Content Marketing Today

Silicon Valley Newspaper Fumbles Digital Hail Mary Pass

The venerable San Jose Mercury News is about to launch an e-Edition as I learned from a recent e-mail from their marketing folks.  It seems to me that this is a desperate, last-ditch attempt to salvage their brand and their business.

As the Silicon Valley grew with the explosion of PCs and the Internet, this newspaper grew along with it… until recently.  Clearly, it is now suffering from the same malaise as the vast majority of newspapers around the country. 

All over the US advertising and circulation revenues are falling significantly.  With very few exceptions–the Wall Street Journal being the most successful–online versions of daily newspapers have been giving away their content.  They have tried to support their online versions with advertising revenues alone.  This has been problematic because the amount that newspapers can charge for online advertising is a fraction of what they have gotten for print in years past.  Moreover, circulation revenues typically would cover the cost of newspaper production.  This meant that a much higher percentage of advertising revenues could go to the bottom line.

So I understand why The Mercury News is attempting to charge for subscriptions.  But their rationale for changing their model seems to be all about them and not at all about me.

Here’s the vague and meaningless promo copy they give to justify this new e-Edition:
(is it just me or is that too many ‘e’s?)

Today, we are announcing the launch of the Mercury News e-Edition. The e-Edition is not just a website. It’s every story, picture, and ad exactly as it appears on every page. And, you’ll be able to do things you can’t do with the print edition, such as:

• Get Silicon Valley news by viewing our four daily editions
• View our free 30-day archive to view news you’ve missed
• Get print content NOT available on MercuryNews.com
• Search the Mercury News with advanced search tools
• Enlarge the type for easier reading

Reviewing their bullet points, it almost seems as if they have been living on another planet.  Specifically:

• What does it mean to view their four daily editions?  Shouldn’t I already be seeing all that online?
• A 30 day archive is nothing to brag about.  With my  Wall St Journal online subscription I have access to all past articles into a host of related content such as All Things Digital
• it’s hard to imagine what print content would not be available in the current website.  If it’s not available, why isn’t it available?
• They promise advanced search tools but that’s something they could have had all along by integrating Google, for example.
• They promise the ability to enlarge the type for easy reading but that’s possible with a simple browser adjustment.

As part of their e-mail, they offer some tips.  Here’s #1: “Use the e-Edition when you are traveling. Whether you’re on vacation, at a local coffee shop with a Wi-Fi connection, or at the airport, you can access Mercury News content.”  How is that different from what I would expect from any online publication?

They also provide a brief video that essentially repeats the bullet points with one wowser of an extra: You can also view all the print advertising in the new e-Edition. Well, they sure saved the best for last.

You can also look at a brief demo that shows you a virtual replica of the print newspaper with a reading panel to the right.  This is really a step backwards.  The way we expect to read online publications today is to quickly absorb the most important stories and decide which ones we want to read.  This e-Edition seems to be a step backwards that it’s either an attempt to please print advertisers or a much older generation that used to take the time to peruse an entire print newspaper at breakfast or after work.

Finally, if you go to sign up for a free trial, you have to agree to be solicited for subscriptions on a monthly basis.  That sure is a sign of circulation desperation and a deal breaker for me.

I’m afraid this is one Hail Mary pass that will be dropped well before the goal line.