Mar 3

Written by: Greg Gerber
3/3/2008 10:14 AM

If there is one thing the RV industry no longer lacks, it's access to news.

We have RV Industry News, RV Business, RV Pro, RVNews.com, Woodalls Campground Management and RV Trade Digest employing dozens of people full-time to bring news and product information to the recreation vehicle industry. Not only do these publications produce regular magazines which are mailed to thousands of professionals actively involved in the industry, many publications also offer near-daily electronic newsletters. Some editors even produce blogs which are distributed weekly to industry professionals.

The circulation of each of these publications, electronic newsletters and blogs far exceed the circulations of any industry-targeted publications (print or electronic) produced by the RV Industry Association or the RV Dealers Association.

That's why it is so surprising to read that RVIA will soon send out regular e-newsletters so people can "find out the latest in RV industry news, events and happenings. This RVIA Today Express is part of RVIA’s effort to continue to reach the industry directly with news and information."

RVDA also announced earlier this year they were developing an online search tool to help dealers locate a wide range of RV-related products and services, as if the industry's publications had somehow dropped the ball in delivering that content to dealers and manufacturers in a timely manner.

Dana Nelson, the editor of RV Trade Digest, has no problem with the associations venturing into the news business. Here's what he wrote in his blog a few weeks ago:

When I saw the press release, I couldn’t help but think that this Web site has come none too soon. While as a journalist, I often scour the newswires looking for RV-related news stories, I know most people in the industry don’t have the time to undertake such a project on a regular basis. That makes RVIA’s new web portal kind of handy. Plus it is a great public relations tool to promote the industry we all know and love.

I, on the other hand, have a different take. If there are a half-dozen publications dedicated to getting news to industry members, should the associations be competing with them? Do association staff members really have the time to locate and prepare "news" so they can distribute it to a few hundred members? In fact, it is highly likely the same information has already been posted to at least three other Web sites by the time "the news" reaches their members' mailboxes?

Would it not be more cost effective for the associations, and more timely for the industry, if they would simply send out news releases to any of the half-dozen industry publications with a request that the information be distributed to the industry?

It would certainly free up their time and resources to do more productive tasks, such as advocacy and actually seeking solutions to the real problems that everyone in the industry has been talking about for years.

I'm all for competition, for it keeps us all on our toes. But, I'm also for common sense. Do RV industry executives really want more news alerts clogging their inboxes every day -- or every week?

In the spirit of competition, maybe there is an opportunity for some enterprising publishing company to enter the association business and provide training opportunities and trade shows for the industry at large. Now that's food for thought.

Copyright ©2008 Greg Gerber

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