Old MEdiA Vs NEw MEdiA

FEATURE

i. RElEVANCE
The obsolescence of old media has been talked about a lot recently. Is old media dying? Can new media really replace old media seamlessly and effectively? Daryl: Strictly in the Malaysian context, at least for the past seven years, new media is finally been taken seriously. Suddenly, out of nowhere, people are coming in with blogs and theyre getting more attention than the traditional media. For me, the one good thing out of it is its been a rude wake up call for traditional media. Niki: I work with a very new media-centric section, but Im still struggling to convince people to take us seriously. Even though new media has been around for 10 years or so, people are still very cautious and taking baby steps, because theyre not sure if its worth the investment or not. Journalism as an industry is not going to die anytime soon; its just the medium in which we work in.

OLD MEDia vS NEW MEDia

What happens when you get a bunch of bloggers, newspaper journalists, online journalists, bloggers/ journalists, a PR manager, a brand manager and a blog advertising agent all in one place to talk about the changing face of the media? Lets find out.
By Celeste Goh; Photography by Joshua Lee/ Photoworks; Moderator Eugene Ng; Shot on location at Pink Sage Diner, Solaris Dutamas
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The Great debate:

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Nicholas: The challenge is to look for new ways to distribute your content. Like, The Star newspaper, in spite of their wide distribution, they have taken things up a notch by breaking news via Twitter. Wern Shen: With regards to people being shy to invest in new media, it usually stems from the way people perceive new media. Its not just about putting news online. The strongest part of new media is the accessibility it offers to people to communicate with each other within the community. It encourages discussion by bringing people together and letting them interact with each other. Charles: Were not very comfortable yet relying solely on online media, partly because new media is not really killing traditional media just yet. Most of my money is still spent on traditional media, because it still has the most reach, and is still the most established and credible. Theres room for both

channels but Id say that we still have to change our own mentality about what is important in terms of our medias spread to our consumers. Its easier to measure the PR value when it comes to print coverage. Whereas online, theres so many conversations happening all over the place, and were just now starting to develop good measuring tools. Its going to take a lot of time and resources for a brand to really shape our minds for the new media. Angeline: Coming from a PRs perspective, we rely more on traditional media as opposed to digital media, simply because of the mindset of the clients and ourselves, for that matter. We want to show our clients numbers, and how we do that is by calculating the ad value and then multiplying it by three (eyeballs), assuming that three people will read the article. Unfortunately, at this point of time, its difficult for us to measure the value of an online

article. Also, what you read online may not always be true. And with the online media, unlike print media, if they misquote someone, theres no liability because they dont answer to anyone. Wern Shen: I disagree actually, because I have to say its actually easier to gauge readership for online media as there are tons of analytics tools that get it down to things as specific as age group and unique hits. Its just a case of understanding the statistics and applying it to your own metrics. Even when youre talking about something free like Google Analytics, I would say thats a tad more reliable than the eyeball method. You really dont know if that article is being read by three people, whereas with Google Analytics, you know exactly how many unique hits you are getting. Nicholas: They are also very sophisticated and inexpensive tools, such as Radian6, which allows you to measure chatter online, like how many times your brand or a certain keyword is

Old MEdiA Vs NEw MEdiA

being mentioned on a website or any social media platforms. The key is to identify the available options out there, and to embrace and utilise them properly to serve your needs. Niki: The whole old vs new media debate is actually very American-centric, brought on when circulation figures over there began dropping. But if you look at countries like say, India, the figures for print media circulation are actually going up! In less developed nations, perhaps it boils down to the fact that not everyone can afford to buy a smart phone or an iPad, so in those countries, old media is certainly not dying in any way. With regards to the relevance of old media and new media, which one is considered more effective these days, especially when todays younger audience is assumed to have a shorter attention span? Angeline: Id say new media, because it spreads faster, but at the same time, it all depends on the source as well. Id say that The Star is still the most read newspaper online, as compared to any other newspaper online, solely because of its reliability.

