Just a few doors down from the Kaplow office, at the Algonquin Hotel, thought leaders met for a panel discussion on Tuesday to discuss the changing shape of the media landscape. The panelists were joined by Kaplow clients, friends of the agency, influencers, and high profile journalists.

During the panel discussion entitled, Don’t Write Them Off, Television, Newspapers, Magazines, Radio Reinvented, Sree Sreenivasan, professor at Columbia Journalism School and social media guru, noted that in order to stay relevant today’s journalist must connect with audiences using an approach one of his colleagues has coined “tradigital.” He defined tradigital as a traditional journalist with a digital overlay. He also optimistically reported that the Columbia School of Journalism has seen a 40% rise in applications, even while the industry undergoes a drastic change.

Jean Chatzky, Financial Editor, TODAY Show is a tradigital journalist who has adapted a number of different platforms. In addition to her role on television, she writes a weekly newspaper column for the Daily News, monthly articles for More magazine and also participates in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. She says she enjoys taking a multi-faceted approach to her work as it gives her the opportunity to “take a story that [she] is working on and incubate it, if it needs time to gather the right sources and put the package together.” On the flipside, if she has a breaking news story, she also has the ability to share that story right away using the internet.

Lesley Jane Seymour, Editor in Chief of More magazine, believes that the cluttered world of fashion magazines may consolidate, but as long as quality content remains and magazines offer something transformative, people will continue to purchase them.

Lincoln Millstein, senior VP-digital media at Hearst Newspapers, echoes Lesley’s confident attitude about the future of newspapers, noting that the doom and gloom story has been “oversold and overtold.” When it comes to newspapers building revenue, he suggests that media work “together as an industry” and follow the model provided by cable television, creating an environment where people solely gain access to content through subscriptions. He also notes that consumers view their news stories as a commodity, and “they will not pay for a commodity that is not highly differentiated.”

Alan Levy, Founder and CEO of BlogTalk Radio, stressed that “audiences are no longer sitting in front of tv or reading the paper… they are everywhere.” In order to stay relevant, the industry must make content available everywhere.

A Kaplow client asked the panelists about the role of the PR professional as the industry shifts, each of the panelists offered some of their insight on how the PR industry can continue to effectively deliver their message.

The optimism inherently present in the discussion’s title was reinforced by the remarks of everyone present. To hear the entire discussion, check out BlogTalkRadio.

Ninety years ago, just down the street from the Kaplow office, at the Algonquin Hotel, influential American writers and journalists met daily to discuss their work, ideas and opinions while gossiping and giggling. Led by Dorothy Parker, friends Robert Benchley, and Robert E. Sherwood gathered with literary contemporaries including critic, Alexander Woollcott, playwrights George Kaufman and Edna Ferber, and New Yorker editor and founder Harold Ross. The Algonquin literati are credited with influencing the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

On Tuesday, September 15, Kaplow will host the Algonquin 3.0, an incarnation of Dorothy Parker’s roundtable. Joining moderator Liz Kaplow are esteemed industry experts, journalists and thought leaders Sree Sreenivasan, Jean Chatzky, Lesley Jane Seymour, Lincoln Millstein, and Alan Levy.The panelists will discuss the changing media landscape, in a discussion entitled “Don’t Write Them Off: Television, Newspapers, Magazines, Radio Reinvented.” It’s sure to be a lively conversation about how media convergence affects the work of writers, journalists, and public relations professionals.

The event will be streamed live on both Ustream.tv and BlogTalkRadio. If you’d like to watch our free live stream of the event on 9/15 at 10:00 am, please register here: http://kaplowpr.eventbrite.com/. You can also stay tuned via Twitter hashtag #ALG3 prior to and during the roundtable, we hope you’ll Twitter your thoughts and comments and also follow us @kaplowpr.

Value. Today’s press and consumers are singularly focused on savings, deals and savvy shopping. Long gone are buzzwords like bling and indulge. So how can marketers guide their brands through this new media landscape, while remaining true to the brand identity? A recent Kaplow white paper analyzes the different ways the media are covering “value”, provides implications for coverage and maintaining brand equity, and includes specific analysis for luxury, beauty and retailers. Below are some highlights from the report.
For a full download of this whitepaper, please email Kaplow at email-liz@kaplowpr.com.

What Does Value Mean Today?

The media currently views value through the prism of immediate and significant savings. The goal is to help consumers get more bang for their buck. Great deals, coupons, low-cost alternatives and other money-saving tips lead coverage.

Additionally, the media is exploring the ramifications and shifts in consumer behavior as a result of the downturn. Coverage of people staying home, shopping less and budget hunting has led to tips for families planning “staycations” and stories of fashionistas turned “recessionistas.” Likewise, deal roundup stories and homemade gift ideas dominated holiday media.

The Implications for Coverage and Maintaining Brand Equity

1. The value story needs to be authentic.

Consumers are savvy, and more so now. Brands should only herald savings if they are real and significant. “Marketers strive for value” says a November 12 blog post on Fortune.com, calling the initiatives a “flurry of downscaling.”

There’s no need to beat around the bush when it comes to telling a value story. Americans and the media are quite aware that these are challenging times. Pitches and correspondence should reflect the realities of the situation.

2. Help for companies that don’t fall into the recession-proof category.

If your brand does not fall into the value category, look for ways to further build a connection with consumers, while staying true to the brand’s identity. Deepen the emotional connection by showcasing its uniqueness, or through loyalty programs like the new Starbucks Gold Card.

Also, use this as a moment to educate your consumers. Tiffany used this to great success in the recession of the early 1990s. The jeweler’s “How to Buy a Diamond” campaign helped them gain significant traction in flush times.

3. Take a scalpel to your brand’s story.

With the news cycle moving so fast, brands need to be flexible with their message. PR professionals have the benefit of working in real time, enabling us to carve out story elements that resonate.

Look for pre-existing facets to mine, and make “new.” Kmart put an emphasis on its layaway program with ads that position it as savvy and exciting. The payment plan has earned national press, including features in the Washington Post and a showcase in Rob Walker’s New York Times Magazine Consumed column.

4. Remember, life goes on.

People are still getting married and having babies. They are socializing with friends and family. Lockstep with the coverage of how the recession is impacting our lives, is a conversation about how to survive it in style.

• “Dream wedding needn’t cost a fortune,” writes the Tennessean.
• “Times are tough. Let’s have a party!” says the San Jose Mercury News.

For additional implications, and a full analysis of the way media are covering value, please email Kaplow at email-liz@kaplowpr.com. We’ll gladly send you the full report.

To expand the traditional eBay holiday program, Kaplow secured several high-level broadcast media partnerships, which ran in conjunction with eBay’s holiday initiatives.

The Bonnie Hunt Show and Kaplow created “Bonnie’s Basement,” an eBay charity auction with one-of-a-kind items donated by celebrity guests.  The hosts of The View discussed the Doorbusters program and launched a one-day sweepstakes for an audience member to win a diamond ring.  To round out the media partnerships program, eBay and Kaplow partnered with Live with Regis and Kelly to sponsor a week-long “Season of Savings” with an on-air sweepstakes and eBay deals exclusive to the Regis and Kelly Web site.