ADS: Media struggles to monetize wares
A Time article suggests that CNN, AOL/Time/Warner, etc., aren't making a go of it online and their bean counters are marking down the value of their companies -- in some cases to zero + hard assets. This is a horrible time to judge the value of content in an advertising environment that has lost 30% of revenues...and more. The ugly truth is that media companies and businesses in general don't understand the new media enough to leverage its major strength, which is to highly target consumers in a meaningful way -- both with bona fide content and advertising. Companies, with guidance from Madison Avenue, should be partnering with social media developers to find the best way to localize their message, learn all it can about the online creature, and finally stop being so annoying. Media still thinks in terms of channel brands and they should be focusing on the quality of their individual products.