Press Releases

Day 2 (19 March 2013)

It's a wrap for the Digital Innovators' Summit 2013

Near 500 delegates from 34 countries attended the 6^th Digital Innovators Summit in Berlin, Germany this week (18 and 19 March 2013) where 44 speakers shared lessons, insights and ideas relevant to the magazine media industry today.

Two US media heavy weights kick-started Day 2 of the Summit. Justin B. Smith, President of Atlantic Media, talked about radical change at the 150-year-old Atlantic, as well as the launch of Quartz, a news site operated as a digital only startup, fuelled by social media. Paul Smurl, VP of the NYTimes.com, took the audience through the NY Times’s thinking ahead of the launch of their subscriber paywall, and shared data on what has happened since.

Further Day 2 sessions included subscription platforms, digital advertising (including publisher relevance in the age of owned, earned and paid media, as well as responsive ads design) and the future of technology.

Some of the lessons shared included that paid content can work, that publishers should learn to act as marketing agencies and that the industry have to become even more entrepreneurial, prepared to disrupt their own companies to survive and prosper.

The 2013 edition of the highly rated Innovations in Magazine Media World Report was launched at the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin today. All delegates will each receive a free copy of the report; others can get more information and/or order it from here.

· We will add all the available Summit presentations to the website soon

· Save the dates for the Digital Innovators’ Summit 2014: 24 and 25 March

· For more information on the inaugural Digital Innovators Tour (11-16 May 2014) please contact Ray Min at (detour@emediasf.com)

And last but not least, thank you to everyone who participated to make the Summit a success: delegates, sponsors and exhibitors, speakers, the media and everyone else who contributed in their own special way.

We hope to see you in Berlin in 2014!

Innovations in Magazine Media World Report launches at DIS

The 2013 edition of the highly rated Innovations in Magazine Media World Report was launched at the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin today.

All delegates will each receive a free copy of the report; others can get more information and/or order it from here. The 4^th edition of the annual Innovations report has a normal price tag of £69 for FIPP members and £97 for non-members. The report focuses on new, dynamic and lucrative innovations in all aspects of magazine media from around the world.

Innovations in Magazine Media is co-authored by Innovation International Media Consulting Group and FIPP, the worldwide magazine media association and co-host of the Digital Innovators’ Summit. Co-editor John Wilpers launched the report, making a strong case for the future of magazine media, provided organisations transform to innovate.

Case study examples from the World Report include: 

• Tablet apps – why the best are the best 

• Data – big and little 

• Digital newsstands - how to position your publication in the digital landscape 

• E-commerce 

• E-singles – monetising from bundling old and new content into topical one-time hits 

• Magazines making a buzz 

• New skill sets for the digital-first magazine world 

• Video content and delivery 

• Print can still do stuff digital can’t 

• Making social media work for you: commerce, tips and tricks, best use  of social media by magazines 

FIPP will announce the date (likely to be in April) of a webinar with the Innovations editors on soon.

US media giants explain their digital strategies

Two US media heavy weights kick-started Day 2 of the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin, Germany, sharing lessons, insights and ideas with an audience nearly 500 strong.

Justin B. Smith, President of Atlantic Media, talked about radical change at the 150-year-old Atlantic, as well as the launch of Quartz, a news site operated as a digital only startup, fuelled by social media.

Smith explained how taking a digital first stance means one has to be prepared to “cannibalise yourself,” advising that media companies have to “attack” traditional models to survive.

Paul Smurl, VP of the NYTimes.com, took the audience through the NY Times’s thinking ahead of the launch of their subscriber paywall, and shared data on what has happened since.

In one, much-tweeted chart, Smurl showed how digital-only subscribers grew from 281,000 in Q2 2011 to 640,000 in Q4 2012, averaging quarter-on-quarter growth of between 10 per cent and 20 per cent throughout.

Paywall strategy can strengthen print franchises - Skibinski

Installing a paywall can “help to strengthen your print franchise”, said Matt Skibinski, vice president of Affiliate Relations, Press+, USA today at the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin. “Paywalls increase retention and eliminate fully free content”, he added.

