Smell the smugness. This place is a goner. That was my take on Reader's Digest Inc. way back in the late 1980s when I did copywriting for its global business. A nobody, they served me lunch in the executive dining room. The waiters wore white gloves. And one middle manager had a martini. I stuck to the Diet Coke and gawked.
My instincts were on the money. The corporation is not only in Chapter 11. It is laying off again. More cuts are expected. Scary: The company is considering, reports Hamilton Nolan at Gawker, farming out its whole web department. So much for getting an associate degree in web development.
Smug was never smart. The problem now in this volatile economy is that companies can't seem to figure out how to break out of that mindset. Perhaps I and my colleagues should develop an executive coaching service Hungry 101 and Advanced Hungry.
Gawker had it backwards -- the readersdigest.com site is taking on more staff net, from corporate digital, as part of a move to strengthen the branded sites in the business divisions. Our food site Allrecipes.com is being expanded all around the world, recently launching in seven new countries. In the process Corporate digital was downsized but still has 20 people and is an important part of the corporation. William Adler for RDA
Posted by: William Adler | September 30, 2009 at 10:27 PM