Like the medieval monks who transitioned from illuminated manuscripts to the Gutenberg press, or the town criers who were superceded by Poor Richard’s Almanack, or even like Charlie McCarthy, who took his ventriloquism act from radio shows to television, I’m adapting to changing times. As a hard-core print junkie (books, newspapers, more magazines than my coffee table can handle), I love the look, feel and even smell of paper. But it has its limits: it’s expensive to produce (even for those who aren’t writing by hand, as the monks did); is costly to mail and distribute; and print conversation tends to go only one way — from the writer to the reader. ▪ As an editor, I’m learning to learning to embrace my options in a digital world. While my team still strives to bring the best cases studies and most relevant analysis to you in our print pages, we’re kicking it up several notches online. This month, we’re taking PROMO’s (free) e-newsletter, PROMO Xtra, to a daily edition that will get the latest industry news to you faster. And if you haven’t visited our Web site in a while, you’re in for a treat: we’ve done a complete overhaul of the content, with new emphasis on getting more industry voices into the mix. ▪ Why the focus on digital? Because that’s where a growing number of our readers want us to be. In fact, compared to four years ago, PROMO’s editors are delivering more research, more news, more analysis — and a lot of it goes directly to our online audience. ▪ We don’t operate in a vacuum. While we’ve digitized our editorial voice, the promotions industry has been doing the same. Compared to four years ago, the number of campaigns with an interactive component has multiplied exponentially. Which is why we thought it was time to get a better grasp of what is going on in digital space. Later this month, we’ll be releasing the results of a proprietary study on interactive marketing (find it in both the April magazine and online at promomagazine.com). And we will be showcasing the winners of our first annual Interactive Marketing Awards — the best work from 2005 across 10 digital categories. I’m eager to know what you think, so text me, e-mail me or phone me. You may even pick up a pen and hand-write me a line.
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