Both leading up to, and of course, after Apple’s January 27th iPad announcement the interwebs were, and have been, a buzz about the tablet device that will now debut in less than a week.  It’s certainly been an interesting development to observe, and follow, as the implications could potentially run far and wide - both for the computing industry, as well as those in the content creation business.

Personally, I think the iPad taps into the power of the iPhone platform but serves it up in an even more tangible size and for that matter a size that will likely in time become more palatable to a wider breath of audiences.  The iPad unlike the iPhone will have no expensive cellular contract or service usage agreements, it will simply work on any WiFi connection, or those users that wish can opt in to a month-to-month data service with AT&T.  In terms of the interaction, since the web’s introduction it has been a point & click type of world, but the iPad will change that it, and it will morph into a hands-on environment.  We’ll be able to look past the device and become fully consumed with our music, movies, and of course text-based content - or more poignantly those delineations are going to continue to become harder to make.  We’ll see magazines with embeded Podcasts, and electronic books that offer videos about their subject matter, and newspapers that will strike us more as the local television channel than the traditional paper.

In the process, this iPad-ization of content is going to further drive consumption, alter the media landscape, and change the dynamics of how we navigate and interact with this mass of content that is now before us on the internet.  This change is also going to have a profound effect on how, and where, ad dollars are spent…adding bonafide and beautiful digital versions to popular publications such as Wired, ESPN The Magazine, GQ among others.  Already, there has been some discussion as to the number of adverstisers that have signed on with the likes of Time Magazine and The Wall Street Journal to take out full-page ads in the upcoming digital editions.  So, effectively what this means is that advertisers will now have a broader spectrum to choose from when building their marketing mix; now the options will include outdoor & event-based, traditional broadcast & print (national, regional, & local), web (banner & text), and now graphical digital editions of mainstream publications.

Beyond advertising, more importantly for communications professionals this move toward tablet computing continues to break down the traditional barriers to sharing and distributing a story, a spokesperson, or a campaign message.  Further, as the computer shifts from weighty laptop or stagnant desktop, the power shift for content distribution and consumption continues as platforms like the iPad will make accessing content easier, more intimate, and ubiquitous.  The iPad and its successors will ultimately become yet another powerful avenue for our clients to consider when planning their campaigns, to target their message and showcase their unique content. For instance, this is an avenue whereby a client can develop and publish an App that showcases their brand and messaging, or simply develop their own unique audio and video content that the consumer can access from their device.

Of course, as this trend continues we’ll be monitoring it here at The Media Backpage.  The question, however that remains, is how will you leverage The iPadization of Content for your clients?

One of my favorite radio bits used to be a promo for the latest way to read books: “Now introducing Books-On-Tape-On-Paper.”  That always made me laugh since it seemed so ridiculous that we had gone so far that the reintroduction of the printed word seemed “new.”

However, recently, as I’m in the midst of wrapping up my first e-book, Tom Verducci’s The Yankee Years, I have been thinking about the fact that the printed word really has been re-invented and is symbolic of the overall media shift and fragmentation of audience habits.  It seems so simple but there are actually quite a few different options these days for how you can read the latest novel or biography.  Reading used to be such a simple task; you went to the library or local bookstore, browsed around, and if you chose well, went home with, and enjoyed a page-turner.  It was pretty much a choice between hardcover or paperback; which was often a decision that was made for you based on what was “in-print.”

However, in 2009 depending on your preference there are quite a few ways in which you may experience that latest thriller or biography: Are you more of a buy it in hardcover as soon as it’s published type of person? Or do you wait for the paperback version? Do you download and listen to audio books? If so, do you go with abridged or unabridged versions?  Or do you download an e-book to some device, such as the Kindle?

Really, who ever thought simply reading a book could be such a complicated endeavor?  That said, there is an important lesson here for communications professionals; we have to communicate in a variety of ways to reach today’s diverse and segmented audiences.  Books have adapted and become available in a multitude of formats because audiences have changed and everyone’s preferences vary…so shouldn’t we be applying the same logic to how we communicate and showcase experts, opinions, products and events?

Clearly, you may not be dealing in the arena of books, but when it comes time to tell your stories (or those of your clients) this shift is real and people are getting their news and information in a variety of ways; the result is we have to think strategically about offering the same information in any number of different channels.  When it comes to thinking about campaigns we have to move beyond just those traditional methodologies (think hard and soft cover books) and leverage new opportunities to communicate and reach today’s audiences.  So while the press release, and the media outreach will always play a role in communicating let’s take a page out of the e-book and start thinking about how we can utilize new methods for telling the same old story.