Change Is Good
In the evolving media landscape, opportunity abounds.

It used to be so easy. Back when there were just a handful of network television stations, one local newspaper, and a half dozen radio stations in each market, people knew where to get their content. And advertisers knew how to reach those people.

But technology has changed everything. Traditional media channels are no longer the only means through which large audiences can be reached. CEOs, like JetBlue’s® David Neelman, post videos directly to YouTube.™ General Motors® executives communicate directly to customers and other stakeholders through blogs. These days it seems as if every company, organization, and individual—be it a billion-dollar multinational, a local government, or a person with a passion—is navigating the new communications landscape and experimenting with blogs, video, and custom publishing. In this regard, we are all in it together. We are all content producers.

The disruptions facing the media industry are instructive to any organization.

As in any GIO exploration, our participants directed the course of conversation, choosing the specific areas they felt were ripe for innovation. Meetings took place in Helsinki, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, Seoul, and Shanghai, and several promising themes surfaced (see map, page 44). For instance, the idea that context is becoming more important than actual content. Or that achieving an authentic brand image is more critical, and more difficult, than ever.

There were pleas for universal standards for content usage rights. And the hope that the mobile platform could serve as a bridge for the rural disenfranchised, who are eager to connect with the rest of the world in this digital age.

Important regional differences became apparent throughout the GIO process. In Shanghai, for example, we heard a great deal about the need for all content to be of both educational and cultural value.

In New York, we dove into the topic of piracy and the impact it is having on the established media industry. In Mumbai, there was endless optimism about the role India will play in the future of content creation and distribution.

Despite these differences, an overall consensus emerged, suggesting that out of all this disruption comes unprecedented opportunity. Or, as Alok Kejriwal, founder and CEO of Mumbai-based Games2win,™ said, “In five years, I don’t think I’ll be the Chief Executive Officer of my company anymore. I’ll think I’ll be something more like Chief Opportunity Officer.

Because there are so many paths to go down, the hardest job will be deciding which one to choose.”

This attitude, more than anything, highlights the importance of this GIO topic. The following essays, interviews, and contributions from “deep dive” participants are representative of our global conversations.

Ultimately, this report is merely a jumping-off point for further exploration, collaboration when possible, and deeper understanding of the changes affecting every business and organization.

Download The New New Media: Global lessons on the future of media, content, and messaging

PDF format, 2MB, 50Pages.

A Global Innovation Outlook 3.0 Report

CHAPTER 1
p. 6 Authenticity
p. 9 The Voice of Youth by Eric Hansen, Syracuse University
p. 10 The Currency of Contribution
p. 13 Walking the Fine Line of Viral Marketing
A Q&A with Ajoy Krishnamurti, Sankalp Retail Value Stores

CHAPTER 2
p. 14 The Digital Persona
p. 19 Defining the Digital Me
A Q&A with Charles Moore, Reuters

CHAPTER 3
p. 20 Context Is King
p. 23 What Would the Experts Do? by Steve Masiclat, Syracuse University
p. 24 Not Necessarily the News by John Snyder, Grapeshot

ABOUT THE GIO:

In early 2004, IBM took an unprecedented step: We opened up our annual technology and business forecasting processes to the world with the first Global Innovation Outlook. We gathered our top researchers, consultants, and business leaders, armed them with the latest insights on emerging technical trends and socioeconomic shifts, and created a platform upon which our entire innovation ecosystem could join together to surface new and unforeseen opportunities for business and societal innovation.

The GIO is rooted in the belief that, in the early days of the 21st century, the very nature of innovation has changed. It is increasingly open, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and global. This shift means that the truly revolutionary innovations of our time — those that will create new markets, redefine old ones, and maybe even change the world for the better — require the participation and investment of multiple constituencies. The GIO challenges some of the brightest minds on the planet — from the worlds of business, politics, academia, and nonprofits — to collaboratively address some of the most vexing issues on earth.

This collaboration begins with a series of open, dynamic conversations called “deep dives.” To date, more than 40 GIO deep dives on six continents have brought together close to 500 influencers from dozens of countries.

These free-form conversations, fueled by a diverse mix of expertise and perspectives, are inevitably candid and spirited. Collectively, they result in an explosion of ideas that spark new relationships, policy initiatives, and market opportunities for all involved. Previous topic areas have included the environment, healthcare, and transportation.

The worlds of media, content, branding, and messaging are changing so rapidly that it’s not unrealistic to think a startup could appear tomorrow and rewrite all the rules again by the end of this decade. That kind of change requires adaptability, a willingness to collaborate, and near constant innovation.

That’s why the GIO ecosystem of businesses, academic institutions, and nonprofit groups that worked together to forge the preceding insights is already working to create market initiatives and thought leadership papers on these subjects and others.

For more information about the GIO and its outcomes, please visit our website at www.ibm.com/gio.

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