Pay-to-play is corrosive
I get it, every Business Journal in the country has some element of pay-to-play. Unfortunately, ours here in Youngstown, Ohio is pay-to-play to the point of harming its credibility and harming local businesses. When companies make national news but cannot get any play with their local business journal, that speaks volumes about the publication’s exclusionary philosophy. Their advocacy on behalf of mainly those who pay illuminates vendors to our local business owners who may be a bad fit or, worse, bad at what they do.
A while back I saw an article about a local agency (an advertiser) who had successfully renewed a handful of Google certifications. I use this example purely because it speaks to my own area of expertise. First, five or six Google certifications is just weak (my firm has 36). Second, the renewal process is incredibly simple. Believe me when I tell you that many other firms in the area laughed just much as I did. The article was the equivalent of writing about a tire shop getting a new socket set, or a bank offering debit cards. It’s silly, but more importantly, it’s incredibly obtuse. They should have just written an article about how they really enjoy the ad dollars from this little firm.
“Never get in a fight with those who buy digital impressions by the tens of millions.”
Many will ask why I would want to be at odds with the Business Journal. After all, the old saying goes, “never fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.” But remember, that’s the old saying. The more contemporary version is, “never get in a fight with those who buy digital impressions by the tens of millions.” I’m one of those people buying millions of impressions, so I’m not worried. Anyway, our Business Journal just got a new injection of capital; maybe now they won’t be so desperate for ad revenue that they sell out by publishing sycophantic content for their advertisers. Maybe now they’ll publish real business news that impacts our community. That’s what we really need. That’s what we deserve.