To the point: Don't trust any study...

Because everyone involved in the media is currently looking for solutions for the known and unknown future, anyone dealing with the topic of "media use in the future" can also count on open ears. A great playing field for self-promotion. And it would be like the devil if some consulting firm didn't discover it for itself.

The international management consultancy Bain & Company (which, frankly, I have never heard of - but that will be the reason for their attempt to occupy the topic, see above) is now issuing the slogan that every second person prefers original digital content, which is why we must now think like the hashtag generation. Their survey of 7,000 consumers from ten countries showed that half of all media consumers already favor content that is designed and offered exclusively digitally - and preferably via mobile devices. I don't believe that. After all, which user, i.e. reader or recipient, knows exactly how the content they are reading, watching or listening to was conceived? And who is interested in it?

It is probably true that recipients prefer content that works one hundred percent in the channel in which it is transmitted. Content that comes across perfectly in print can also be very captivating on mobile if it is portioned accordingly, made comprehensible in small pieces and enriched with additional material. That's why the article doesn't have to be "digitally designed". It simply has to be a great narrative or information piece. Then - bearing in mind the specifics of the broadcast channel - it works all by itself.

But Bain is not finished yet. The people have formulated instructions for action, and it seems that those who follow them will soon be making big money. So watch out:

The first tip: "Completely redesign content digitally. Media groups must no longer simply adapt the products of the past to the Internet age. Successful content is influenced, if not determined, by end users." I think that has always been the case. If readers didn't like what they saw, heard or read, they didn't see, hear or read it anymore. Of course, the speed and variety of options for reacting to what was received or disliked were not always as great as they are today. But there have always been letters to the editor and complaints departments. And so have subscription cancellations.

The second tip: "The formula for success, according to which good content always sells, no longer applies. Success only comes to those who address their precisely defined target group in the right channel at the right time with truly desirable content." Exactly: good content. It is only really good if it is also well placed. We know this from the 1×1 of journalism.

The third: "Internalize the new rules of advertising and marketing. Advertising forms that are almost indistinguishable from editorial texts are becoming the new drivers for direct marketing and classic brand campaigns." And they are the final straw for genuine, high-quality journalism. Media people have to decide whether they want to provide information and entertainment or make money. But beware, those who read are not stupid. And marketing can also be disguised as a study.

The fourth piece of advice: "Media companies must create incentives for potential buyers to hand over their data to them. The increased demands on data security around the world are likely to
trusted brands of the major media companies in particular benefit." What then? Tapping and using data, or protecting it? Or suck it dry mercilessly under the guise of trustworthiness? Will that work for long?

Tip five: "Grow with the stars of the digital world. Taking over a start-up requires a particularly sensitive approach. How can the value of this beacon of hope be measured? How closely should the freedom-loving founders be integrated?" Easy: Grab a start-up and the deal is done. But if the founder wants too many rights and shares, give him a rap on the knuckles. The store is now yours.

Have you also lost the plot? Is Bain actually interested in media and their opportunities to help shape the world digitally and non-digitally, to assert their important place in society as a whole? Or is it just about making a big (or medium) profit? Can you imagine what a world populated by media that act as recommended here would look like? Good night then.

But maybe everything is half as bad and the whole thing is a successful marketing campaign - after all, we now know what to do with the name Bain, don't we? Nevertheless, sometimes you're 50 pennies short of the mark - and sometimes you're one r short of the brain. Which shows once again: studies have their pitfalls. And so do international management consultancies.

Anne-Friederike Heinrich, Editor in Chief
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