Smart & Sexy

Peanut Butter and Jelly
Milk and Cookies
Jack and Jill
Cowboys and Indians
Shrimp and Grits
R2D2 and C3PO...

Somethings just go together. Smart and sexy typically don't.

It's not that being smart isn't sexy, it's just not the first thing you notice. You have to actually take the time to talk to someone (which rarely happens these days) to realize they are smart whereas sexy is usually noticeable at first glance.

So what does this have to do with the media? Today, the Newspaper Association of America launched a new campaign to emphasis the importance of newspapers (print or digital) called "Smart is the New Sexy". Here is what the campaign says:

"News isn’t really news anymore. In fact, news has become something else entirely. Talking heads pass as news. Sound bites pass as news. Opinions pass as news. Snazzy graphics pass as news. It’s time to make a stand for the one place you can still get ‘news news.’ The kind with substance. The kind that makes you feel smarter when you finish reading it. The kind that makes you a more interesting person to talk to, a savvier shopper, a more engaged citizen. That’s the kind of news we’re talking about. The kind that’s written for people who want more than just a headline. The kind you can only find in newspapers – print or digital."

The definition of news has certainly changed. Many people consider tweets from their friends and Facebook statuses a part of their daily news. We no longer have the attention span for long-form journalism and newspapers continue to cut expenses, content and jobs.

Is this new campaign going to change all that? doubtful. First of all, the campaign itself is neither smart nor sexy. Telling people that the newspaper is sexy doesn't make it sexy. Plus, the videos that go along with the campaign are about as sexy as my grandmother's socks.

"I like the homegoods part of it," said one woman. "I actually will keep that circular in the car with me all week."

I find it hard to believe that in this time of digital coupons, iPhones and laptops that someone would be collecting newspaper coupons in their car.

The videos do nothing to show the sexy side of journalism in fact, if anything the videos hurt the campaign. No one that is featured is particularly good looking and all of them state fairly obvious facts.

"Nobody covers local news as a priority more than the newspaper," said one man.

DUH. Obviously a local newspaper's priority is local news. The question is, is it the news that the audience wants to read?

The news is important and I think that most newspapers still have a lot to offer the readers that they serve. This just happens to be a time of change in the journalism industry and this campaign isn't going to change the need for change.

There is nothing sexy about carrying around a newspaper. The ink gets on your hands, you look awkward trying to fold and refold the paper trying to get to the different sections. It doesn't look sexy when it's covering up a homeless guy, it doesn't look sexy rolled up at the end of your driveway and it doesn't look sexy when your kid is making a paper mache mess.

If you want your information to be sexy, get an iPad. It's easy to read, instant, clean. informative and I believe it is the future. Sorry NAA but I don't think smart is going to be the new sexy. Technology has and always will be sexy, just look at James Bond.