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Recognising the value of magazines as media channels - the disconnect with corporate communicators

Guest post by Laura Dowrich-Phillips  

The relationship between public relations and marketing practitioners and those of us on the media fringe is something that has been bothering me for some time. The media field is very wide, yet magazine publishers, and new media such as blogs and online publishers are still not regarded within the ambit of media in the Caribbean. This is very clear when one studies the approach of PR/marketing practitioners towards us. As a newspaper journalist I received a number of press releases and invitations to media events, not to mention goodies at Christmas time. I expected nothing to change when I started my current job, but to my surprise it did. Nary a press release, invitation to an event, or gift do we receive. Very few people remember to invite us to press conferences, and I can count how many we’ve received over the last year on one hand. 
 

Thanks to my friends in the newspaper, I am kept abreast of media events and we’ve taken to making angry calls to Corporate Communications departments demanding invitations. Now it’s not that we just want to be part of the lime, to eat the food and get goodies. That’s nice, but we want to be considered important enough to be included in media events, to network, keep our pulse on trends, gain information that could inform our editorial plans, get ideas, meet potential advertisers, help companies get their message out, and so on. 
 

Yes, newspapers, radio and television are instantaneous, and in a region where most people still get their news from this type of media, it makes sense to put them first. I am not arguing against that. But the publishing industry in the Caribbean is growing and while some start-ups don’t last the requisite three years it takes a business to succeed, far less seven when you really start to see any kind of profit (in the magazine world anyway), some do survive and thrive. 
 

The company I work for has had a good track record. Our flagship publication, Caribbean Beat, celebrates its 16th year of publication this year, a true milestone. Like traditional media, many Caribbean magazines are aimed at informing, educating and entertaining, and moreover they are aimed at presenting the Caribbean in a good light. Even serious issues are addressed in a friendly, exciting way in keeping with magazine layout and presentation rules. Many of us tend to cater to niche markets too, instead of a broad readership. 

Magazines have a longer shelf life than newspapers, readers are more apt to hold on to our publications and re-read them. Magazine publishers are much quicker to use technology to promote publications. We embrace new media such as blogs and social networking sites to promote our products, boost readership, boost distribution and invite new editorial ideas, and even experiment with digital delivery to reach a wider readership.

So why ignore us? Is it because businesspeople in the Caribbean are too stuck in tradition to see beyond the ordinary? Is it that they are not innovative enough to find creative ways to expand beyond the norm to get their messages out?

Our culture may be different but the slow death of old media in the US, where advertisers are scampering to spend their money online on new media, should be a wake up call to those entrusted with getting their company’s messages out.

The irony is that many of us interact with PR/marketing people regularly. Working in a small outfit requires you to wear many hats, so we do talk to them as editorial support for our sales reps, to get information etc. Yet, they never remember us when planning media events. So what’s the problem?   

My (Karel) take on this

When Laura posted a shorter version of this post on Facebook, I couldn’t help but be interested, and asked her if she’d like to contribute it to Caribbean Public Relations as a guest post, especially as it relates to Caribbean marketers, corporate communications and public relations practitioners, as well as media. Laura’s situation piqued my interest because in the past, when I handled a media launch for a Carnival band, I took the opportunity to invite magazine journalists because I knew that although we wouldn’t get coverage immediately, the way you can with daily newspapers, magazine journalists’ awareness and interest in the band could some day be beneficial, leading to new relationships and some form of future publicity.  

The fact that some magazines are progressively entering the new media environment also has the potential to create further channels for publicity. So, Laura does have a point, Caribbean magazine personnel should not be ignored. If they have a target audience that you’re trying to reach, then it’s worth creating relationships with them. While you’re concerned about getting your message out on your preferred schedule – now – always remember the long-term value that different media channels can give. Journalists also shouldn’t wait for invitations. Sometimes you have to call to get your hands on the news and trends that are out there – something that Caribbean Beat is making an effort to do.  

—— Laura, who worked with the Trinidad Guardian newspapers for ten years, is an Editor with the publisher Media and Editorial Projects (MEP) where she is responsible for the business publications Trinidad and Tobago Business Guide, Energy Caribbean and Energy Caribbean Yearbook. She’s also an Assistant Editor with Caribbean Beat.

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