I don’t agree with a lot of the stuff being written in the papers about online content. There’s too much discussion about news/not-news, specific content/general content etc. And I’m not sure that’s the way to look at it. There’s also the questuon of micropayments which keeps coming about as a potential mechanism to make people pay for content.
As far as I can see, these arguments have too many variables involved. What does strike me as missing in a lot of the articles is a critique of the perceived value that they are creating for their customer base.
One way I think about it is – the user us not paying for content, not paying for the words and pictures. He’s paying for a benefit that he will get as a direct result of consuming that content. And that is where all the cognitivue resource should be focused – what does the customer get out of our product (or content)?
And yes, free alternatives do play a role. And yes, what your friends day play a role as well.
I am skeptical about sites like NOTW and The Sun making online content pay – the question of perceived consequences is almost a rhetorical one when asked in the context of these two papers. The Times – maybe, perhaps, possibly – depends on what it is that they will be able to offer that nobody else will be able to offer – which at this point of time, to me, seems very little!
Newspapers will need to evolve, the way v stations and radio stations have had to evolve. It is no longer going to be enough to expect people to pay for reportage. There’s got to be more.
The content has got to give the user some kind of a measurable benefit, the provider must identify the key motivating factors behind the user’s intention to pay for online content. It could be something intrinsic (it’s purely for entertainment – gossip, exclusive photos etc.), or it could be extrinsic (improved performance at work etc.). Once this code is cracked, I’m not sure it really matters if you’re delivering your content in paper, over the internet on a computer screen or through a mobile phone. People will pay for it because they will feel that the amount of money/effort they are expending is less in value terms than the benefit that they will get in return.
So in short – focus on the customer – what is it that affects a person’s intention to pay for content? The look at your own proposition. Is there a fit? Yes, then great! No, then it’s time to start panic.
Prediction for 2010 – there are going to be a lot of paid content turkeys for Christmas 2010. Businesses will try, thinking their product is the bee’s knees, and they will fail. A few however, will have their finger on the pulse of their customers, and I’m waiting to see how these guys implement their paid content strategies.
