Friday, March 04, 2011

Companywide staff meeting starts in 10 minutes

From CEO Craig Dubow's memo about today's 1 p.m. ET videocast: "We will preview with you an exciting, new initiative our company will launch next week to help further accelerate our transformation and growth efforts."

33 comments:

  1. God, I so don't miss attending these. Everyone so FAKE.

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  2. Are you watching this?

    That a major company would spend all this hoopla for a simple logo change and branding campaign...

    And will we have TV ads? Wow!!

    Oh for a Steve Jobs moment where Gracia would say, "oh, one other thing," and then unveil some gamechanger like a local news app that changes -- truly changes -- the way news is delivered.

    No such luck.

    And they rehearsed this!!

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  3. This is just pathetic.

    Who designed the GANNETT logo? The letters are too far apart; looks cheap.
    No TV. Not very big time.

    And this damn company has been talking about change and transformation for 20 years ago. What has changed? Nothing.

    Just pathetic.

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  4. Naysayers like you are what holds the company back.

    There are too TV ads. They are showing one now.

    This seems a bunch of steps in the right direction.

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  5. I'm sorry....I missed the transformation part. This is an ADVERTISING campaign.

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  6. http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2011-03-04-gannett-branding_N.htm

    What a letdown.

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  7. "We're Beatrice"

    reminds me of that old campaign

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  8. the real assets are the people in our company....all six of them....

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  9. oh, and by all means, let's make sure we have soldiers and kids in the ads...

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  10. Good lord! These people are nuts! who cares?

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  11. they really should have held this launch in westchester....in the hulking pit that used to hold our presses and 150 pressman careers....

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  12. The video monstage at the end was actually very cool.

    This makes me feel the company may have its act together, at least in presenting who we are. Whether it works is something else.

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  13. Is Gannett really going to spend money on outside advertising or just place house ads in its newspapers and TV stations to make up for dwindling ad sales?

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  14. That's IT?? What was that?

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  15. YAWN. This will accomplish zero in the marketplace. Nobody cares about Gannett except a bunch of old men long past their prime. Oh yeah...and one woman.

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  16. I think it's an important first step towards recognizing the newspaper and media industry is radically changing. Yes, it seems to be centered on a logo and branding, but the ultimate overarching change it represents is what is really important.

    Hopefully, this is the beginning of a true transformation leveraging the very things that make Gannett unique in this marketplace - the broad range of media companies and venues it can offer advertisers.

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  17. The dais reminded me of a local Rotary Club meeting in which the mayor and town council folks have to say a few meaningless words just to be seen and heard from.

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  18. We ARE like Beatrice.
    Not the company.
    The actress:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Ado_About_Nothing

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  19. I was wrong. The meeting was actually even less important than the e-mail. Nothing said by nothing people.

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  20. "We're Edsel."
    "We're Eastern Airlines."
    "We're the National Buggywhip Company."

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  21. Boy the Lemming Trolls are out in force. It was a great presentation. The haters hate anything and I mean anything the company presents so it is no surprise to see these posts. This campaign isn't the answer for all our challenges but it is a great start. Great way to go into the weekend!

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  22. @1:42

    haha
    Touche

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  23. 1:40 -- Are you serious? If you are, think about this. The lead might read ...

    After 10 or 15 years of radical changes in the media environment, Gannett announced today that it has decided to announce to the world that it owns a lot of media properties. CEO Craig Dubow said that this announcement means vast changes, but didn't offer any information on what those changes would be, other than a new logo and tagline that will now be prominently displayed on existing products.

    He did not address the rapidly changing digital environment and Gannett's continued revenue losses, stemming from decreasing circulation and advertising in print papers. And he did not address the fact that the company doesn't seem to have a news product that could support itself in the digital realm without the support of said papers.

    He did, however, indicate that when the newspaper wing of the company sinks, everyone everywhere will know that it is Gannett (and not the New York Times Company) that's taking its last breaths.

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  24. 2:03 I think you thought it was going to be a state of the company meeting. Sorry, instead it was an energizing, creative, innovative advertising/branding campaign. I loved it! And as I fade into the weekend, I love my job, my boss and my colleagues! Jim I am sure you will remove this post, no room here for happy people!!!

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  25. I work in advertising outside the print industry.

    If the purpose of this rebranding is to gain the attention of advertisers and get them to use Gannett properties to market their products, it's a good idea. It's a starting point. Not having been privy to the presentation, I'm curious about what they're going to do to back this up. They have to be able to show that my ad will reach my customers. In this ridiculously competitive marketplace for the advertising dollar, does Gannett's products reach my customer? The 18-34 year female? The 25-54 year-old adult. The 35-54 male? Can they show me the numbers that their market penetration is growing?

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  26. Well, 2:12 p.m., I can tell you my paper has the 65-plus market locked. Does that count?

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  27. 2:10 -- I understand why you would love it. You used the words "energizing," "creative" and "innovative" to describe a print and television advertising campaign -- something that has been happening for decades.

    Do you write Craig's corporate memos?

    As a challenge, name one "innovative" thing that was announced today. And I define innovative as something that hasn't already been put into place by other companies years ago.

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  28. 2:03 -

    Yes, I'm serious. It's a first step. Recognizing this company is, and very much needs to me more of, a diverse group of multimedia properties, and not just an old-school newspaper, is a critical first step.

    I heard several references to cross-divisional teams working on new, innovative ideas designed to help move Gannett beyond traditional publishing. How innovative they really are we will have to wait and see, but at least they are recognizing the need to move a different direction.

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  29. Looks like the street sold of GCI all day in anticipation of the "big" announcement:
    http://tinyurl.com/4gsj665

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  30. Yes, the market sold off GCI today. The general market was off, too, but GCI was off more.

    At least some investors were probably hoping there would be an announcement about something meaningful instead of the hoo-ha we actually got. As a former GCI employee who's now only a GCI investor, I had an advantage over those other investors because I know how much GCI management likes the hoo-ha. I saw it from the inside.

    So I'm taking it in stride. It is just part of the corporate culture at GCI, folks. Inane, yes. And counterproductive for a company facing challenges like Gannett, whose management should be focused on creating real and sustainable digital revenue streams.

    But the stock will go to $25 despite all that. When it does, I will begin lightening up my position and pay Obama accordingly. Still, I share your frustration, if only from a distance.

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  31. GCI fell with other newspaper stocks, after Lazard Capital Markets started coverage of the New York Times Co. with a "sell" rating and said the shift to digital from print advertising will continue to hurt the company. NYT shares fell 5.7% to $10.24.

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  32. Good idea but late to the game. The death star was dated. I wonder if the potential sell off of the only nationally recognized brand, USA TODAY, inspired them to do this.

    Unfortunately it will not have any substance if still operating as separate business units. "Cross divisional" means collaboration and compromise across silos, not unity. Still missing the point if they do not completely change the structure and adopt new leadership.

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  33. just re-arranging the deck chairs...

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