According to Skibinski, most publishers in North America already have a paid model, or are working on one. He suggested that when approaching the idea of implementing paid content, publishers should be very careful, and test a metered model first. “Don’t surprise them with fact they have to pay! Ease them into it, market to them before they’ve used their metered content and introduce the idea of paying for content first.” Skibinski said that 30 per cent of all sales on digital subscriptions sites come from pop-ups explaining that there is a paywall in place.

Skibinski encouraged publishers to experiment with metered content, saying that the limit should be 10 pages/stories or less. “The New York Times have set their meter at 20, but they have thousands of pieces of content on their site. Most publishers have fewer pieces of content, so you have to think about it as a proportion of what is available. But testing is the only way to know for sure.” He said that most publishers set the bar a little higher, and then see how low they can go.

“The average metered content level has dropped”, said Skibinski. “In January 2012, it was average of of 13, now it’s 10. Publishers aren’t seeing a negative impact (as some expect), so are setting meter lower. On average, the meter level is decreasing and the average subscription price is increasing.”- (FIPP.com)

Day 1 (18 March 2013)

Context is king at Digital Innovators' Summit

The opening speeches at the Digital Innovators' Summit today in Berlin, Germany, reinforced the idea that although content is key, the context in which it is placed is more important than anything.

Ben Huh, founder and CEO, Cheezburger, USA, addressed more than 500 people and spoke about his business using “humour as a social media lubricant. It lubricates our social experience and tells the truth without the truth.”

However funny it may be, this is a serious business. Cheezburger is analysing data from its sites to deliver niche targeting to advertisers – and there’s plenty of it. “When you look at the data, you start to see patterns between shares, likes, videos, humour and advertising”, said Huh, “and we are starting to promise this to our advertisers. It’s not about ads, but ads but about having a relationship with your audience and being data driven about that audience. You might not capture people who buy your product, but they may tell others who will. It’s not just a one-to-one relationship, and you will create fans who are willing to market for you on your behalf. We’re talking about communities here, not markets.”

Huh encouraged brands not to treat their audiences like markets, but to create conversations and fans, who will build communities to share messages. “They are more willing than ever before to promote your product or service for free”, said Huh.

The next speech came from Justin Gibbons, creative director and Mark Holden, head of futures at UK-based agency, Arena Media who noted the obvious importance and opportunity of mobile for publishers and advertisers. “Mobile is going to be the primary access point for the internet, and the remote control for our lives. Now that we can more intelligently match content with context, we need to package this and bring it together with our advertising”, said Holden.

Holden pointed out how it is more difficult than ever today to get an audience’s attention, and that publishers and advertisers must work harder to earn it, and the smartest brands will “give fluid access to content and create connected, seamless experiences.”
So how do we achieve this? “Data is not the enemy of creativity”, said Holden. “What is exciting is that we are sitting on behavioural data – a wealth of it. This sort of data uncovers fantastic insights that we can use to drive ideas about content and refine and improve it.”- (FIPP.com)

Advertisers must enhance digital ads, says McPheters CEO

“There are limitless ways in which advertisers can educate consumers”, said Rebecca McPheters, CEO, McPheters and Company, USA, today at the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin.

“But great ads in apps are increasingly scarce”, she continued. “Many advertisers are putting print creative into publication related apps and much of the advertising is not enhanced. Therefore, advertising as a dominant revenue source may be less suited to apps.” McPheters said that there is now a trend towards simpler magazine apps, and more replicas, which according to her, is a shame.

With the average digital magazine in the US being on five different platforms or newsstands, McPheters says its important for publishers to look at what they’re consumers are doing on these different platforms.

McPheters said that Condé Nast found enhanced ads (meaningfully enhanced) generated twice as much readership and a 63 per cent increase in time spent as static ads. “In app ads can prove highly effective in attracting readers’ attention”, she said.

Variables in driving downloads and revenues:

Days in app store
iMonitor ratings
Presence in iOS newsstand
Pricing
Audience size
Circulation
User ratings
Variety of app features - (FIPP.com)

Future publishing director talks about new devices

Nial Ferguson, group publishing director, Technology Division, Future, UK, gave attendees at the Digital Innovators’ Summit today an idea about what to expect for the future of devices.

