• by Alan Hart , February 5, 2019

In this week’s episode of “Marketing Today,” I speak with Jason Jedlinski, senior vice president and head of consumer products for Gannett and the USA Today Network.

Prior to joining Gannett and USA Today, Jedlinski spent seven years with the Tribune Company, as well as serving a brief stint in the world of ad tech. In his current role, he is responsible for everything the consumer sees from Gannett and the USA Today brands.

During the course of our discussion, Jedlinski addressed a number of topics, including his take on the monetization of content, the evolution of digital advertising, and what he means when he talks about the “atomization of content.”

Jedlinski points out ways Gannett and USA Today endeavor to reach consumers with content they’re curious about and can use. Not only that, he points out how the interactions consumers have with the content make it that much more vital.

“It’s really thinking about how we can leverage the information we gather, and the expertise we have, and democratize it and make it accessible as broadly as possible,” says Jelinski. “And how we bring the wisdom of the crowd in to augment that, and make it better and help point us to stories that should be told.”

He goes on to add, “Just as we’re breaking up this content into these molecular elements, we also need to find ways to get feedback loops with the people reading, consuming and interacting with that content to further make it relevant.”

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include:

• Jedlinski’s career started in TV news before undergoing a metamorphosis, where a redefined role led him into the world of digital content and consumer products. (1:23)

• “Our go-to-market name for Gannett”: Jedlinski talks about the USA Today Network. (4:38)

• “It’s a winner-take-all dynamic” — Jedlinski explains the “atomization of content.” (6:36)

• Jedlinski reveals his thinking on creating and organizing content. (9:50)

• Leveraging location and building stories in different ways. (12:25)

• Voice as the accelerator of change. (15:39)

• Jedlinski on the monetization of content. (21:12)

• Journalism in his blood: Jedlinski actually started a newspaper when he was in grade school. (28:08)

• Jedlinski is proudest of his mentoring efforts to help people learn and develop. (29:41)