How To Best Shape a Story Across Multimedia?

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Godfrey on January 29, 2010 at 1:43pm

In 2003, my company tackled this very question because we recognized the importance of and opportunities presented by new media. We launched a multimedia magazine that merged print with rich-media presented on CD-ROM and a companion website, and we have yet to see another publisher do it more effectively.

The plan was fairly simple:

1. Begin an article in the print magazine, introducing the topic and writing a brief (up to two pages with images) but self-contained article (for those who didn't want to bother with a computer).

2. The print article, though comprehensive in itself, then directed readers to go to their CD-ROM for a more in-depth look at the article. These multimedia features were presented with a combination of video, motion graphics, images, soundtracks and voiceovers when appropriate.

3. The CD-ROM presentation then took users to still more information on the same topic with a simple click of their mouse. Some articles had a single link, and others had several, depending on the topic.

We felt this interactive publishing model was more authentically "multimedia" than simply using a printed page to tell people to go to the web—as nice as paper is, we'll never be able to click on it. Our three-legged model also was a much more effective way to present how-to articles, because now readers could actually watch a process happen instead of simply reading about it.

Response from readers was phenomenal, far more enthusiastic than we expected. Those who understood the media loved it and lauded the publication as one-of-a-kind, which it was. Some readers were behind on the technology and needed customer support to understand the path of print-CD-web, but once they got it, they loved it.

The magazine is now defunct for reasons unrelated to its format.

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Permalink Reply by Dave Brown on February 9, 2010 at 2:36pm

Hi Lisa,

You're giving me lots to think about -- even if to just pay more attention to putting in a sort of "what's on our website" related to this article. Alternatively I could imagine doing a two-page spread on a story all layed-out, but then in the digital version of the magazine adding more photos, or some more insight to the article to complement the original stand-alone print version.

re:the CD -- if they have to go to their computer anyways, couldn't they just somehow see the same article digitally and then click on a link to let them see whatever it was they saw on the CD? (videos, etc.) -- Lastly, with the iPad and tablets everywhere, that'll certainly be a stepping stone to a more enriched magazine.

So I guess you incurred the cost of afixing a CD inside every issue, yes? Was the expense worth it?

Thanks. Dave :)

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Godfrey on February 9, 2010 at 3:18pm

Hi Dave,

There are conflicting opinions about which media are most effective for publishing. I had a very capable guy who's heavy into web tell me that we should have skipped the CD-ROM altogether and put that digital content directly on the web. Doing so would've taken away one step in our multimedia process, so we chose not to go that route. Today, if I were still producing this kind of publication, I would use DVD instead of CD, simply because CDs are vastly regarded by consumers as little more than marketing tools. DVDs don't suffer that stigma.

We published a print magazine because a lot of people still want print. We published a CD-ROM because it offered a second tier of subscription. We could have put all the CD-ROM material on the web, but since consumers continue to expect the web to be free, there would have been no ROI on that editorial, hence no means to pay the CD-ROM content providers. Why should I put valuable material on the web for free? I didn't have to, so I didn't. And readers/viewers responded.

We charged a premium price for a print/CD combo subscription, and 90 percent of our subscribers chose that option. The expense for the CD-ROM was justified, but only because we had an affordable vendor to program the CD content. Once the programming is finalized and a master created, manufacturing CDs or DVDs is a lot less expensive that printing, and the web would be less costly still. Postage is less, with fewer mailing regulations, too, and there are no broadband issues with disc technology (pertinent to those on satellite connections). The secret to the CD or DVD companion is that the content has to be big and hearty and worth the time of loading the disc into a computer (and transferring files to a hard drive, as some of our readers would do for quicker speed). If you try to pass off just a little added content via this media, consumers probably won't be too pleased.

The iPad is an interesting development, but I think we'll have to wait to see how it merges with Kindle and similar products, as well as what publishers and end-users will demand from these devices. Some readers still want print for its familiarity, ease of use and tactile properties. It may take a generation or two to die off before print finds and settles into its new role.

Regards, Lisa

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