Nick  Blunden  |  Global  Digital  Publisher  |  @nickblunden

The  Economist:  The  New  Way

Over  the  last  ten  years  The  Economist  has  enjoyed  a  period  of  unprecedented  

success

Luck  or  more  precisely  being  in  the  right  place  at  the  right  Fme  has  played  

a  significant  part  in  this  success

As  the  world  has  got  flaJer  the  benefits  of  publishing  an  internaFonal  current  affairs  Ftle  in  English  have  

increased

Mass  intelligence  has  emerged  as  a  global  mega-­‐trend  and  as  a  result  

people  are  smartening  up  rather  than  dumbing  down

And  paradoxically  the  rise  of  social  media  has  made  intelligent  analysis  from  trusted  sources  more  not  less  

valuable

And  paradoxically  the  rise  of  social  media  has  made  intelligent  analysis  from  trusted  sources  more  not  less  

valuable

Source:  Pew  Research  Center’s  Project  for  Excellence  in  Journalism  in  collabora<on  with  The  Economist  Group

But  to  maximise  the  benefits  of  our  good  fortune  we  have  had  to  

constantly  adapt  our  business  to  the  changing  needs  of  our  readers

The  Internet  hasn’t  changed  the  fact  that  people  pay  for  what  they  value  

and  value  what  they  pay  for

However,  in  an  increasingly  digital  world  people  value,  and  therefore  

pay  for,  the  consumpFon  experience  not  just  the  content

There  isn’t  just  one  single  homogenous  digital  content  experience  but  a  series  

of  them

There  isn’t  just  one  single  homogenous  digital  content  experience  but  a  series  

of  them

Digital  distribuFon  creates  new  sources  of  value  by  offering  customers  

greater  choice  between  these  experiences

We  are  experiencing  a  shiS  from  single  channel  to  mulFchannel  not  the  death  

of  print

We  are  experiencing  a  shiS  from  single  channel  to  mulFchannel  not  the  death  

of  print

Nevertheless  new  digital  plaTorms  provide  the  opportunity  to  establish  valuable  new  media  consumpFon  

habits  

These  new  media  consumpFon  habits  are  changing  the  symbioFc  relaFonship  between  media  and  markeFng  creaFng  different  adverFsing  opportuniFes

To  harness  these  new  adverFsing  opportuniFes  we  need  to  think  less  like  media  owners  and  more  like  

plaTorm  owners

In  fact  the  biggest  opportuniFes  going  forward  are  likely  to  come  when  we  stop  thinking  like  newspapers  or  

magazines

In  fact  the  biggest  opportuniFes  going  forward  are  likely  to  come  when  we  stop  thinking  like  newspapers  or  

magazines

Nick  Blunden  |  Global  Digital  Publisher  |  @nickblunden

The  Economist:  The  New  Way