Taking brands international: Q&A with Gary Ellis, Chief Digital Officer of Hearst Magazines International

Responsible for content, technology, operations and strategy for the digital side of Hearst Magazines International, we asked CDO Gary Ellis about his approach to digital, mobile and video in the international arena.

Gary Ellis is the Chief Digital Officer of Hearst Magazines International. At the Digital Innovators’ Summit (DIS) in Berlin from 21-24 March 2015, he will be talking about how a media company can increase its reach internationally with the help of digital and mobile. Ahead of the main Summit, taking place on the 23-24 March 2015, Gary has shared some of his thoughts and insights in an interview with us. 

 

The Chief Digital Officer position at Hearst Magazines International (HMI) is a new one. Why was it created and what are your objectives as CDO?

Hearst Magazines International is committed to harnessing and expanding its digital footprint in markets around the world so that our global audiences can access our content any time on any device - my role is to ensure we’re successfully accelerating our portfolio’s digital content and business initiatives everywhere.  A lot of good work has already been done in many areas, and I am here to connect all of our digital activities into a global network and increase our reach with launches of new and existing brands—related to our print businesses or otherwise—in new territories. Our digital audiences have doubled over the past 12 months, and there is still so much untapped potential to realize.  We have a lot of exciting announcements ahead of us.

Having developed mobile and digital platforms for television properties, what lessons did you learn which you are now applying to HMI?

For me, content and brands are what it’s all about. The delivery format—be it video, text, image, print, audio, etc.—is just a part of the equation. Our work is all about connecting content with a fan, with a user. Evolving large, highly credible global brands for digital consumers certainly feels very close to my experience working on television brands, and a lot of the work I’ve done in the past—indeed my international experience—helps guide my work today. One of the aspects of digital media I find most exciting is seeing how good content and product experiences really can work successfully, independent of geography.

Mobile is growing incredibly fast – what approaches do you see working and what are the monetization opportunities?

Like most media companies, we are working on the monetization aspects and will leverage sponsored content opportunities amongst other things. Magazine brands pretty much invented native advertising so we have a great deal of internal insight and expertise to work with. Our brands have global resonance—we are in more than 43 countries—and so we are able to apply learnings around the world. For example, mobile has been the dominant digital platform in Asia for years, and we have very successful e-commerce businesses there around ELLE, and we will look to leverage that expertise elsewhere. For Cosmopolitan, we are very successfully pursuing a high-volume, super-sharable content strategy that is tailor-made for mobile, and we’re seeing explosive audience growth in nearly all markets.  It’s all about meeting our users where they live, and they increasingly live on mobile.

How important is video for magazine publishers and can it be produced and monetized at scale?

At Hearst Magazines International it’s about galvanizing and scaling video activities that we are already engaged in and being smart about the rights. We have robust video offerings in many of our regions and around many of our brands.  We will certainly do some original video and increase our production volume overall, but there is a sensible way to do this that fits with our brands. Our plans don’t require an impulsive rush to spend TV-size budgets on digital video content. 

What do you think magazine media companies need to do in order to stay ahead in the digital and mobile arena?

I think it involves mastering a few fundamental steps: First, know your audience and your brand equity, meet them where they live, be a content leader and lifestyle curator—continue to provide the wonderful lifestyle filters that our brands represent—and finally, evolve. Harper’s BAZAAR has been in existence for nearly 150 years. Clearly it has been evolving for decades, and it is now the number one magazine on Pinterest in the U.S.  Cosmo is the biggest magazine brand in the world, and in many markets we will have a digital-first strategy for the brand. There are so many “digital upstarts” who would kill to have the brand awareness and global footprint that we do. We have the heritage and connection with global audiences that naturally support a leading presence in mobile and digital media.

What innovations do you find exciting and what do you think will be game changing?

The way we communicate, with socially shared news and information at our fingertips at all times, has changed drastically over the past few years, and it’s an exciting time for media companies. We’re always conceptualizing and developing new ways to work with partners and advertisers. I think e-commerce around luxury brands is very exciting, and there are many ways to be a part of that value chain. ELLE and Harper’s BAZAAR have long provided audiences with the inspirational connection between seeing a product or lifestyle and making purchase decisions based on it. Digital provides many ways to enhance and develop this.

Gary will be one of the many speakers at the Digital Innovators’ Summit in Berlin from 23-24 March 2015. Register now to join Gary and us in Berlin.

DIS Full Programme Overview
Here is an overview of the full DIS programme to give you a sense of the 4 days from 21 - 24 March 2015:

Saturday, 21 March 2015
- Start of Media Hack Day Hackathon*

Sunday, 22 March 2015
- Media Hack Day Hackathon presentations*
- Meet the Founder Berlin startup tour*
- Evening Reception for all Summit attendees

Monday, 23 March 2015
- Main Summit, conference programme plus:
- Media Hack Day hackathon and winner presentation
- DSX showcasing media related startups
- DIS Logoff: A fun evening of drinks and networking at a Berlin locale (no-host bar)

Tuesday, 24 March 2015
- Main Summit, conference programme plus workshops
- Meet the Founder Berlin startup tour*

See the Speaker Lineup

* Items not included in Main Summit registration. Meet the Founder requires separate registration.