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March 24, 2007

Take a look at Time Magazine’s new design

With its March 26 issue, Time has launched a new design. Like The Wall Street Journal’s makeover in January, the change is not just about a look—although the look is the first thing you notice—it’s also about rethinking the role of a print publication in this era of fast-acting and accessible electronic information.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of Time (since it’s a print publication, you need to experience it tactilely to really get a sense of it.) But for a quick look, you can visit the design firm's web site.


Here’s what’s different about the new Time, and implications for those of us who communicate inside organizations:

More focused editorial. Time was founded in the 1920s as a way to sum up all the important news of the week. But that mission has been made irrelevant in the electronic area, where there are news web sites aplenty and you can search for any topic.

As a result, according to Richard Stengel, Time’s managing editor, the magazine will now “tell a larger story about the world we live in.” To do so, Time is focusing “not just (on) reporting the news, but (by) putting it in context and perspective,” says Mr. Stengel. “We offer clarity in a confusing world, explaining not only what happened but why it matters.”

Implication: Print can’t compete with the web’s ability to be both timely and comprehensive. But it is still a very effective medium for providing “context and perspective.”

Less copy. Time still has a couple of in-depth articles per issue. And it’s still a publication created for readers (not skimmers, as is the case with many consumer magazines). But the vast majority of content has fewer words, and deliberate choices made about when to go long (seldom), when to condense (often).

Implication: Reduce your word count. Please.

Larger, more dramatic photos.The old format had lots of little postage-stamp photos. Time’s new approach is to use fewer photos, but to make them more powerful by giving them space. Also: almost all the photos are of people.

Implication: Photos are an important tool, especially in print.

More white space. Bolder headlines. A very distinctive black-white-and-red color scheme. The use of positive (dark) image and negative space (white) is very interesting. It creates lots of opportunities to focus your eye, and create movement and dramatic tension.

Implication: Visuals matter more than ever.

Hope you find the new design of Time inspiring and consider adapting some of the techniques for your own print communication.

Posted by Alison Davis at 12:05 PM

March 12, 2007

Food for thought

There’s a banquet of data available—in newspapers, magazines and online—about what people do, buy and think. I like to keep an eye on these trends because I believe they provide insights into consumers’ attitudes and behaviors—and those consumers include your employees.

For example, there are a number of studies recently about people’s eating habits. Here’s just a sampling—the first few are serious, and the others are just for fun (This data is for American consumers; similar studies are often conducted on people in other countries):

People are taking shorter and shorter lunch breaks. The average lunch “hour” is now only 25 minutes, and, although 75% of Americans have lunch, many eat at their desks as often as three times a week, according to data from HR Daily Advisor. (In addition, full-time workers buy food service lunches 1.8 times a week, says the National Restaurant Association.)

Implication: It’s no surprise that people are pressed for time, but they’re not even breaking for lunch, which means lunchtime events may not be a good idea.

Half of American consumers’ food budget goes to meals purchased outside of home—either in restaurants or as “grab-and-go” take out meals. The newest trend? Less expensive food in smaller, snackable portions, such as McDonald’s “Snack Wrap” sandwiches. The fastest growing segment? Coffee.

Implication: We like our communication like we like our food—cheap, fast, easily digestible. (And caffeinated.)

A food category that’s on the rise is “functional food and beverages”—foods and drinks that have positive health benefits beyond nutrition. In fact, according to MarketResearch.com, sales are projected to grow by 56%, to 38.8 billon, by 2011. Functional products are either “inherently healthy” like oatmeal, “fortified” like orange juice with plant sterols, or “designer” like soy protein bars. And although Baby Boomers led the way, younger demographic groups are fueling future growth.

Implication: We’re getting more demanding. Stuff has to be good for us, as well as good.

And two nutrition-free facts, with no implications:

Bon appetit!

Posted by Alison Davis at 05:39 PM | Comments (1)

March 05, 2007

This advice about consumers applies to employees, too

The other day, I was at a meeting with senior HR folks at a Fortune 500 company to talk about how to communicate significant changes in performance management, compensation and benefits. And, as often happens in this kind of meeting, the conversation was completely focused on what HR needed to tell employees. I found myself repeating my little mantra: “What do employees need? What about managers? Let’s look at this from the audience’s point of view.”

It would have helped if I could have invited Jim Stengel, Chief Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble, to the meeting. What does P&G marketing have to do with employee communication? A lot, if you’re paying attention to the way communication is changing from one-way to dialogue.

Mr. Stengel gave a speech at the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Media Conference last week, and in a meeting obsessed with digital, interactive, and new media, his mind was on relationships.

“Building relationships . . . is the future of marketing,” said Mr. Stengel. “It’s not about new media models and new tools. It’s about engaging with people in a two-way relationships.

“It’s about seeking to understand the other person rather than trying to control their actions. . . Building honest relationships between us and our consumers is not only a smart business decision; it is the right thing for us as marketers to do.”

But it means thinking differently, Mr. Stengel said. “It takes stepping outside your comfort zone and eliminating the barriers that separate you from your consumers. After all, at he end of the day, we’re all consumers.

“Sometimes we just need to be open to bringing more of that personal human perspective to our professional lives,” he said. “This business is personal and that’s the bottom line. And making it personal is how we’ll grow the bottom line in the future.”

So my advice to the HR team—and to anyone today who needs to reach employees—is to stop broadcasting, start opening up the lines of communication that create a dialogue. It’s not about us; it’s about employees. Let’s ask them what they need.

Posted by Alison Davis at 05:00 AM