The Pay-wall question

With the economy taking a plunge all over the world, companies are scrambling to find new ways to generate revenue. It’s hard to find an international company these days that doesn’t have a presence on the internet, which is where many of them are turning to up their profits. The web was meant to be a platform for free exchange of information but this has come into question as many online sites are playing with the idea of putting up pay-walls. For example, the Times has turned to generating a registration and pay-wall system.

An article in the Guardian, written by Josh Halliday, explores what steps the Times are taking to assess the success of their pay-wall plan. The article reports that “users are being asked to register to access both sites [the Times and Sunday Times], but content is still free. Charging at £1 per day or £2 per week, is expected to begin shortly - possibly as early as next week”. That seems like a small price to pay to be able to access all the information on both websites. The issue that remains is generating enough of a loyal audience to ensure that the pay-wall is successful. Creating a loyal following is difficult but necessary to be confident in your audience’s continuing use of your service. The article quotes Tim Whitwell, assistant editor and head of online at the Times, saying, “‘we really have to start thinking about customer service and customer loyalty’”. The more personalized the TImes can make their online web site to cater to individual communities the more those customers will identify with the brand.

I think this would be a great opportunity for a PR company to jump in and help the Times online build a relationship with customers and for them to identify themselves with the journalists who write the stories they will read. If the Times can manage to create a deep and meaningful connection with its readers, customers will be more likely to submit to the once a week payment for online information.

To read the article please visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/25/times-online-paywall-plans