According to Ferguson, publishers should look to their audiences to first see what technology they are using, and how they are using it. “Consumers are always on, digital first, sharing everything, multi-screen and impatient”, he said. Ferguson spoke about new tablets including the Asus Padfone, Sony Xperia Z and iPad mini, but said that the real excitement now is the data behind the hardware. He gave examples of big brands using XML and APIs to tie apps directly into their consumers’ behaviour. “Only now are publishers realising how important XML can be.”

“Tablets have made us look the wrong way” said Ferguson, “and the most disruptive devices we’ve ever seen are smartphones.” The new challenge for market leadership from Apple will be interesting, he said, with “Android making iOS a little bit tired at the moment.”

“Mobile is changing everything in a number of ways”, said Ferguson, but the main thing is patience. Users want everything now and ready. Any delay results in your publication being mentally blacklisted.” - (FIPP.com)

Data in the spotlight at Digital Innovators' Summit

Datain a variety of forms came into the spotlight in sessions at today’s DigitalInnovators’ Summit in Berlin, Germany.

JeanPaul Schmetz, Chief Scientist, Burda Media (Germany), discussed big data in B2Cpublishing. Highlighting several examples such as LinkedIn and Xing, Netflix,Facebook, Amazon and Google, companies he advised publishers should closelyfollow and understand. Accordingto Schmetz big data should not change “magazine-making” per se. However, publishersshould be aware that big data can throw “serious curve balls”, for examplemaking some magazine formats ineffective in the future.

Oneof the benefits deriving from data is a better understanding of consumers. “Big data will neverwrite a better story,” but it enables offering your audience with more compelling content and more effective advertising.

MichaelDell, Managing Director, IHS Jane’s Information Services (UK), discussed bigdata in B2B publishing. He described how IHS thinks about big data in terms ofdescriptive analytics, prescriptive analytics and predictive analytics. Citingan example from Nike, Dell reminded delegates that “everyone is in theinformation business,” with data being created across all consumers’ points ofengagement with a brand.

DustinOliver, Product Outreach at Chartbeat, presented how Chartbeat transformsreal-time data to enable better editorial decision-making. He described real-timedata as a “frontline” activity: “forpeople who can actually act” on the data. Farfrom it encouraging link baiting to drive traffic, Oliver explained howreal-time data contribute to good qualitative content decisions, which, ifrepeated often enough, will lead not only to higher audience numbers but alsoimproved loyalty towards the brand.

Consumers’ willingness to pay: Publishers have to play an active role

Discussing new media and pricing strategies, Dr. Florian Bauer of Vocatus (Germany) offered delegates at the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin today with five key take-outs as they continue with the development of their e-publishing strategies.

These are:

1. E-publishing is not about content but about developing and shaping new habits, in every respect - price, payment and product. He warned that classical print marketing approaches and a focus on circulation would be counter-productive.

2. Challenges in varying channels differ, and should be considered as such – “e-publishing is in no respect a homogeneous product cluster.”

3. E-publishing has to be developed outside in: publishers must learn to (properly) listen to their readers – perhaps even “for first time!”. Dr. Bauer implored them to use the tools now available to do this.

4. Consumers’ willingness to pay must be developed, and here publishers have to play an active role. Willingness-to-pay “is like a muscle which needs to be trained.”

5. Price/product structure is a huge opportunity that allows bundling and upselling, given the ability today to better understand customer needs.

March 2013

Welcome to Berlin!

BERLIN, Germany (6 March 2013) - The Digital Innovators' Summit organizers, FIPP, VDZ and emediaSF, invite event speakers and special guests to join us at our VIP Reception so we can welcome them to Berlin ahead of the conference.   The reception will be held at the Humboldt Box, a geometric structure located in the heart of Berlin with views of the famous Berlin cathedral and Lustgarten. This is a chance to check out one of the interesting locations in Berlin while meeting the conference organizers, some of the other speakers and special guests in a fun and relaxed environment. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served.

