The newspaper's personality traits
If you had to describe the newspaper by personality traits, what words would you use? Experienced or amateurish? Energetic or flat? Creative or dull? Friendly or aloof? Resourceful or by the book? Trustworthy or conniving? Knowledgeable or clueless? Somewhere in between these?
This is a step companies go through as part of identifying a branding campaign. (We're not, but I think it is an interesting exercise.) The idea is that a product leaves a personal, often emotional, image in its users' minds. Naturally, companies want those images to be good ones.
For newspapers -- and in this case I'm talking about the actual newspaper, not this blog or our Web site -- we're invited into your homes every morning. But unlike some other products, such as soap or breakfast cereal, 100 percent satisfaction is beyond our reach. We bring tidings of an often unfriendly world. We state opinions you don't like. We affirm some of your assumptions but challenge others. We publish comments from dissatisfied customers.
I know it's risky to ask this question, leading with my chin and all, but no guts, no glory:
What are the News & Record's personality traits?
(Or, if you prefer, if we were a tree, what kind of tree would we be? Or what kind of ice cream best describes us?)
Comments (4)
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A majestic live oak of journalistic integrity flowing with the spanish moss of investigative rigor and community involvement?
Seriously, a friendly tree tilting slightly to the left.
Adjectives: open, two-way, gullible, semi-soft, local, chatty, sensible, locally interesting and tough, globally bland, good columnists (local and national), predictable center-left split-the-difference editorials--I'm off of the adjectives now--loves happy stories of the little guy triumphing over adversity, follows-the-lead on national news coverage, way too much local sports coverage, good sports columnists, easy on the education industry, local. Did I say local already?
Posted on September 21, 2006 2:37 PM
Mature. Gray-haired. Billowy. Willowy. Thin. Digs (not like a shovel). Deep roots, low top. Double-edged.
Posted on September 21, 2006 9:31 PM
I would say your coverage of the routine (from a professional standpoint) news is like a well-oiled machine that never skips a beat.
Your marketing brand is near monolithic in that it is everywhere.
The newspaper itself is mundane, but your web efforts are beyond innovative and bring life to the brand.
You play your hand well to the subgroups in your community.
Friendly, succesful, informed, active, but much like a maple tree or a dogwood in that you a familiar and predictable.
Posted on September 21, 2006 11:16 PM
#1 Pretentous
#2 Square (opposite of hip)
#3 Overly analytical (about the wrong things)
#4 Falsely earnest
#5 Self rightous
#6 Argumentative
#7 Arrogant
#8 Easily distracted
#9 Unfocused
#10 Transparently folksy
#11 Late
Posted on September 23, 2006 8:41 PM