Global Strategic Media

Media as we know it is changing. Consolidation and newsroom cutbacks are bringing more titles under fewer ownership umbrellas and putting the task of news delivery into the hands of even fewer journalists. The increasing demand for customized and always-fresh online content is placing added stress on news creators’ limited resources.

In this new age landscape, where media uber-brands reign, a handful of cult media personalities are reporting across brands and bringing with them engaged and connected audiences. (Think of Maria Bartiromo and her command at BusinessWeek, Reader’s Digest and CNBC). These media uber-advocates can take a single story and compound its impact by delivering it across multiple channels.

What this means for media players—companies and journalists alike—is a mounting standard for quality content worthy of attention and a diminishing opportunity to be heard. As the media ranks continue to shrink, fewer valued voices will remain, while the insatiable need for quality content will become more palpable.

Today's increasingly complex and rapidly changing global news environment challenges every company to convey its corporate identity and communicate its messages effectively. Weber Shandwick's Global Strategic Media Group comprises corporate communication strategists and best-in-class former journalists from Weber Shandwick hubs in North America, Europe and Asia.

Team members work directly with the corporate communications departments of organizations to involve the C-suite in the development of thought leadership campaigns tied to emerging business issues and trends. Most notably, they have been at the forefront of the rise of the "Reinvention Economy," helping organizations to understand that they can no longer only consider innovation as a strategic imperative. They must also actively seek new ways to embrace it, get the consumer involved in it and make it an integral part of their corporate DNA. The team actively works to help clients drive increased emphasis on the corporate brand and all that it stands for by leveraging the financial media as a prism on a globalized basis.

Delivering Content
As the media market changes, so too does the PR industry. In this new content-starved environment, the line between journalist and PR professional is blurred and an opportunity emerges where brands move from mere disseminators of information to purveyors of content. No longer is corporate communications relegated to individual pitches or stories; rather, it is a reliable and regarded source for cohesive and branded content.

In this evolving arena, the team has sharpened its approach to media relations, marrying customized content with precise targets. The team’s method is based on a trio of elements:

1. Trend-based insights fueled by a quarterly trend report. Compiled by the team, the report considers consumer, corporate and media trends dictating attention and discusses those likely to follow.
2. Surgical media relations bolstered by intimate knowledge and relationships with global media. Pitches and discussions are custom-built, using trend report insights to draw out the relevance of client news, and targeted with precision to receptive media.
3. Executive positioning at customized roundtable events and existing top-tier speaking forums, via its proprietary VOICEBOXX™ tool. Company leaders become mouthpieces for the corporate story, reaching key audiences directly.

The commonality of the three prongs of GSMG’s approach is superior content. Effective media relations and storytelling is about the story itself – told through multiple, impactful channels in target markets, particularly as growth into emerging regions intensifies.

We are also pleased to share new information on the growing executive conference business in our second annual research report - Five Star Executive Conferences, 2009. Please contact Jennifer Risi for more information.

For more information on our 2009 Corporate Trendspotting Forecast offering, please contact Billee Howard.