Media Is The Means. Connecting People Is The Result. This is the motto, the driving inspiration of Just Media, and it means a lot more than meets the eye.

It was a Wednesday morning during our weekly all-company meeting, when the power of what we do at Just Media became blatantly apparent.  “Now, don’t just edit the lines in your email signature, I want everyone to have a think about what our new motto means,” Just Media’s CEO, Dick Reed, challenged, in his very British accent.

The motto – so simple, yet profound – instantly connected with me. Media connects people. My job, our job, in this fast-paced, whirlwind industry is to connect people. To provoke thought and promote growth, in all aspects of society, through interpersonal communication.

me∙di∙a
/’mēdēə/
Defined as “the main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the internet), regarded collectively” (Oxford University Press, 2015). However, I feel like this broad definition does not go far enough to illustrate the true essence and impact of media.

Media clearly has many channels; it can have multiple goals and myriad effects, both positive and negative on society. However, its quintessential purpose and impact remains the same: Media allows people to disseminate information, share their messages, convey their ideas and engage with one another in open discussion. Connecting with other people is a cornerstone of life. It engenders change and growth.

The significance of media is colossal and dates back to society’s’ earliest origins. Throughout history, its primary purpose has been to connect people, to allow them to communicate. In America its roots lie in the very foundation of the nation: The Bill of Rights. The First Amendment grants the freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to peacefully assemble (The United States Bill of Rights,1791). It empowers the existence of free media, engendering a society of unrestricted interaction. The invention of Gutenberg’s Printing Press in 1436 allowed one message to multiply and be distributed to a mass audience, connecting people at a more rapid rate and a larger scale than ever before. This new form of media connected so many people that new ideologies developed, sparking the Protestant Reformation and scientific revolutions (New World Encyclopedia, 2015). Going way further back in time to 3000 B.C., the ancient Babylonians connected with one another through media using signs to advertise their stores (Beasley, R., & Danesi, M. 2002). Legend has it, one of the first advertisements in existence was for prostitution. Now talk about that for connecting people! Media is a massive – and ancient, but ever-evolving – force inspiring human interaction.

In the modern world, media has become a much more powerful economic, political and social force. When media once was dominated by more traditional channels, such as print, live events, radio or even television, connection advanced at a slower rate. Now, with the Internet, programmatic platforms, and copious amounts of data, instantaneous interpersonal communication through an arsenal of devices has created a new kind of media universe. Now connecting people involves more precision, more strategy and a deeper, more sophisticated understanding of the 7.2 billion (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015) people on this earth.

Okay, you probably get it. Media is powerful, its old and it connects people. But how does display advertising in a largely dominated B2B environment connect people?  Sure a programmatic DSP can distribute information to someone, but how does it connect people?

Through media we are able to creatively craft and strategically place a message or piece of content, target an intended audience and deliver that information to those people. Media enables our clients to connect with people, whether he or she is a consumer or plays a decision-making role in his or her business. It allows our clients to initiate connections with people and inspire real engagement.

Connecting with people is not just a part of our daily routines or a function of our job. It is what we live, breathe, practice and preach. We proudly carry on the historic and unifying tradition of Media. Media and connecting with others is our passion. It is a powerful force, and here at Just Media we are the momentum behind that force.

Hillary Freeman
Just Media, Inc.

Sources:

Beasley, R., & Danesi, M. (2002). Persuasive Signs: The semiotics of Advertising. Berlin, Germany:  Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?id=xa0XWi1kg60C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

New Wolrd Encyclopedia. (2015, June 2). Printing Press. Retrieved:  http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Printing_press

Oxford University Press. (2015). Oxford Dictionaries. Language Matters. Retrieved from: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/media

The United States Bill of Rights. (1791, December 15). Retrieved from:  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

The United States Census Bureau. (2015). U.S. and World Population Clock. Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/popclock/