Longing for the day ...

Interesting, Mr Murdoch

I notice the first move of Rupert Murdoch's "digital age" has been to appoint a former MacDonald's marketing guru, Joe Talcott, as Australia's new group marketing director. How appropriate!

In the same Media liftout, News Limited advertised for an Editor for News.com.au, an "Advertising Strategy Manager' and two "Advertising Strategists". Coincidence? Or clear evidence that News thinks an online reshuffle and a marketing blitz will win them a better readership? Only time will tell.

At least Mr Talcott is making some of the right noises: "A deep understanding of how consumers interact with all media" is vital to producing a better online product for News Limited - but it's also vital for an effective marketing blitz. Of course, it's also the Holy Grail for media researchers at the highest level of academe and Rupert is not famous for spending money on academic research any more than the newspaper industry is famous for paying attention to what academic research is telling us about the problems with newspapers ...

That said, Talcott's claim to fame at McDonald's was the introduction of the healthier menus in response to growing public concern at the dietary quality of McDonald's fare. Perhaps he can do the same for newspapers in general and online publishing in particular ...