Eoin Purcell's Blog

Eoin Purcell

Jessica Coen moves to Vanity Fair

Some really intriguing news I have been meaning to post about is the news from The Huffington Post and Micropersuasion that Jessica Coen one of the keys to Nick Denton’s Gawker blog will jump over to Vanity Fair. She will become their deputy online editor. Read her own parting words here.

Seems to me that there has not been much made of this move even though I would say it’s a pretty big deal in one sense. It shows the power print still has.

But she will be the deputy ONLINE editor!!

How you are asking is that displaying the power of print. Well she is online editor for one of the most incredible print brands around. And part of the stable of Conde Nast titles that still carry enormous weight.

It just reminds us all that print is not going away. New online brands/blogs will struggle to beat off the competition of the big print brands as they move online in a real and effective way. Firstly talent will want to work there as with Jessica, secondly the inbuilt recognition will allow them to rapidly build readership online.

I am not saying that this is a death knell for blogs and new media companies, far from it, merely that they all need to remind themselves that the bar for survival is high and that the old media companies will have no mercy and deep pockets when and if they finally make the online plunge with gusto.

Stating the Obvious
Eoin