Wern: Whenever I read news online, if its something really important, Ill try to refer back to an old media to confirm it. For me, they are still the last word. If its important enough, it should be covered everywhere. If its just a whisper online, and you dont see it anywhere else, then its probably just that. In terms of relevance, its hard for people to take what they read purely online as facts. Partly because of the readers mentality, partly also because of the reputation online media has. Ringo: To be very honest, I dont really read newspapers or watch the television for news. If a particular news item is that important, Id know it anyway, through Twitter, blogs and such. When the tsunami happened in Japan, it spread like wildfire throughout Twitter. And these tweets are not only from news sources, but from victims who were in Japan at the time, trapped inside a building. Compare that to if you read about it in the newspaper the next day, it would have been somewhat stale by then. Niki: But when you see about 20 million tweets a day, the line blurs when it comes to credibility, because anybody can say anything on Twitter. For news, everybody would want to see a complementing link from a credible source with the tweet. Traditionally, that would be a news organisation. I think were starting to see a shift to people with influences, like Ringo, for example. If she says something, her followers might just take it as facts, without really substantiating it. Its not to say these people are going to take over the press, because they have been working for hundreds of years to build up this reputation of reliability. But whos to say that wont change in 10 to 15 years?

Shout Out #1 newman would like to thank Pink Sage for graciously hosting this discussion. Your hospitality is much appreciated.

Quite a number of media companies out there have moved with the times by adopting new media platforms. Is this move a supplement to print media or do you think it will eventually be the driving force for the publishing house? Wern: Ive always shared the view that old media and new media work hand in hand very, very well. I started working in new media a few years back, when we were still doing codes on Notepad, then magazines, and now, Im back to new media. The way things work on the two different platforms are very dynamic. You cant have a video on a newspaper, but you can online. Whereas, you cant have a three-page article online, because people get bored after the fourth paragraph. The perfect solution for media to move forward is by integrating both together. In fact, some print publications are doing it already, like Wired. Its a bit dramatic, saying that old media is being killed by new media. Theres a vast difference between a print media dying off, and it going to an electronic format. It doesnt mean that it is no longer old media, not if they still have a strong editorial team producing the content. Its just that theyre embracing a new format. Niki: I also think that the biggest issue were dealing with is attitude. Its hard for a management to give different directions, if people are not open to change. Take for example Freeform (publishers of Klue and Junk). They were one of the media companies that pioneered media convergence in Malaysia. Its a shame that they have given up on print. For a while there, it was a very beautiful marriage of old and new media in one publishing company. Charles: In my company, a lot of the brand managers working behind the social media have to explain new media to our bosses. Back then, when they first started as brand managers, media meant big TV blast, or some spread in the newspaper.s Now, its all about conversations, and its difficult to understand that, especially if youre so used to a certain kind of media for 20 years. Fortunately for us, even though my boss isnt an expert in this, he allows us the freedom to go into new media.

Nicholas: To them, fulfilling a KPI (Key Performance Index) is a matter of you cutting out ads from newspapers and showing them to your boss. Its a matter of showing what is tangible to senior management, something they can hold in their hands, as opposed to something online, which they cant see or hold.

ii. CREdiBiliTY
To be blunt, there are people in traditional media who are having a hard time accepting say, bloggers, as legitimate media. Daryl: To be honest with you, the younger generation has all but bypassed traditional media already. Last time, the Malay media was so strong that whenever a new local musician emerges, they would be the one breaking the news. Nowadays, musicians like Yuna and Zee Avi can sidestep the Malay media, go to blogs and other music portals for exposure. So much so that the Malay media now have to go online to get the news. Deepak: Despite coming from a journalism background, and working in a credible publication, a lot of these newspaper reporters dont do research anymore. A recent example was when a paper ran a story inaccurately stating Malaysia is in the worlds top 10 for alcohol consumption, when were in fact 167th. I clarified the real situation after extensive research. Things like these could have serious consequences. Charles: New media and social media are completely changing the way information is made and spread throughout society. Theres so much word of mouth now, its like anybody can just say anything they want. A few years ago, I was in Singapore for the Grand Prix, and Johnnie Walker had invited Jensen Button for a press conference with a few media from the region. On one hand, we have a woman from Reuters, with a Masters Degree in Journalism from the

UK. On the other hand, sitting beside her was Dawn Yang, one of the first emerging bloggers in Southeast Asia, who is probably 30 years younger than the Reuters journalist. Yet, Dawn also got an audience with Jensen Button, even though some people were still sceptical as to how she got there. It really hit me as an indicator that new media is definitely picking up in terms of credibility. Deepak: Blogging is a form of writing too. If you meant journalism, then maybe its more complicated. From my experience, both have their own challenges. The main difference is, as a journalist, your work goes through many bureaucratic levels before its published, which I feel is a bad thing. For blogging, youre the writer, sub-editor, editor and chief editor. Blogging requires quite a bit of attention and research too. Ringo: For us, theres no limitation of space for content. A print journalist has a word limit to meet, as they condense what they see and experience into say, two pages. Whereas for bloggers, our content is customisable. Daryl: When it comes to big music

FEATURE

Shout Out #2 Try the Cheeseburger at Pink Sage. We did and we loved it!

