Bridge Summit, Abu Dhabi: Digital Or Traditional Media? Expert Says It's All About Branding

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

As most legacy news companies shift to multimedia, embedding text with images, including audio and video formats, and even migrating to social media, a media executive of a global news organisation said that what would differentiate them in the next five years is their brand.

Speaking to media executives at the debut Bridge Summit, Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of the International News Media Association (INMA), said that in today's ever-changing digital media landscape, the distinction between news companies should fall on their branding, not whether it is print or digital.

Recommended For You Bridge Summit, Abu Dhabi: Arab actresses call for more women writers to reshape roles

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

He argued that branding is the differentiator in the flood of AI-produced content and among content creators and influencers.“My judgment is that we are not brandless, but our news brands are devoid of personality, and they're devoid of emotional resonance,” the CEO said, adding that readers need something that connects and inspires them.

“There are so many ways you can tell your story. I would make the argument a user needs approach. What connects us? What inspires us? What surprises us? It's going to have more resonance. Just do it with soul. Do it with voice. Do it with personality,” Wilkinson said, referring to media professionals.

Digital still in its adolescent stage

He said that the digital transformation as still in its adolescent,“awkward” phase, with audiences, advertisers, and products migrating to digital, while traditional media tries to“cling to its skins,” he said. With print journalism, Wilkinson noted how it's still strong, but that it's“dropping like a stone.”

Wilkinson said that brand strategy for news media can only be built around things that won't change in the next 10 years, which is their brand, the basis of the brand, and the trajectory of the tech that carries the brand.“It's about journalism. It's about brands,” he said.“Modernization is changing. Worldwide, you see this tension between reader revenue and advertiser revenue.”

The Bridge Summit is a large media event taking place in Abu Dhabi from December 8-10. It brought together media executives, innovators, academics and NGOs in what is called a 'first-of-its-kind' event.

The INMA looks at the business end of journalism and provides insights and best practices for news media companies to grow revenue and audience. More recently, it released a report on how brand-safety systems routinely block ads from legitimate news stories, ultimately causing the news industry to lose billions in revenue.

MENAFN08122025000049011007ID1110453961