In a memo last year, Chief Marketing Officer Maryam Banikarim urged employees to vote for USA Today in Adweek's competition to declare the best national newspaper. The trade journal's staffers were "our friends,'' the memo said.
I'm guessing they've now been defriended. In a just-posted story about USAT's new design, here's the first paragraph:
"USA Today is about to roll out the biggest redesign in its history, but is it too late? On the eve of the paper’s 30th anniversary, John Hartman, author of The USA Today Way, said the paper is showing 'all the makings of a death spiral' and predicted that it would shut down within three years.'"
[Updated at 6:53 p.m. ET.] Advertising Age's story is much more flattering.
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| Banikarim |
"USA Today is about to roll out the biggest redesign in its history, but is it too late? On the eve of the paper’s 30th anniversary, John Hartman, author of The USA Today Way, said the paper is showing 'all the makings of a death spiral' and predicted that it would shut down within three years.'"
[Updated at 6:53 p.m. ET.] Advertising Age's story is much more flattering.
Adweek finally revived their editorial integrity.
ReplyDeleteDidn't just bend over and copy and paste the press release.
Actually, that they would highlight this Hartman guy, who walks around calling himself a USA TODAY "expert,'' really shows how out of touch the publication is.
ReplyDeleteHartman's past analyses have been so off-base as to be laughable.
USAT will do fine and Hartman's rants are just that.
No amount of cosmetics will help if USAT doesn't improve the journalism.
ReplyDeleteThe Editor and Publisher piece is right in saying Gannett's reputation is so awful within media and advertising circles: treating people badly, laying over thousands of talented journalists, putting out weak journalism.
When you have lousy managers, you have a lousy product. You make lousy choices on content and staffing, this is the reputation you deserve.
ReplyDeleteMAC to the rescue!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust who is this MAC we keep hearing about?
ReplyDelete