Publishers being strong brands is not enough in a digital age.
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Being a strong publishing brand is not enough in a digital age, argued James Bromley, managing director of the Mail Online at IAB Engage 2009. In a panel session also featuring senior representatives from The New York Times, Independent News and Media and Bauer Media, Bromley stated that “a brand only gets us to the starting point. This isn’t just a battle against our peers, it’s a battle with anyone that takes up the user’s time online.”
The session highlighted the challenges for publishers amongst the plethora of content uploaded every second on the web, as Bill Swanson, managing director (digital) for Independent News and Media echoed: “In digital there are many players, not just newspapers but other content creators too, so it’s important to differentiate ourselves.”
Whilst it was acknowledged that the core values of a news provider should remain the same regardless of the medium, the panel highlighted the land-grab for consumers’ time, with many brands also producing quality content online.
Alistair McEwan, International advertising director of The New York Times spoke of the significance of this turf war: “How we work with brands moving forward is very important, because there are many areas where brands (such as Nike) are becoming publishers in their own right. So we’re not only competing with traditional media, we’re competing with advertisers as well”.
McEwan also argued that currently the relationship between agencies and publishers needs to improve, and that a sense of mutuality needs to develop within the agency community. “At the moment publishers are still very much seen as distributors of content – this needs to change.”
Carl Lyons, digital marketing director at Bauer Media, also addressed a need for change in the way publishers interact with their audiences. Lyons stressed the importance of developing a two-way relationship with consumers: “The challenge is to stay relevant. This means adapting the way you relate to them and being flexible with your product.”
When pressed on the debate over advertising versus subscription models, Alistair McEwan, speaking for the New York Times confirmed: “It’s going to happen. There has to be some value that we extract from the high quality service we provide.”
However, McEwan stated that it may not be as dramatic a move as totally switching business models, adding that “It doesn’t have to be an either/or - it will definitely be a hybrid model.”
