A big announcement was made today and I think agricultural communicators should take notice. I really think you need to check this out.

A company that has a long standing tradition of delivering news items to reporters is PR Newswire. Today, their Multi Vu division announced that it was “re-inventing” the video news release and other forms of multi-media communication vehicles. Why?

New products extend reach to media and your target audiences… comprehensive multimedia communications packages help ensure success

In other words, so that you don’t have to depend on the radio and tv stations to deliver your message to your customers and members anymore! They’re offering audio and video podcasting services and specifically so you can communicate directly to your target audience. Where have I heard this concept before?

MultiVu has a new approach to VNRs, B-roll and SMTs that helps ensure success. Our Electronic Multimedia Kits (EMK) and Broadcast Multimedia Briefings (BMB) reach television, radio, print and online media and allow you to communicate directly to consumers and other target audiences over the Internet. They also feature audio and video podcasts. And, they help you get your message directly to your target audiences without having to depend solely on broadcast TV.

Wow. I’m sorry but I think this just validates the idea of using “new media” in your campaigns. Notice they don’t say you shouldn’t continue to distribute information to traditional media outlets. I wouldn’t say that either. However, you now have the tools to “go direct.” Why not?

Because you think farmers don’t have broadband internet access and aren’t sure if they use it right? Good thing to question. The facts show that of $100,000 plus farmers, over 20 percent do have broadband. That’s a pretty significant percentage. Looking back historically into the early days of internet access, farmers adopted and used it at higher percentage than the general public. The only reason they’ve lagged behind of late is the whole broadband access issue and that’s being addressed and is changing rapidly.

I’ll be writing more about this over the next couple weeks and have some information to share so you can see the facts for yourself. In the meantime, be a pioneer and get started with your use of new media. We have the tools and “time’s a wastin’.” I like the way Multi Vu says it and I echo it for the agribusiness community, “By adapting your message for multiple audiences on a variety of platforms, our goal is to help you maximize your multimedia ROI. “