A tipping point of sorts has been reached. News is discovered horizontally through social media, and the importance of the source has diminished in the process. Advertisers and celebrities are becoming competitive publishers in their own right, while legacy news publishers still own the high ground, defending it with quality journalism and brand momentum.
SugarString, Verizon’s news publication, is an example of a news site in search of purpose. But based on David Carr's article this week, Verizon may agree that brand publishing is not without risk. Will Verizon become a legit content destination? Unlikely. But it is certainly dressed for the occasion.
For comparison, check out Adobe. With a name like CMO.com, the audience is clear, and the content is tight. It's very B2B, and smartly so.
The opportunity for digital news publishers is to help these and other brands publish like the pros. With so much expertise underpinning top news brands, those seasoned publishers can provide the necessary editorial services that nearly all brands lack for building and sustaining readership through quality journalism.
Credit to Nancy Scola at The Washington Post for her recent article on Verizon.
Overall: 2.67
Revenue Potential: 2
The revenue potential for publishing brands in general is good for Verizon, Adobe and the news publishers who might partner with them. As the channels for news publication become fluid, quality journalism will rise on its own merits - which is where publishing brands may stumble, and where there is revenue opportunity for entrepreneurial news publishers. However SugarString's public struggle for focus and legitimacy is seriously curtailing its revenue potential for the moment.
Value to Brand: 3
Quality content that is well-organized and marketed for readership will fortify the brands of advertisers - more so than one-off native advertising articles. The potential value for advertisers is large, but will take time to develop. SugarString may succeed as content for readers using search, but that's not a big brand builder. And until the brouhaha about SugarString recedes, its value to Verizon is very questionable.
User Experience: 4
Both Verizon and Adobe have respectable user interfaces. Though CMO.com is both narrow and aspirational - so it works - while SugarSpring is neither.
Published by Verizon:
SugarString