When it comes to digital transformation in the media, Swiss company Ringier has often led the way. Its savvy approach has seen it maintain a successful print business while at the same time constantly innovating in digital media.
One of the architects of the company’s current strategy is Marcus Dauck, its Head Publishing Technologies & Services. He is an authority on the way that media companies can harness technology to enhance the quality of the content they produce and find new routes to monetisation.
At DIS 2020 Marcus will be presenting with Alexander Babing, Director New Business of Unitb, the company who built the web CMS and delivery platform for Ringier’s Swiss German-language daily newspaper Blick. Together they will discuss how Blick delivers stories at an unrivalled pace.
***Marcus and Alexander are two of many influential speakers who will be presenting at DIS 2020, taking place on 24 to 25 March 2020 in Berlin. Sign up here***
What was your journey to Blick and Ringier?
I have been involved in media and technology for more than 25 years, so my life has consistently changed. From print to digital and beyond, the main focus has always been innovation and delivery of efficient technology and processes.
And what does your day job look like now?
I am responsible for publishing technologies as well as service units for the backbone of our publishing business. So the customer is in the centre of all considerations, that is mainly the end consumer but also our company's internal customers.
How do you think the role of head of technology is evolving in newspaper companies?
The head of technology always has to keep in mind the two main market movements. First the print market losses which need to be addressed by aggressive use of automation and efficiency technology. On the other hand new product ideas which rely on a known brand. So in both cases agility and courage to try things is paramount.
Which other media organisations do you think are harnessing technology in innovative and effective ways?
With Axel Springer we not only share a common understanding of how to invest into new ideas and technology, but also how to do successful business together. Also several Nordic publishers are very innovative. Even smaller companies with a specific focus are very interesting. There are so many interesting ideas in the market.
Your talk at DIS is called How Blick delivers stories at an unrivalled pace? What Are the technologies that enable you to deliver stories so quickly?
It's not only about technology it's about the work of many departments and the interaction between them. There is a seamless interaction between journalists, newsroom, IT and external tech partners like unitb. On the technology side we have created a content hub where all the stories are created, stored and re-used in the backend and a delivery platform which is decoupled to a big extent and running purely in the cloud.
How do you create and maintain a work environment where the culture is based on continual innovation?
You have to live it. Every day we strive to create something new and change technology or processes to get better. It always starts at the top. So we all challenge ourselves in a creative way to bring ideas to life.
What do you think will be the key technology that shapes the newsroom in the coming decade?
The journalistic work will be supported more and more through useful AI and cloud technologies. To implement new product ideas will take a fraction of the time it takes today. Video, Streaming, as well as digital products need to have one common technology base. The time of monolithic system environments is definitely over. Let’s not forget though that there will still be print around.
***Marcus and Alexander are two of many influential speakers who will be presenting at DIS 2020, taking place on 24 to 25 March 2020 in Berlin. Sign up here***