Image via Sara D./Flickr CC
The New York Times published a story on Monday of how employees of Time Inc. (TIME) “trundled into a corporate auditorium and the atmosphere was funereal.”
In addition to describing the atmosphere, the Times reported that it was known by many in the company it had not been doing well since its spin off from Time Warner in 2014 and the employees who worked there had “little doubt it would eventually come under new ownership.” So really, this sale in some ways, was not a surprise.
Like the change or not, the publishing industry, by in large, has gone through enormous shake downs and shifts throughout the years. I’ve seen it first hand from editor friends who were either in charge of far more than the hours in their day allowed as they were forced to also oversee a huge digital footprint as a result of the print to digital shift or those who decided the responsibility was too great and left the industry altogether.
The Common Thread Between the Time Inc. & The Meredith Corporation
Interestingly, Time Inc.’s mission is “millions of loyal consumers. One-of-a-kind experiences” and Meredith Corporation (MDP) is “a value that can be trusted.”
The two are not so divergent in their messaging, indeed.
Continue Communicating the Message of Value & Trust
Value and trust is the foundational messaging of the Meredith Corporation and one that Time Inc. has also had as loyalty and one-of-a-kind experiences go hand in hand with these principles.
The Meredith brand has remained strong with its lifestyle portfolio of publications. Time Inc. has also been a powerful force in journalism. It’s now important that the messaging strategy remain consistent to analysts, investors and consumers around value and trust. The messaging should focus on how two previously separate entities have now joined collective forces – with these similar missions of value and trust – and how they will continue to serve the collective audience.
For analysts and investors, the value and trust messaging should revolve around the revenue benefits and opportunities as a result of the sale. This is easily communicated by messaging how Meredith has remained steadfast in the publishing industry and how now with the Time Inc. portfolio, it will now become a stronger force as a result of its broadened portfolio of publications that go beyond just the family, food and lifestyle markets and will therefore expand readership.
For consumers, the value and trust messaging should center around how Meredith is bringing more value to them by adding additional lifestyle titles (Time Inc.’s lifestyle brands) that they will enjoy similar to those they already do, as well as now also enjoy topics they may not have before (Time Inc.’s business brands). If the messaging is communicated positively and openly, this will keep subscribers engaged and perhaps even inspire new ones into the mix.
It’s simple. Value and trust are key necessities in our world today. Regardless if a person is an employee, investor, analyst, or consumer, they simply want to rest assured that they can place their trust in a solid brand; no bells and whistles required.This brings value to everyone’s lives.
About the Author: Alyson S. Campbell is the CEO & Founder of Heart & Soul PR, and has worked in the public relations and media industry for nearly 15 years for leading agencies including Porter Novelli, Padilla and FleishmanHillard. Her experience spans the business to business and business to consumer industries and she has developed and implemented award-winning strategic communications plans for clients across including Procter & Gamble, Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett-Packard and Snapfish by HP, British Airways, Timberland, Hass Avocado Board, Special Olympics World Games, Girl Scouts of the USA and many more.
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