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Media Matrix & Media Assets: An Overview
Over the past 10 to 20 years, almost every aspect of marketing and communications, everything from print to video broadcasting has been transformed and ported into the digital realm. The specialization and expertise that once encompassed each industry has been homogenized into simple and inexpensive technologies that all reside on a common platform of personal computers, cell phones, inkjet printers and iPods. What used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment has been reduced ten-fold while the ability to communicate across vast networks is increasing ten-fold. Simply put, analog is going out, digital is coming in. Fiber optics are quickly replacing copper wire, and availability for any information on any device, just about anywhere, has become commonplace. This forces everyone to reconsider and readjust their thinking about the very nature of communications, what they once required to produce and deliver, what are the possibilities now, and where they are headed into the future. The Three Elements of Media Images, Sounds and Words are the very elements of communication. From these three basic elements all other types of media communications are realized.
The Two Types of Media Media can be categorized as Static (a single projected instance in time) or Active (numerous projected instances over a finite period of time). This is perfectly illustrated in the visual (Image element) as the difference between photography and videography. In music (Sound element) it is the difference between a printed score and the actual performance of the same. In words (Word element) it is the difference between a written document and person reading the same document.
Media, Time, and Shelf-Life Media can be communicated in Fixed or Actual time. Print pieces are “fixed” in the moment the ink is applied to the paper on the printing press. It cannot be changed. What is communicated at that moment in time may or may not be true depending upon all the variables on which the facts are based, and data can become less reliable the further it moves into the future. On the other hand, live video is projected in actual time. Although it is a real time source of information, it is not able to continually project it’s communication without the aid of retransmission. Information then becomes measurable in terms of it’s shelf-life. (How good is the message being communicated for what length of time?)
The revolution of the Internet has become the gray area that falls between Fixed and Actual time communiqués. It has the ability to project all forms and types of media including the new element of interactivity. Interactive Media The power of interactive media is that it facilitates the communication between the sender and one or more receivers in an ongoing interactive fashion. The source (sender) of the communiqué is able to host its message indefinitely and drive traffic to the point of reception (receivers). Sender and receiver can interact via email and other communication mechanisms. Roles of a Media Asset Manager The Media Asset Manager (MAM) is a unique position in that he directs, conceptualizes, creates and produces all marketing and communications deliverables. He works with the executive team to establish policies, practices and tools to develop and maintain the desired image or brand identity. The MAM’s role is three-fold: As Director, he owns the marketing strategy and execution of marketing/communication objectives. He develops the strategic overview to messaging, the cultivation of market-reach concepts, and the internal communication mechanisms for the smooth flow of marcom in day-to-day operations. As Producer, he takes on the creative design and production of all internal and external communications and marketing endeavors. He is responsible to refine and maintain a consistent brand and style guide which increases personalization, message relevance and timeliness as well as integrates channel delivery across web, email and print, video and exhibits, signage and any other media. He works directly with vendors to fulfill the demands of media production, fabrication, duplication and fulfillment. He fills numerous roles typically employed in the production process:
As a Communications System Technician, he is responsible for the purchase, maintenance and upgrading of hardware and software that comprise those systems. Skillset of a Media Asset Manager |
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I. Conceptualization & Composition
II. Image Design/Manipulation
III. Exhibit/Display
IV. Website Development
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V. Broadcast Email and Newsletters
VI. Sound Design/Manipulation
VII. MultiMedia Presentation
VIII. Data Back-Up and Archival Services |
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Building a Media Matrix
The Media Asset Manager builds out a Media Matrix for the creation and production of all deliverables including print, exhibits, signage, web, video, audio, CD and DVD production, information portals, email campaigns, presentations, and more. With appropriate hardware and software and various ‘capturing’ devices a MAM is able to convert and manipulate the various forms into the desired brand/identity. (see “The Three Elements of Media” in “Media Assets: An Overview”) The Media Matrix is linked to an informational database which in turn is connected to the internet. With this three-fold network in place, the MAM can act as a hub of interactive electronic communications between the staff and the public. The MAM can gather ‘experiences’ through recorded events, create impressions and marketing messages (brand/identity), and host them on its webserver. In turn the viewers can interact with those messages and provide feedback, personal information, registrations, electronic payments, and purchase products/services, all facilitated through the communication system. |
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Copyright © 2007 Francis Koerber All rights reserved.