In the era of direct and unfiltered information, of integrated and ever-present communication, what are the reasons that renew the active role of industry media? A reflection that does not aim to give answers but to share reasons and points of view
From March 8 to 10, our editorial staff was present at Didacta, actively collaborating in the Smartbuilding.edu project; but, as we know, besides being an opportunity and a plaza for business and education, trade fairs are also an opportunity for discussion and confrontation. This was the case and, with a colleague, we landed on the theme of themes, that is, the mother of all themes: the role of technical publishing today, after the digital revolutions, the direct and unfiltered circulation of any information, and the pandemic shocks.
Imposing theme, but it is always good to get straight to the point: what is the point of a trade media today, when companies already communicate so well (alright maybe not all of them, but many do) their product news, or related to their brand? What is the added value of relying on a publisher’s database when the company already has its own, customers and “prospects,” as they say? Why read a publisher’s newsletter when social media already reports everything about everyone, even anticipating official news? What can publishers do, more and better, than the event the company or association already organizes for its customers and associate members?
Perhaps the answer lies in the “logic of the travel agency”: to start again with similar questions, what makes the traveler choose to rely on the travel agency, especially when it comes to trips with complex logistics, to distant countries that one does not know, instead of planning independently? The answer might be that the agency’s job, in fact, should be to direct the traveler to solutions that will be agreeable to him, that is, also correct with respect to his expectations and real needs and in line with his tastes and preferences (and passions!), bring him useful and non-deviant information, and avoid making him run into unclear and unpleasant situations. So the role of the agency will certainly be to book flights (perhaps on terms that the individual cannot access), internal transfers, rather than the hotel of the right category and at the right expense in relation to the budget available… but above all it will be to accompany the traveler toward the choice of “his” type of trip, all-inclusive, customized, or Spartan, which will not necessarily be the best trip, but the one that is right for him.
And what will lead the traveler, that is, the reader, to follow the agency’s advice? Probably the fact that the agent will be able to accompany him, select the right information without wasting his time, be available for a doubt, a perplexity, but above all for his ability to read the industry, always staying one step ahead and anticipating the traveler’s choices… in a word, crediting himself in his eyes and earning his esteem. When the agency’s email arrives, then, the traveler will perceive it not as spam but as valuable content, and will read it, giving it credit.
Too ambitious? Perhaps so, but trying it also appears to us as the only possible way forward.