Comments on: The burden of a paper image (Bas Timmers) http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/ A conversation. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:45:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: All quiet on the western front? Not quite. « Online Journalism Blog http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/#comment-1772 All quiet on the western front? Not quite. « Online Journalism Blog Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:02:23 +0000 http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/#comment-1772 [...] Bas Timmers wrote, such a shift in scope will come at the expense of traditional brand names. Der Westen already [...] [...] Bas Timmers wrote, such a shift in scope will come at the expense of traditional brand names. Der Westen already [...]

]]> By: Bas Timmers http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/#comment-1771 Bas Timmers Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:07:48 +0000 http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/#comment-1771 Nico, you might be right when the subject is a single event, such as elections. Then it might be appropriate to make a new, totally different site. But building up a new audience can take time. We at Volkskrant for instance have developed separate domains for cinema, for travelling, for wellness and for jobs. Most of these sites don't really connect to eachother. The question is: is that good or not??? Nico, you might be right when the subject is a single event, such as elections. Then it might be appropriate to make a new, totally different site. But building up a new audience can take time. We at Volkskrant for instance have developed separate domains for cinema, for travelling, for wellness and for jobs. Most of these sites don’t really connect to eachother. The question is: is that good or not???

]]> By: nico. http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/#comment-1773 nico. Mon, 08 Oct 2007 09:45:21 +0000 http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2007/10/08/the-burden-of-a-paper-image-bas-timmers/#comment-1773 Given the ridiculous price of setting up a website compared to a new publication, I'd say media companies should develop a large portfolio of brands and share content across them. I like French broadcaster TF1's website for the 7-12 demographics, <a href="http://www.tfou.fr/" rel="nofollow">tfou.com</a> (especially 'cause you can play pollypockets). Same corporate brand, but it hardly looks like the main brand's website <a href="http://www.tf1.fr" rel="nofollow">TF1.fr</A> or the high-achievers' one <a href="http://www.lci.fr" rel="nofollow">LCI.fr</a>. Some papers also set up new brands for special events, such as the short-lived Quelcandidat.com for the French election. With fresh new brands like these, newspapers can draw on their staff's competencies without dragging their offline brand behind them (when you're a minor regional player launching a nationwide website you don't want your mediocre offline reputation to follow you everywhere). So keep the boring brand name and website for your unmovable, loyal over-50 readers and innovate with new brands for your more unpredictable and more valuable younger ones. Given the ridiculous price of setting up a website compared to a new publication, I’d say media companies should develop a large portfolio of brands and share content across them.

I like French broadcaster TF1′s website for the 7-12 demographics, tfou.com (especially ’cause you can play pollypockets). Same corporate brand, but it hardly looks like the main brand’s website TF1.fr or the high-achievers’ one LCI.fr.

Some papers also set up new brands for special events, such as the short-lived Quelcandidat.com for the French election. With fresh new brands like these, newspapers can draw on their staff’s competencies without dragging their offline brand behind them (when you’re a minor regional player launching a nationwide website you don’t want your mediocre offline reputation to follow you everywhere).

So keep the boring brand name and website for your unmovable, loyal over-50 readers and innovate with new brands for your more unpredictable and more valuable younger ones.

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