Ten Innovative Digital Media

StrategiesPagesuite

12 May 2016London

Carolyn Morgan@carolynrmorgan

IntroductionsCarolyn MorganPublisher, Event Director, Strategy Director, Digital Director

at EMAP SpecialistLaunched Specialist Media Show in 2010Sold to SIIA in 2013; ran London media events for

Information Industry NetworkConsultancy for media businesses on digital strategy

@carolynrmorgan https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynmorgan www.penmaen-media.co.uk carolyn@penmaen-media.co.uk 07887 625229

Changing media behaviour and environment

Different media platforms used through the day

Source: Reuters Institute

Phone first: remote control for life

Lock screen new inbox

Source: activate.com

Under 35s discover news on social

Source: RISJ

Social discovery: new channels

Video explosion: Facebook catching up You Tube

Video sharing on Snapchat

New content formats: audio, video, graphics…

Ad spend shift to digital mobile

Source: Zenith

Ad blocking: a growing issue for publishers

Source: econsultancy/ pagefair

How media is transforming

Then NowContent AudienceProduct ServiceArticles News feed, archiveWords Video, animation, graphics,

imagesDisplay ads Content for lead generationPrint Digital/ mobileSubscriptions Membership

Trends in media and advertising

Mobile dominating web browsingConsumers use multiple devices during the daySocial platforms key for discovering contentVideo growing fastDiverse range of new content formatsAdvertising moving to mobile and videoAd blocking will undermine display adsMedia about audiences not content

Ten Innovative Digital Media

Strategies

1. Know your audience Shift from creating content and

seeking an audience to identifying an audience and discovering what content they want

Economist: target 70m “globally curious” – not all working in banking & finance

Washington Post – new national digital service covers food, science, consumer news as well as politics

AJ Plus – new treatment of news stories for younger audience

2. Think product not content Packaging of a digital

media product as important as editorial content (Washington Post)

Consider user experience as much as the articles

Product team: voice of consumer, balancing needs of news, design, development, business

3. Explore social distribution Economist distribute content

over ten platforms, audience of 20m Analyse data to prioritise

effort Social traffic more loyal than

users from search Washington Post

experimenting with Facebook Instant articles

AJplus – publish on social channels only: 3.5m facebook, 190k twitter, 186k Youtube

4. Engage & personalise AJ Plus wants readers to

get involved in news stories: move up hierarchy: observe follow share contribute

Schibsted encourages readers to login for relevant, tailored content

5. Test aggressively Washington Post created

a new mobile-first national news service

Advocates bold tests Next article tease strip:

22% growth in engagement

Bandito tool allows multi headlines to be tested in real time

6. Reduce display ad dependence

Ascential focus on 100% paid content

Guardian growing membership to 1/3 revenue

The memo bakes in ads to distributed video

Panoply includes customised audio ads in podcasts for niche audiences – and creates sponsored content

7. Tell stories in new ways The memo explains tech

with short videos AJplus tells news stories

in short videos with captions & graphics (audio not essential)

Telegraph has tools for explainers, grids, timelines

The Atlantic builds multi content around major stories

8. Get teams on board Economist tore down

walls between editors and social team

Telegraph overhauled its CMS to reduce time spent on publishing stories and has vast newsroom screen

AJplus – recruited on university tour

Involve ed teams in change process

9. Launch new brands i-news – mobile first

website, native ads, uses 600 local reporters

AJ plus – mobile and social first, powered by Al Jazeera news

Politico Europe – Brussels based version of DC title

The memo – start up

10. Mine the ecosystem Radio Times: database of

10m customers, sold £5m of holidays

Hitched: marketplace for wedding venues – b2b subscription product

Jewellery maker – TV shopping – new skills, extend to other crafts

10 innovative digital media strategies

1. Know your audience2. Think product not

content3. Explore social

distribution4. Engage and personalise5. Test aggressively

6. Reduce display ad dependence

7. Tell stories in new ways8. Get teams on board9. Launch new brands10.Mine the ecosystem

Questions?