Despite all the talk about how the Internet is replacing traditional media, people still want their news validated by brand-name journalism. Two new studies show that both general consumers and online leaders trust TV, radio and print outlets more than new media sources.
A LexisNexis survey asked consumers where they would turn for information during a crisis such as a hurricane. Most preferred “professional journalists at mainstream newspapers, magazines, and broadcast stations,” in contrast to emerging media sources created by citizen journalists such as Internet-only publications, blogs or podcasts.
Half of the respondents said they would turn to network television for immediate news information in such situations, followed by radio at 42 percent. More than a third (37 percent) would access a daily newspaper or cable news channel, and a quarter would rely on the Internet sites of print and broadcast media. However, only 6 percent would use an Internet user group, blog or chat room.
A second study by PR firm Burson-Marstellar found that “traditional media remains highly valuable to the most influential members of the online community as they carry out their roles as information and opinion providers.”
Burson-Marstellar calls these people “tech-fluentials.” Earlier research showed they are news junkies, obsessing over the latest information. The “fluential” part comes from their habit of gaining self-esteem by sharing the info with others. Also, they rank corporate social responsibility high when making purchase or investment decisions.
Some 80 percent of these tech-fluentials read blogs, but 64 percent fact-check the blog entries against news or magazine Web sites, and 44 percent turn to print articles in newspapers and magazines. Nearly half of the tech-fluentials say online news sites (49 percent) and traditional newspapers and magazines (48 percent) are the most credible sources of information about companies.
The LexisNexis study found consumers were four to six times more likely to feel that traditional media was more trustworthy than emerging news sources for news on subjects of interest to them. In the future, 52 percent of respondents expect they will continue to rely mostly on traditional news sources, while 35 percent expect they will trust both emerging news and traditional news, and 13 percent anticipate they will trust mostly emerging media.
“For profound information seekers such as tech-fluentials, strategic communications should take a surround-sound approach,” surmised Ame Wadler, chief strategic innovation and integration officer at Burson-Marstellar. “This survey is telling us that optimal credibility is achieved by delivering critical messages both directly, through online vehicles, as well as with the power of implied endorsement from the fourth estate powers of the traditional news media.”
Brand Guardian?
During the marketing campaign for the film “The Guardian,” someone should have guarded the brand name itself. By mistake, two “Guardian” films one a low-budget independent, the other a major studio release hit the market within weeks of each other.
Lia Scott Price Productions’ “The Guardian” horror film, released in September on DVD by DarkAngel Distributors, depicts a sword-wielding angel who mercy-kills people praying for an end to their pain. The other “Guardian” stars Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as life-saving scuba divers in the Coast Guard. Released by Walt Disney Co.’s Buena Vista Pictures on Sept. 29, the film has a cumulative box-office total of $41.1 million.
“Two films with the same name but completely different storylines just happened to be released and publicized at the same time,” said Price, chief executive of her Los Angeles-based namesake company.
Confusion even reached some movie minutiae Web sites, where the production credits for the films got mixed up. “I was flattered at first, but then I decided I had to set the record straight,” said Price, who alerted the other film’s producers about the problem. “The issue is not with the title but the fact that my production company name was being listed in the credits for a movie I didn’t produce.”
Usually, confusion among consumers about a product name helps the lesser-known brand. But Price claims she just wants to clarify which film belongs to her.
“People might say I’m using this opportunity for publicity or that I want to benefit from the other film. Although this has created some unexpected exposure, what does an independent filmmaker do when a big studio releases a film with the exact same name as my film and there’s confusion, especially for my own fan base? I’m still a businessperson and I have to promote my own film. But I’ll do it with a conscience and won’t take credit for what’s not mine,” she said.
News & Notes
Los Angeles-based Gorilla Nation has sold Quizilla.com for an undisclosed sum to MTV Networks, a division of Viacom. Quizilla.com is a community of teen authors (14 years plus) who share stories, polls, and other creative content online. Quizilla joins NeoPets in MTV’s a online youth ventures. Woodland Hills-based Guest Informant has changed its name after 69 years. A laundry worker at the Beverly Hills Hotel started the in-room city guide in 1937. But owner Morris Visitor Publications has decide to combine the magazine with its similar Where guides, which have better name recognition, according to Haines Wilkerson, chief creative officer. The new title is Where Guestbook CurtCo Media Labs, the Malibu-based publisher of “Worth” and “The Robb Report,” has canceled an auction of the magazines. None of the bidders offered a price that fairly valued the assets, according to Chairman William Curtis. The company’s portfolio targets the super-rich, including the title “Art & Antiques” acquired in April.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237, or at
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