The privatisation of state companies such as the PTT Post, NS (the Dutch railway system) and the power companies changed this situation. The change has spread: national health insurers are now simply health insurers, and hospitals and educational institutions have been forced to become competitive. And it is no longer the government but citizens who make the choice. Once a luxury of minor importance, corporate publishing has suddenly become an absolute necessity. Organisations must profile themselves since commercial companies are looking for opportunities in the market—opportunities that they can often take advantage of more easily and cheaply than ‘old’ government entities, without the ‘baggage’ of a long history (including the workforce and costs), and that organisations, through corporate publishing, are eager to bring to the attention of potential customers, creatively and interactively.
In an era in which technological developments come in rapid succession and new communication channels spring up, it is increasingly important to take on the challenges of the changing communications culture. It is also important to integrate different types of media used for design and content into a single communications strategy that guides the receivers to the relevant information and offers them the possibility of responding to it via a suitable channel. Cross-media communications are the overarching whole through which the strategic goals of companies, organisations and the media as regards products, services and information can be communicated. Leading international media concerns have long presented their publications as cross-media publishing. Copy is revised by editors and stored in central databanks to which the different media formats and channels have access. This expansion is not limited to publishing texts on the Internet taken from the print media or television. The Franco-German cultural station Arte.tv is heading in the opposite direction. With the publication of its printed ‘Arte Magazine’, the broadcaster is meeting the specific wishes of its audience, which largely consists of readers. By combining different media channels, cross-media campaigns whose collaborative efforts are well directed can achieve a clear increase in the range of media reports. The greatest strength of integrating classical forms of media, such as print and television, with the Internet lies in the combined response to the need for different forms of communication, which varies by target group. This guarantees topicality and the fast provision of information in combination with the possibility of accessing extensive and engaging background information as necessary. The recipient can also be referred to other relevant information. If other options are added that enable readers, viewers and consumers to give interactive feedback, then the result can be a clear strengthening of corporate identity. Alexandra de Bruijne
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From Activity on the Side to Necessity Until some time ago, corporate publishing was not necessary for every sector. The monopolistic government, and the use of government money to make up shortfalls were a sufficient guarantee of ‘healthy’ operations. Publishing was therefore a ‘luxury’ activity carried out on the side, and was used primarily for internal and external reports.
CROSS-MEDIA COMMUNICATION
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viral movie on the then leader of the Socialist Party Jan Marijnissen ‘Jan greets...’, which was circulated by more than a million individual Internet users, has considerably more attention-grabbing value, although many other things have undoubtedly also contributed to the big increase over the last few years in the Socialist Party’s popularity.