EvEN thOuGh NEW MEDia haS bEEN aROuND fOR 10 yEaRS OR SO, PEOPLE aRE StiLL vERy CautiOuS aND takiNG baby StEPS, bECauSE thEyRE NOt SuRE if itS WORth thE iNvEStMENt OR NOt.
- Niki CheONg

events like Guinness Arthurs Day or MTV World Stage, bloggers are breaking the news first, whereas if we do that, the organisers get upset because they may not have gotten permits for the event just yet. But everyone is already tweeting about it, to the extent that if we were to run the news, it would mean its already confirmed, when in actual fact, its not. Niki: It opens to that situation, where I find not only bloggers, but social media people in general, not necessarily finding themselves bound by the code of embargo, which traditional journalists are. Its easier to sue someone from a print media for defamation, when ironically, they are the ones who are trying hard to be more responsible than those in social media. I have reservations with bloggers, even though Im one. It all comes down to one thing journalism. The issue Charles brought up, it works well for brands and junkets, because its just a profile story. What happens when it comes to hard news? If you want to talk about journalism as a profession, you have to ask the question: do bloggers fit into that context? Some bloggers can do journalism, but not all bloggers are journalists. I think thats what annoys traditional media, when PR agencies are picking up bloggers for coverage solely on numbers, instead of credibility.

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FEATURE

Sponsorships play a fairly large part when it comes to media. When freebies via advertorials come into play, credibility will be questioned for both old and new media. Deepak: Technically, it can, but its up to you to accept or reject such deals. If you do accept, you still should be as sincere as possible when you write. For me, it doesnt matter if I profit from my writing. I wont starve or die, so, Id rather maintain my self-respect and credibility. A blogger would be worthless if his/her content has no accuracy or credibility. Nicholas: The group of bloggers that we engage have very good integrity when it comes to sponsorship. They dont just take anything that comes their way. Niki, for example, has rejected a few advertorials because he doesnt believe in those brands. If bloggers find that their values dont gel with the brands value, they shouldnt take it. If they were to do so solely for the money, they will lose their followers. Ringo: Its also a kind of branding for yourself. You want your clients to know that you are a loyal person. Its not a good thing if you just take up whatever advertorial comes your way. Eventually, you will end up a bad reputation, and people will start to doubt the reliability of your content. Niki: I hold strongly to my integrity. To give a personal example, I was invited to go to an event as a blogger and I had to put a tag on from Lenovo. This perplexes me because as an influencer, all my followers know that Im a Mac person. It just doesnt make any sense. But for them, its just about hopping on the bandwagon. In my opinion, there are not enough bloggers who have the credibility to turn down sponsorship deals that they are not comfortable with.

Wern: Readers arent as blind as some people perceive them to be. They know an advertorial when they see one. Nicholas: When brands engage bloggers for write-ups, theyre engaging them for experiential feedback on their products. Its not as simple as just having that blogger say your product rocks and thats it. This is something we at Nom Nom Media (including Nuffnang and Churp Churp) simply do not believe in. If the product actually does rocks, only then will we actually say it does. Wern: Before I joined Lowyat.net, the site was pretty much bound by the advertorials that come in, and we were basically writing what we were told to write. I have tried to change that. If a product isnt good, well say it isnt good. So instead, we will give the client the option of withdrawing the review. Some clients still believe that any publicity is good publicity, so they will go ahead with it, as long as we have valid reasons for saying what we say. Alternatively, we

Shout Out #3 The pancakes at Pink Sage were pretty awesome too.

also suggest product giveaways, because that would still serve the purpose of getting the brand out there. Besides, free stuff is good stuff. Its not to say that you should whore your life to these brands, but its just simple mechanics. Thats the whole dynamic of social media. If you think something is useful to someone else, share it! Nicholas: Also, when we deal with media agencies and direct clients, we encourage disclosure of content related to them. Many are surprised by this, and would prefer not to have their advertorial disclosed. So, its our responsibility to continually educate them that theres nothing wrong with disclosure, and in fact, it is actually a good thing. For example, in the US, if a blogger takes something from an advertiser, and blogs about it without disclosure, he/ she risks being fined or even being put behind bars. Even Singapore is trying to implement something similar to that. Malaysia has no such plans yet, but as a company, we want to ensure that we implement the best practices right from the start. Wern: There was a related issue that happened recently online between two bloggers. Blogger A wrote about some product apps, and Blogger B called his bluff, asking why was he promoting his own products? This is because, behind the scene, Blogger A works for a PR company that services this client with the product apps. He pushed his own client subconsciously under a pseudonym, and when this was disclosed, it created a big hoohah on the Internet. If he had done something as simple as a one-line disclosure stating that this is his client, but its all an independent opinion, the controversy could have been avoided. For advertising and PR agencies, out of the pool of bloggers mushrooming in the

