7.3.1 | Blogs

January 22, 2008 | Content - Delivered in Any Format, to Any Device, at Any Time

By Mark Ouyang
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Over the holidays, I found myself mildly frustrated and annoyed with a magazine that I subscribe to.  It was cold and I needed to quickly buy a space heater for my mother-in-law. I was counting on its well known, objective, and methodical reviews to guide me.

Unfortunately, after searching their annual Buyer's Guide and checking the full year article index, nothing showed up. Desperate, I turned to the Internet.  A quick search on Google revealed an article on this topic - ironically on the magazine's website!  My elation turned to disappointment, then annoyance:  I could not access this review unless I also paid for a separate subscription to their website.

Now usually the reverse is true.  Some print publications, in a mistaken effort to avoid cannibalization of existing subscription revenues by the web, withhold content entirely.  Others delay posting their content on the website until the next print issue is released.  In my situation, there was no such threat.  I was already a paying subscriber.  Or so I thought.

Either way, these scenarios show how the web is perceived as a threat instead of a complementary channel for reaching and retaining customers.  It shows lack of understanding and consideration for the customer's need to access the information they paid for, delivered in whatever format, device, and time that is most convenient for them.

After all, if you are not fulfilling the basic value proposition of providing information to your subscribers, does it really matter in the long run how you do your internal accounting?  Chances are they may not be subscribers for long.

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