Put Customers First
 | The prospect of commenting on the impact of technology on our industry isalmost as daunting as the technology itself. Where to start? What to emphasize?Which approach to endorse? |
For me, the best way to get my arms around such a huge topic is to leapfrogto the end: Where do we want to be? What's our goal? What do we wish we coulddo?
We have been telling ourselves for years that we must not ignoretechnology--that "it" is the key to our future. But "it" isnot the key to our future. How we use "it" to meet real customer needsis the real key.
Just as publishers are warned not to ignore technology, I hope technologistsdon't ignore the all-important technology targets: our customers. The issuesdiscussed at NEXPO and the hardware and software displayed must be squarelyaimed at our customers--readers and advertisers. If you encounter solutions, atNEXPO or anywhere else, that are not obviously customer-focused, pass them by.Don't stop, don't look, and don't listen.
Technology is nothing more than a collection of tools we can use to serveour customers better. It is not to be feared. Neither are technologists andtheir firms. A quick review of the last 20 years will reveal any number ofelegant, highly sophisticated technologies that have become the market's digitalroadkill. Why? Because they weren't developed with the customer in mind. Or theyassumed that developing the technology was equivalent to identifying and servingthe customer. They are not the same. Products that are customer-focused surviveand grow.
For me, technology represents a wonderful opportunity--a way to leverage astrong newspaper franchise into exciting new businesses.
One reason our industry has been around for hundreds of years is that wehave adopted technologies to better serve our mission and our customers. Thetelegraph was, at its earliest stage, predicted by some to hurt newspapers. Itdidn't. In fact, it broadened our reach and information pipeline. Same withtelevision. One Silicon Valley expert recently pointed out that the firstorganization to make money in television was TV Guide, a printed product thatprovided information to television users. If there are technology-basedanxieties in our industry today, they should be centered on the question ofwhether we are using digital tools to better serve our customers. If not, wewon't retain--or deserve to retain--those customers.
One of my colleagues at the Star Tribune recently drew my attention to theutter simplicity of Microsoft's Sidewalk. If technology alone were most criticalin Microsoft's mind, then Sidewalk would be infinitely more complex. ButMicrosoft is trying to create a product that is customer-driven, nottechnology-driven. They are aiming at a customer need, not their impressivetechnological capability. The TV Guide approach. But they do not have ourrelationship with customers.
A digital product may be very appealing. A leveraged digital product, suchas one combined with a long-standing, well-respected, strong market presence--anewspaper--is infinitely more powerful.
Our future performance is most affected by our current market advantage.That sounds obvious and simple but, in my view, is often overlooked. Thenewspaper industry has a market acceptance that others can only dream about. Ourchallenge is to preserve and expand that market penetration by using tools todeliver the products our customers need, now and in the future.
Far and away, our most powerful asset is our history of customerservice--our long-standing connection to and service for our readers andadvertisers. It is an asset that cannot be duplicated on silicon or digitallymorphed.
I am confident that we can use technology to improve our service to ourcustomers if we really focus on their needs and our processes, because I believein the creativity, adaptability and resilience of newspaper people.
David C. Cox
NAA Chairman