Remaining Relevant

Welcome to the resurgence of my (mostly) professional blog, focused on topics relating to strategic communications and the topics that impact the field, including diffusion of innovations, opinion leadership, social media, government communication, strategic vision, message development, crisis communication, successful communication and measurement, and many more.

My name is David Jablonski. No, not the world renowned geophysical sciences professor from the University of Chicago. Nor the urologist working in the Orlando, Florida area. I’m the guy who graduated from Michigan State University in 1987 with a Communications degree and has 20 years of professional communications experience, working in the public relations field.

After the economic downturn in 2007, I left the field and thought I would explore the retail/merchandising field. And while I have enjoyed progressive success in this new (for me) field, my heart and true love is still the communication field and how it influences almost every aspect of every field you can imagine.

In order to remain relevant return to the field, I felt I needed to expand and grow my own skills and knowledge base, so I enrolled in the Strategic Communications Master’s program at Troy University. One of my professors (Dr. Steven Padgett) requires a professional blog as part of the coursework and I am embarking on the second course under his direction; thus the “resurgence” of this blog.

Thank you for reading this far. For your future reference, the address for this blog is:

http://davidstroyuniversityprofessionalblog.blogspot.com/

My goal (in addition to an ‘A’ in this class) is to publish a new post each week for the next nine weeks and beyond. While this blog is a requirement for my course, it goes beyond simply checking off an item on a list of things to do. This will give me an opportunity and outlet to provide some insight and thought-provoking information for fellow communicators as well as those looking to understand what a strategic communicator utilizes (tools, skills, research, etc.) when developing a specific course of action or a strategic communication plan.

The Asset-Light Generation

A great discussion about the difficulties faced by newspaper publishers written by Alan D. Mutter, media consultant, introduced me to the term ‘asset-light generation,’ a term coined by Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of the top venture-capital firms in Silicon Valley, according to Mutter’s post.

Mutter’s post and the report by Meeker (linked in Mutter’s post) outline one of the most significant challenges faced by newspaper publishers: remaining relevant to the younger generations who have grown up with digital devices like computers, video games, cell phones, and tablets – and who rely on those devices for news instead of traditional printed newspapers.

According to Meeker, the asset-light generation prefers to have services do “chores” for them (grocery shopping, home/car cleaning, laundry/dry cleaning, lawn care, etc.) and do more from their smartphones or other computing devices (banking, investing, shopping, reading, etc.), thereby keeping their “assets” minimalized and mobile.

How do publishers connect with this segment of the population? How do they transform their existing product (printed newspapers) and make it not only accessible to the asset-light generation, but also desired and relevant? It’s a question yet to be answered, but from this communicator’s viewpoint, the starting point is better understanding the audience segment in question. What drives this group? What are the important beliefs and values held by the asset-light? What are the things that will turn them away?

Understanding the diffusion of innovations research would be a great place to start for publishers. Les Robinson’s article “A summary of Diffusion of Innovations” notes a key component for tapping into the diffusion of innovations five distinct categories – Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards – is to recognize each of these categories has its own “personality” and there will be different approaches needed to connect with each group.

Social Media Networks

According to the Diffusions of Innovations (DoI) theory as outlined by EverettRodgers (1995), diffusion is the process by which an innovation (1) is communicated through certain channels (2) over time (3) among the members of a social system(4). What will be critical for newspaper publishers to understand is that the rise of social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Pheed, etc.) has dramatically changed three of those major ingredients: channels, time, and social system.
 The sheer number of social media networks available presents a daunting task: which networks do the publishers study? The channel along which information flows is now greater than any time in the past. While it may all have a common core channel – the internet – it is further fragmented by as many social media networks as there exist. Wifi, smartphones, and tablets allow almost anyone to spread information instantaneously. Whether at work, school, driving, shopping or recreating, people can instantly share data and images almost as quickly as events occur, sometimes in real-time (remember the Boston Marathon bombing?). Identifying the opinion leaders as identified in DoI has now become more challenging. The low-keyed, meek person at the office who is virtually non-existent in the workplace may have a social network following of thousands online. How do publishers identify these opinion leaders? These are all the issues publishers will need to consider as they look for ways to remain not only relevant, but to merely exist in the future. Just as I look to return to my chosen field, the the bottom line answer is that there won't be a simple, single quick-fix for publishers. It will require creative, strategic thinking and planning with input from those familiar with the changing landscape in the communications field.

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About the Author: David is a dedicated husband and proud father of a strapping fourteen year-old son and twin five year-old daughters. He has twenty years of professional communication experience, working in the public relations field. He has worked for public relations firms in Metro Detroit, hospitals and a state-wide faith-based social service organization helping at-risk children and their families. He grew up on a mid-sized Michigan blueberry farm, spent two years in Texas and now resides with his family outside Tampa, Florida. An avid reader and photographer, David also enjoys building furniture using recycled/upcycled wooden pallets.