country, how do you decide who takes precedence over the others when you are selecting who to engage? Charles: Its an art more than a science. You have to take factors into account. For bloggers, its the size of their audience and their reach, their content and its relevance to the brand and campaign, and if theres a cost involved. When I engage with bloggers say, for an event, wed get a wide set of bloggers because the content fits a much wider audience. But if Im launching a new Black Label bottle, Id invite a very selected few, like Deepak, whose specialised content might fit better. Angeline: We feel that both traditional and new media are equally important, but it all depends on the brand and relevance. At the end of the day, to bring value to a particular brand or event, its all about the type of reach they offer. Charles: Sometimes, its flexible. You dont need to be an expert to know about Johnnie Walker. As brands, we definitely want organic applicants with integrity. We ran a contest recently for an event back in April, where we generated a blog

coverage without paying the bloggers for advertorial, but rather through incentives like winning passes to the event. All they had to do was to include in their blog posts a couple of key messages, a viral video and a link to our Facebook page. The best blog posts would win passes to the event. Unfortunately, we found out almost all the blogs were the same, almost a carbon copy of the press release we sent out. I was happy to get the coverage, but we didnt expect the outcome to look like mere advertorials. Angeline: I think its the whole passion versus job thing. A traditional journalist who comes for an assignment is purely for work. If he/she is invited for an alcohol event, he/she might not even drink. They come and they review a product that they dont even consume. Whereas when a blogger comes, you know that the person either has passion, or most of the time, they come because of the freebies. There are a lot of young bloggers these days, who think that they can start up a blog just to make money. Nicholas: We see a lot of them in our blogging community, but these bloggers dont go very far because the idea of starting any form of online portal, is to gain an audience by posting up quality articles, being reliable and having integrity. Nuffnang bloggers who make a lot of money today did not start off with that mindset. They started off by being passionate about what they write about, and as a bonus, the money rolled in. Ringo: I blog about twice a week, and 60% of the time, they are hard advertorials. But for me, I refuse to write my advertorial like a press release. I will make the extra effort to make it sound interesting.

Shout Out #4 How many places in KL do you know that serves a proper cup of coffee? Well, you can add Pink Sage to that list.

iii. THE FUTURE

baCk thEN, aS bRaND MaNaGERS, MEDia MEaNt a biG tv bLaSt, OR SOME SPREaD iN thE NEWSPaPERS. NOW, itS aLL abOut CONvERSatiONS, aND itS DiffiCuLt tO uNDERStaND that, ESPECiaLLy if yOuRE SO uSED tO a CERtaiN kiND Of MEDia fOR 20 yEaRS. - CharleS Wright

How is the future looking for media in general? Deepak: Newspapers here have

lesser and lesser credibility, with governmental control over its content. As a result, they are becoming increasingly irrelevant in modern society, especially when reasonably well-respected online publications, and friends recommendations and views become more mainstream and credible than many print publications. Without some radical change, they will go down. Niki: The future of media is in the hands of the users. Whatever the convergence may be for the media in five years time wont be the same as what we know right now, but it will still boil down to the consumers. The reason why print was not killed off when television and radio emerged, was because consumers were still supporting it. Whilst social media may be all we talk about right now, it still faces so much threat because of the credibility issue we are dealing with. If we dont educate social media users enough to be careful of what they post or to be cynical of what they read, and it comes to a point where nobody trusts anything anymore, then who knows, maybe new media will die first. Then, we have to look for another form of media, and we might even have to go back to the basics of traditional media. Nicholas: There will come a day, when theres no clear disparity between old and new media, but just one media, which is the best in disseminating information and which people are spending most of their time on. Wern Shen: For me, in a perfect media world, the old and new are converged. They both work hand in hand to complement each other. At least until a newer media comes along, because something newer will come along. To bring it down to the bare essentials, we need to embrace this new reality and adapt to it. The back-minded ones who fear new media, they are the ones who are now being left behind.

Old MEdiA Vs NEw MEdiA

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