Date: Sunday, 17 March 2013
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Humboldt-Box
Address: Schlossplatz, 10178 Berlin
Dress code: Smart casual

February 2013

Join Peers from 20+ Countries at the Digital Innovators’ Summit

BERLIN, Germany (7 February 2013) - Speakers, delegates and exhibitors from more than 20 countries will attend the Digital Innovators’ Summit from 17-19 March 2013 in Berlin, Germany, making it a truly international event focused on innovation within the magazine media industry and beyond.

Delegates from 23 countries have registered to date, representing Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa and from consumer, B2B and customer magazine media, digital media, national associations, consultants and others. As with previous summits, the audience will include decision-makers across the spectrum, including C-level, director-level, publishers and line managers across editorial, digital, sales, marketing, business development and other functions.

To register for the summit, click here.

The event is expected to draw together 400-500 participants, including more than 30 speakers from cross-platform media brands such as Hearst, IHS Jane’s, Hanley Wood, Hubert Burda Media, Future plc, Sanoma Media, Axel Springer, Martha Stewart Living, Lucky Magazine, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, pureplays such as Tumblr, Foursquare and the Cheezburger network, service providers such as Salesforce, Piano, ePresse, ResponsiveAds, Chartbeat and Press+, and others such as AKQA, WPP, Vocatus, McPheters and Company and Altimeter Group.

The Digital Innovators’ Summit format consists of the speaker programme, along with networking breaks and lunches to provide opportunities for participants to network with international peers and/or engage with solution providers in the commercial exhibition theatre. Following Day 1 we will introduce the inauguralDISFest, an opportunity to further network in a more relaxed and fun atmosphere.

For more on sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, go here.

The programme will for the first time include two tracks to accommodate all topics to be covered, giving delegates an opportunity to choose presentations most relevant to them and their businesses. Topics include media tablet apps, big data, social discovery and media, digital advertising, mobile content, digital newsstands, evolution of a print to content brand, pricing strategies, digital commerce, and more.

For the latest updates, please visit the Digital Innovators’ Summit website (www.innovators-summit.com) and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or join our LinkedIn Group.

January 2013

Digital Innovators’ Summit 2013 Program Details Released

Wide Range of Topics to be Presented by Experts from Well-known Brands

BERLIN, Germany (14 January 2013) - The 6^th Digital Innovators' Summit will be held at the Deutsche Telekom Conference Center in Berlin on 18-19 March 2013. The programme is coming together nicely and we are excited to reveal more details. Here are some exciting sessions to look forward to:

Trends in Media Consumption- Explores how people, especially young people, really consume media now and where the future of media consumption may be headed.

Digital Advertising - Publisher Relevance in the Age of Owned, Earned and Paid Media- The new trifecta of “owned, earned and paid media” can be a scary proposition for publishers.With marketers pouring more and more resources into owned (their own websites, apps etc.) and earned (social) media, how can publishers stay relevant?Add to that RTBs enabling targeted advertising at low rates, how can publishers still be successful with digital advertising?Are they limited to just a slice of shrinking paid media budgets, or is there more they can do to support the goals of marketers? Hear the latest research and recommendations on this topic from one of the foremost thought leaders in digital media, the perspective of a large brand marketer himself and the views of a premier agency.

Paid Content - Successfully Selling Subscriptions to News Online- Subscriptions to digital content can work. Two key players that have successfully implemented paid content models - The New York Times for its own content on digital platforms, Press+ for hundreds of US newspapers - share insights, experiences and best practices.

Best Tablet Apps - Rebecca McPheters of McPheters & Company share what the defining features of successful tablet apps are and what should publishers focus on with their own apps.

Evolution of a Print to a Content Brand - First former print brands added websites, and now they need to be available on all modern platforms, including different forms of smartphones and tablets, and soon enough TV and even more platforms and devices. With content still at the core of our business, how does this content evolve to meet the expectations of the consumer and to remain competitive in a multi-platform world with sheer limitless competition.

