Posts Tagged ‘publishers’
How specialist media owners see their future: realistic optimism
Saturday, July 24th, 2010I’m cheered by the optimism shown by specialist media owners who responded to the survey we ran with Fusion Communications for the Specialist Media Show. They are well aware of the dramatic changes coming in their industry, but seem to be pragmatic and forward looking in their responses. 117 senior managers from b2b and consumer specialist media took part, across a range of businesses from one-title independents to mid-sized publishers with 6-10 titles. I’m referring to them as publishers, but most have print, digital and live events in their portfolio. What struck me is the gradual diversification of revenue sources: (more…)
Tags: content, digital editions, events, Fusion Communications, media brand, mobile apps, online subscriptions, paid-for content, publishers, Specialist Media Network, specialist media show
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer
How publishers can profit from digital media
Monday, May 3rd, 2010Digital editions, e-readers, ipads, mobile, video…for print-based publishers are they all a way to get sucked into creating expensive content for a small audience that is reluctant to pay? Or have some pioneering publishers found a clever route through the hype to drive real value? I chaired a meeting earlier this week with a cross-section of specialist media owners and digital media gurus that made me think there were some potentially profitable options available. I was planning the “profiting from digital media” session at the Specialist Media Show conference. Our host was Ben Greenish, MD of the Spectator, and we were joined by Graeme Gourlay, MD of Circle Publishing, Peter Houston of Advanstar, Mark Stubbs of Pixel Mags, Graham Duffill of the Digital Publishing Company, and Fiona Ryder of Stream Exchange. You can hear them all speak at greater length at the Specialist Media Show on 25 May 2010, and even question them youself, but here’s a taste of how they feel small specialist media owners can use digital media to advantage: (more…)
Tags: content, digital editions, ipad magazines, online subscriptions, online video, paid-for content, publishers, specialist media show
Posted in b2b, business strategy, consumer, content, marketing
Innovation from specialist media pioneers
Friday, January 29th, 2010While mass media and newspapers struggle to find new business models, independent and specialist media are quietly innovating and finding new ways to beat the UK recession and expand internationally.
The Media Pioneers awards have just been launched by the organisers of the Specialist Media Show, to recognise and celebrate entrepreneurial thinking among independent and specialist media owners. Here are the stories of the first five award winners: I hope they inspire you. Get the updates on the latest award winners on the Specialist Media Network on Linked-in; they’ll also be published here and on the Specialist Media Show website. At the show the finalists will be judged. (more…)
Tags: Athletics Weekly, cricket world, Media Pioneers, myhobbystore, online subscriptions, publishers, Racing Post, specialist media, specialist media show, the french post
Posted in business strategy, consumer, news
The quiet digital revolution in magazine subscriptions
Thursday, December 10th, 2009For most print-based publishers, subscriptions have felt like a safe haven in the current economic and technology storm. A survey recently commissioned by InPublishing from Wessenden marketing and sponsored by CDS Global confirms that for most consumer publishers, subs are growing both in absolute terms, and relative to newstand sales. Life is tougher for b2b publishers, subs are steady or shrinking, and renewals are a weak point, but newsstand is declining more rapidly. The detail of this survey, covering 132 companies, large and small, and over 900 titles, shows how digital acquisition sources, delivery methods, communication channels and servicing are quietly revolutionising how publishers are growing their subscription base. These are five key trends I have spotted: (more…)
Tags: acquisition, digital editions, paid-for content, publishers, renewals, self-service, subscriptions, surveys
Posted in b2b, consumer, marketing
How publishers can streamline operational costs
Friday, June 12th, 2009With advertising revenues still in decline, and increased investment required in digital, many publishers are having to review their editorial, advertising and marketing costs. The temptation is to simply cut back on pages and editorial content, but this runs the risk of reducing value to readers and advertisers. The situation is further complicated by the need for editorial, advertising and marketing teams to work across print and digital platforms. I believe publishers can learn from manufacturing and service industries, who have been practising lean operations techniques for several years, and using them to prioritise what really matters to customers, identify the wasteful activities and create new more effective processes. Here’s a simple introduction to lean operations thinking for publishers: (more…)
Tags: Add new tag, capacity, customer value, lean operations, map process, operational costs, Penmaen Media, people and culture, publishers, publishing, waste
Posted in implementation, people and culture
Reinventing online content for publishers
Sunday, May 10th, 2009There’s been much debate in the last week on charging for content. Newspapers like the Guardian that were previously adamant that all their content should be free, are now thinking about charging for specific information to targeted groups, eg media guardian. The continued pressure on advertising revenue is forcing newspaper and magazine publishers to make dramatic cuts in editorial. I’ve been thinking about how publishers can reinvent the way they think about creating content, and restructure their editorial investment accordingly. See my earlier post on paid-for content for some extra tips. Here’s some radical ideas on inverting the traditional pyramid of editorial investment, with news as the broad base, and a small amount of added value content at the top: (more…)
Tags: calculators, comment, consumer, content, editorial, Guardian, Media Guardian, news, online tools, opinion, paid-for content, publishers, subscription
Posted in business strategy, consumer, content, opinions
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