Media contributed greatly to Susan Boyle getting discovered by the world..
Within hours of placing the producers of Britain’s Got Talent placing the Susan Bole video on YouTube, the embedded video (when that was allowed) started appearing on blogs around the world. This in turn started a video linking sharing frenzy on Facebook and twitter and on email which fueled the initial momentum. And within a day or so, traditional media outlets around the world could not help but notice the traction Susan Boyle’s video was getting so they started reporting it. This in turn generated another frenzy of people sharing this information on the internet. And so on. And this frenzy repeated itself with newspaper coverage and broadcast media coverage and even more internet coverage. The two worlds of Old Media and New Media need each other and have for a long time. Despite what some friends of mine may preach, I do not seeing one world will replacing the other. Each will have their own influence but when Old Media and New Media can be catalysts for each other, amazing things can and will happen. And this is where my concept of NOW media sits. Now Media is the fusion of Old Media and New Media.
After just one show where Oprah spoke about twitter and had on Ashton Kutcher and twitter CEO Ev Williams, she is has more than 350,000 followers. While at the moment Oprah seems to be communicating with just the people who she follows, when she realizes how she can listen to the world trying to connect with her, Oprah can directly contribute to the next wave of growth on twitter. twitter and Oprah together are another example of NOW media at play. (I have to admit that on Friday I was enjoying watching the twitter conversations taking place in real-time during the taping of Oprah’s show.)
Last Friday’s Larry King CNN show about twitter is a great example of NOW media in content even though this wasn’t mentioned directly during the broadcast. What I especially enjoyed was Ashton's UStream Interview with Larry King right after the show.
We are living in a NOW Media World. Look out for future NOW Media moments.
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Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below. And please feel free to share other NOW Media Moments.
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Tags: NOW Media, Old Media, New Media, social media, Qik, UStream, Susan Boyle, Jeff Pulver
Posted by jeff on April 20, 2009 09:01 AM | Permalink
Additional resources: #140conf events | Watch the Jeff Pulver Show | Jeff's Qik Videos
Comments
I guess I feel like.. what do we mean when we use the terms old and new media? Perhaps a combination of reasoned things, associations, feelings.. On the level of all that.. I don't think old media will survive.. or what I mean is I believe new media will change old media into something different..
We often think of old media in terms of gate keepers.. control.. power concentration.. and in new media we have low hanging fruit.. power diffusion.. (even if the a list-er ranks are small).. its as if the forces underlying markets find there expression in new media.. before they'd hit the radar of old media.. and with change management being a big issue these days.. New media is working on a new DNA for the change management issue.. which I do think, long term, will fundimentally change how people organize them selves.
To my way of thinking.. what makes old media old media.. is something in its DNA.. and one way or another we will see evolution.
Now Media, to me, as a concept.. makes a lot of pragmatic sense.. I mean I think that's kind of how we should be thinking about it.. I've always thought new media folks should have some old media skills in there tool box, and yet I don't think I've ever had a conversation with a blogger or podcaster about how they're running they're traditional publicity campaigns..
Posted by: Matt Searles at April 22, 2009 11:12 AM
Much of what is old is too old, and what people keep calling new is not new at all. I never seem to need trendy catch phrases for what I do. I know some people do need a term, but I prefer to focus on work more than talking about work.
Posted by: Mark Aaron Murnahan at April 21, 2009 08:53 AM
Jeff,
So you cried too huh ? Yeah, me too, plus goosebump.
Yes, the event that has been happening this week has proved to be one of those Tipping Points where the elegant orchestra between the two media had been played. The two were 'feeding' each-other, creating and ever-magnifying an endless finale.
It's a beautiful concert :)
Thanks for the insight.
Posted by: Chris Prakoso at April 21, 2009 07:36 AM
That also goes hand in hand with a term I have been floating called 'me-kerting' it's traditional marketing but with the reminder that it is all about me, not you, I am interested in the interaction you can have with me and i with your brand, and the value you add to MY life with your marketing efforts beyond the basic product or service.
I agree with Chris - exciting times ahead for savvy conversationalists.
Posted by: Nicky Tillyer @artrox at April 20, 2009 09:23 PM
Absolutely! We are constantly experiencing the mixture of old media and new media. New was never meant to completely replace the old, but only to create more touch points thus stimulate the experience and strengthen the connection.
In the best case scenario, they should complement each other and produce the best marketing mix. Ashton used a billboard to promote his twitter acct, CNN also mentioned it during AC360 news. TV and radio would not go away, advertising would not die, but the new media did revolutionize the way we look at advertising/PR in traditional media spaces. I think competition will breed innovation and hopefully bring the best of this "NOW media" movement!
BTW, Susan Boyle's video views exceeded over 100 million today according to visible measures =)
Posted by: Yuki Chow at April 20, 2009 07:23 PM
Hi Jeff :)
I believe you have the perfect analogy for what's happening with the old and new media ways! :)
I have site that caters to that very purpose in my city of Vancouver, Canada - with a focus of hyper local news :)
Congrads for writing it the way it is! :)
NOW Media :)
Posted by: April Smith at April 20, 2009 07:09 PM
Jeff,
YOU NAILED IT!
I really think you are onto something and in fact, I launched a company to help make that happen. It is sometimes a tough slog, requiring lots of education before they get it, but it is worthwhile. It is ultimately good for consumers and it is good for traditional media companies.
@isfan
Posted by: allan isfan at April 20, 2009 07:08 PM
Will "Now Media" be embraced throughout the world Jeff?
Posted by: Jeremy Jacobs at April 20, 2009 07:00 PM
Jeff,
Fantastic post and I look forward to watching these worlds continue to blend. Exciting times indeed...
Best, Chris
Posted by: Chris Parandian at April 20, 2009 10:24 AM