Paid Content - Subscriptions to digital content can work. Two key players that have successfully implemented paid content models - The New York Times for its own content on digital platforms, Press+ for hundreds of US newspapers - share insights, experiences and best practices.

Big Data - The collection of data combined with analysis and intelligent systems is revolutionizing business.This session focuses on how publishers can act on the data they collect to extract actual business value.

Social Discovery - Increasingly social media is critical in building reach by allowing users to discover new and relevant content.Social discovery enables people to find new content, brands and products based on their social connections and interests.This session will show how publishers can use social discovery and social media to help achieve their business objectives.

Digital Commerce for Publishers - This session focuses on ways publishers can drive additional revenues with digital commerce (e-commerce, social commerce, mobile commerce) with their content and brands as well as leverage social networks and media to increase the potential customer pool.

Paid Subscription Platforms - Leaders of successful paid subscription platforms share their approaches, efforts, best practices and results.

Content on Tablets and Mobile Devices - Renowned publishers share their approaches and experiences with content deployment on tablets and mobile devices including efficient and cost effective ways to approach the wide variety of devices on the market now and in the future.

And More!

Early Bird Registration Discount is available until 31 January 2013. To register, click here.

For the latest on the program, please visit the Digital Innovators’ Summit website (www.innovators-summit.com) and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or join our LinkedIn Group.

We look forward to seeing you in the vibrant city of Berlin!

December 2012

Digital Innovators’ Summit shaping up to be a truly international event: Be part of it

BERLIN, Germany (5 December 2012) - Top international speakers from companies such as The New York Times, Hubert Burda Media, Hanley Wood, Future plc, WPP, Foursquare, AKQA, Piano Media, Altimeter Group, Press+ and Salesforce.com will share insights and case studies at the 6^thDigital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin from 18-19 March 2013. For the list of speakers, visit www.innovators-summit.com.

More than 100 participants have already registered for the Digital Innovators’ Summit including executives and managers from Abril, Aller, Axel Springer, Bertelsmann, Condé Nast International, Edipresse, Egmont, Hearst, Sanoma and others from around the world. We are expecting over 500 magazine media decision-makers and other digital stakeholders to attend the event, underlining the continued importance of digital innovation in the collective magazine media mindset. This will be an opportunity for participants to learn from each others’ innovation experiences, network and share ideas to stimulate future thinking.

The discounted Early Bird registration offer is available now. To take advantage of the limited time offer, click here.

The event will include topics such as cross-platform media consumption, paid content, digital advertising, e-commerce, digital content creation, social media and content discovery. Needless to say, tablets and mobile will be high on the agenda throughout.

The 2013 summit will also feature an expo, providing the opportunity for delegates to engage with solution providers, learn about new products and services, as well as innovations in the pipeline.

Last but not least, we are also finalising social activities around the event, which are designed to enable participants to better get to know one another in a more informal setting, further network, lay the foundation for doing business and to have some fun.

Some sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are still available. If you are interested, click here.

We hope to see you there!

Visit the Digital Innovators’ Summit website (innovators-summit.com) and follow us on Twitter (@DISummit) or Facebook (facebook.com/DigitalInnovatorsSummit for regular updates on these and other developments.

November 2012

Save 30% with pre-agenda rates for DIS 2013

BERLIN, Germany (14 November 2012) - We are nearing the finalization of the 2013 programme which will cover a range of topics such as digital content strategies, big data, paid content, digital advertising, digital publishing trends, mobile and tablet, discovery and social media, social and e-commerce, media consumption trends, innovative approaches to content production and new technologies.

Don’t miss your opportunity to secure a seat at the 6th Digital Innovators’ Summit (Berlin, 18 to 19 March 2013) at a discount of between €600 to €700 off standard registration rates by registering before 30 November 2012, the last day of our pre-agenda offer.

Register now at Pre-agenda rates!

This vibrant event is tailor made for senior executives and key decision-makers from magazine and digital media groups around the world. People who should attend include C-level executives, managing directors, founders, publishers, editors, digital/interactive, business development, marketing, advertising, sales and media consultants.

