As a traditional industry, newspaper had to face so many
troubles when digital times was coming. But it is both an opportunity and a
threat as the article said. The threat is losing some print subscription, while
the opportunity is attracting more new digital generation’s attention by a
perfect digital revolution. In my own opinion, digital times should be an
opportunity rather than a threat for newspaper. So are pay walls good digital
strategies? Is the Times a good model? Before analyze the pay walls strategies
and Times model, I first need to put customers into two categories—Traditional
& New-fashioned.
Traditional customers will keep subscripting print newspaper
even they are in a digital world. They are not “antique” who are not accepted
new things. They just would like to stick to the original habits like
traditional paper books and CDs. In their minds, although new digital substitutes
are more convenient and easy-to-use, traditional goods have their own idiosyncrasy
that the digital substitutes cannot replace them. I have to say that I am a
definitely traditional customer. I would like to read paper books rather than
eBooks. But I also would like to play games, watch videos and use apps on PC,
iPad and iPhone.
New-fashioned customers are the customers that newspaper
industry had lost for print subscription. When digital times came,
new-fashioned customers were actively enjoying digital world. If possible, they
would like to use digital products to replace everything. They can spend
whole-day time on digital. So what newspaper company should do now is improving
the digital newspaper to attract new-fashioned customers. The digital newspaper
should use more video news, connect with social medias and add more interaction
functions.
After the analysis of customers, I will look into the pay
wall strategy. I think it is a good strategy for digital newspaper. On one
hand, for traditional customers, they can get more benefit (both print
newspaper and digital newspaper) by paying the same price so that they will
continue subscripting print newspaper. On the other hand, for new-fashioned
customers, if the digital newspaper is user friendly enough for them, they’d
glad to paying for digital subscription. Pay wall will not only protect digital
news property, but also provide a high quality and more personalized service.
So I think most news seekers will accept pay wall.
At the same time, I think NY Times was a good model for the
whole newspaper industry. First, metered system (free the first 20 articles per
month) can get steady subscription from loyal customer while not drive away
casual visitors who made up the vast majority of the site’s traffic. Second,
device-specific will give different device users different experiences and
benefits, because each device has its own characteristics and limits. I think NY Times’ model will set a good example for newspaper industry in the future.
In addition, pay wall strategy is not only used in newspaper
industry. This strategy can be found in paper resource web, music web and so on.
So it should be an appropriate strategy for the industries that are changing
from traditional model to digital model.
In my opinion, digital does not mean free, it just provide a
more quickly way to get information. So I want to say that
"the pay wall
strategy will not just save newspaper industry, it will bring newspaper
industry another prosperity."
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