You will have an opportunity to hear from and meet speakers from across the world such as:

• JP Rangaswami, Chief Scientist, Salesforce.com (UK)
• Paul Smurl, Vice President, NYTimes.com Paid Products, New York Times (USA)
• Frank Anton, Vice Chairman, Hanley Wood LLC (USA)
• Mark Read, Strategy Director WPP and CEO, WPP Digital (UK)
• Jean-Paul Schmetz, Chief Scientist, Burda Media (Germany)
• Rebecca Lieb, Analyst, Digital Advertising & Media, Altimeter Group (USA)
• Steven Brill, Co-founder, Press+ (USA)
• Omid Ashtari, Director of Business Development, Foursquare (UK)
• Tomáš Bella, Co-founder and CEO, Piano (Slovak Republic)
• Ben Huh, CEO, Cheezburger Network (USA)
• Philippe Jannet, Managing Director, ePresse Premium (France)
• Benjamin Edelman, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School (USA)
• Michael Dell, Managing Director, IHS Jane's (UK)
• Justin Gibbons, Creative Director, and Rohan Tanbyrajah, Digital Innovation Director, Arena Media (UK)
• Andy Hood, Executive Creative Development Director, AKQA (UK)
• Florian Bauer, Member of the Board and Founder, Vocatus (Germany)
• Juan Señor and John Wilpers, Innovation Media Consulting Group (UK & USA)

In addition, we will launch the 2013 edition of the acclaimed Innovations in Magazine Media World Report at the event. All delegates will receive a free copy of the report. The survey highlights a series of case studies and interviews showing new, dynamic and lucrative innovations in all aspects of magazine media.

For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or join our LinkedIn Group.

The Digital Innovators’ Summit is organized by FIPP, the worldwide magazine media association, VDZ, the Association of German Magazine Publishers and emediaSF, a San Francisco based digital media consultancy.

We look forward to having you join us in March 2013!

October 2012

Register for the 6th Digital Innovators’ Summit

BERLIN, Germany (24 October 2012) - Pre-agenda registration for the 6th Digital Innovators’ Summit (DIS) is now open.

The summit will take place on 18-19 March 2013 (with opening drinks on the 17th) in the dynamic city of Berlin, Germany. The 2-day event promises to be the most exciting yet, with a revamped format to cover the wide range of innovation taking place in the digital media space.

For those in the magazine media industry and beyond, this is a must-attend international event bringing together top digital media and technology innovators to share and stimulate ideas. The revamped 2013 format means even more relevant topics, top speakers and in-depth sessions, while providing plenty of opportunity to network with people in the international magazine media industry and beyond.

The summit is organized by FIPP, VDZ and emediaSF.

While we are putting the final touches on the 2013 programme, prospective participants get to register at a pre-agenda discount of over 30% off the regular rate. This special pre-agenda offer lasts until 30 November 2012.

Here is a preview of just some of the speakers and topics that await executives at the DIS in 2013:

Paul Smurl, Vice President, NYTimes.com Paid Products, New York Times, shares how the New York Times makes paid content work

Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network, explores media consumption by young people, internet culture and more

Benjamin Edelman, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School, weighs in on Google

Omid Ashtari, Director of Business Development, Foursquare, shows how publishers can turn their content into local offerings

Tomáš Bella, Co-founder and CEO, Piano, talks about efforts needed to establish a successful subscription platform

Other topics the conference will cover include

• Big Data
• Discovery and Social Media
• Digital Advertising
• Social and E-commerce
• New media trends and technologies
• and much more

This international digital media conference brings together leaders from publishing houses and digital media companies, technology innovators, thought leaders and solution providers to understand emerging trends, share innovative ideas and solutions, see new relevant technologies, and network.

Go to www.innovators-summit.com to see a list of last year’s speakers, programme, sponsors and more. The site will be updated with more 2013 information as we finalise speakers and the programme. For the latest updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Register today for the Digital Innovators’ Summit 2013. Sponsorship opportunities are available – please contact Stuart Hands at FIPP (stuart@fipp.com) or Christine Bauer at Zanetti Altstoetter und Team (bauer@z-a-t.com) for more information.