Category results for "Innovation"

Meredith Unveils Brand-Immersive Website

February 3, 2015 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

Boasting household-name magazine brands that reach an audience of 100 million American women, 17 owned or operated television stations, and a reach of 70 million monthly unique visitors through its food, family, home, lifestyle and multicultural digital channels, Meredith Corporation has a lot to offer. And now, with a completely redesigned and responsive website, Meredith is better able to convey the breadth of its offerings to potential business partners, advertisers and employees according to Nancy Weber, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer.

While some consumers come to the Meredith Corporate website to get subscription information, in general readers visit individual brand sites directly. That said, the Meredith Corporate website serves a fairly broad B2B audience on its own given the company’s growing media and marketing portfolio, including recently added print, broadcast and digital properties, as well as its expanded digital advertising capabilities.

Thus, Weber said that the first step, when kicking off this project just over a year ago, was to put together an “internal task force of stakeholders,” which included the IT department, human resources, corporate and consumer public relations, communications, and finance, as well as a design team made up of corporate and digital creative, guided by Domani Studios. The team also included representatives from each of Meredith’s business divisions, including its local television stations, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing (MXM) and all of its magazines.

Weber noted that essentials for this redesign included a responsive site that would be optimized for delivery across device and screen size and ease-of-use for the many stakeholders and site contributors within Meredith, adding “We wanted a site that could quickly provide updated information about the company in near real time.” Improving the social component of the site was important as well. To this end, most pages include standard social sharing links and many include a live feed of news and selected social content along the right rail with bold images, quick share functionality, and links out to specific brand’s social feeds.

“Our company has been growing very quickly over the last couple of years—including last week’s announcement of our Shape acquisition—we needed to move to a platform that was really flexible. Obviously, you have to be forward thinking and make sure you are building something not just for today, but for what the company will be doing next year or the year after.”

Given this growth trajectory, Weber is enthusiastic about how the site will better attract potential advertisers and employees. Beyond presenting a clearer (and more attractive) picture of Meredith Corporation, the new site provides greater insights into who is using the site. “One of the things we’re most excited about is that we’ll have a lot more detailed information on who is coming to the site,” risaid Weber. “Our audience is made up of people looking to do business with us, invest with us, and people who want to work here. This new site will be easier to use and more reflective of what a terrific company this is.”

Innovation | Perspectives | Revenue

The Big Four: Challenges We Must Face as an Industry

January 29, 2015 Jason Kint, CEO – DCN

I could not be more thrilled at the enthusiasm for great content across the media industry— whether in the advertising, press, investment or journalism communities. That enthusiasm was never more apparent than at the 13th Annual Digital Content Next Summit last week, which gathered senior executives from across our membership to explore opportunities and innovation. We also came together to tackle challenges. And, in my opening remarks for the Summit, I captured four common themes that challenge content companies as they strive to reach their full potential in the digital transformation:

1. Pressures on display advertising.
The flat to declining ad prices, which have resulted from abundant supply, have triggered a downward spiral that can only be slowed by the quality dimension. The transition to viewability will help, but the viewability conversation is mired in a malaise of too many inconsistent ad solutions and buyers taking advantage of the transition.

Fraud in the digital display chain is also massive problem: It tops the list of marketer concerns. And let’s not forget about the shift to mobile, which continues to accelerate. This shift is a good thing because it provides opportunities for personalized, useful content experiences. But we need to keep in mind that ad pricing on mobile is 30% of that on tablets and desktop.

The result, which I wrote about in The Trust Principle, is a marketplace that is mostly bought and sold on direct response without value for environments and brands. Google, Facebook and countless intermediaries have swallowed up the roughly 65% growth in digital advertising that has taken place in the past three years, while content companies’ revenues have remained flat overall.

2. The Attention Economy.
It’s in full swing. We now have the opportunity to consume media 24/7 on countless devices, unleashing significant opportunities for content companies.

Here’s the rub: Anyone can be a media company. Individuals now compete with century-old institutions. Non-profits go head to head with for-profits. The competition is fierce whether the company is pre-revenue, or raking in billions.

I would argue the goal of capturing a consumer with 30 minutes of entertainment once a week is dead. Capturing 30 minutes each more morning with a newspaper is dead. Now we’re all trying to get a consumer to come by for a few minutes each day. We must provide a service to them—whether it is entertaining or informing and make sure to use their time well.

3. Business model innovation.
The days of brainstorming non-advertising revenues as an opportunity are gone. It’s now a requirement to innovate your business model. Companies can’t simply compete by attracting mass audiences and serving ads against them. Being a great media brand is not enough. Today, organizations of any size or longevity need to think like start-ups and continuously experiment and innovate.

Yes, brands must own the relationship with individuals and monetize that relationship through advertising, but also in countless other ways to bring value back to their business—by delivering value to their user.

4. Protect our art.
Data is all the rage, but it is art that defines us. Whether it be the journalism and free speech we fight so hard to protect, or copyright and content piracy, this so-called “content” is precious stuff. It is why consumers rely on us, and trust us and it is how we get to know them in the process. So yes, protecting our first party data (which comes out of customer relationships, as well as those with marketers) is also essential. But we build our businesses on this art and we need to protect it to make sure we can continue to fund and pay for it in the future.

Big challenges: Hell yes. But we are facing them as an industry, together.

Hit me up on Twitter (@jason_kint) if you want to dive deeper into any of these challenges or if there are others that you think we need to focus on.

Brendan Spain, Financial Times, Digital Content Next Summit

Innovation | Perspectives

Getting Attention in Miami: Tweet-Wisdom from DCN Summit 2015

January 26, 2015 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

It’s no surprise that photos of sunshine, swaying palm trees and shots of the shoes-optional networking on the beach were highlights of the tweet stream from this year’s Digital Content Next (DCN) Summit, held January 21-23 at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami.

However, in addition to lovely weather and networking, this year’s members-only DCN Summit generated non-stop discussion of the event theme: The Attention Economy. From the kick off by OKCupid Founder (and author of Dataclysm) Christian Rudder, who looked at the relationship between data and dating, to the closing session in which EVP Rick Allessandri showed how deeply Univision understands and connects to its customers —speakers, DCN Members and special guests alike, remained engaged and attentive, despite the lure of the sandy beaches.

In case you missed this year’s Summit, here are three key takeaways:

1. Relationships Matter. When seeking to attract and engage audiences, understanding them and catering to their interests and needs is a top priority.

Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, set the tone for the importance of trust in the age of data, pointing out that, given the ever-increasing competition for user attention online, trusted sources will move to the front of the line. That trust requires building a personal relationship with audiences; data allows us to do so, when ethically collected and skillfully applied.

Ray Wang, author of the forthcoming Harvard Business Review Press book Disrupting Digital Business urged attendees to strive for “mass, personalized scale for segments of one.”

Editor-in-chief John Avlon demonstrated his understanding of The Daily Beast’s millennial-dominated audience: “Don’t bottom feed to attract millennials… offer a high-low mix that doesn’t taste like medicine.”

Vice President of eCommerce Rhonda Crawford spoke about Delta’s content strategy, which strives to optimize content for different “stress-levels” of the traveling experience (from planning to boarding passes). “When balancing content and functionality, ask yourself if are you enriching the experience or getting in the way?”

Rick Allessandri discussed Univision’s customer-centric philosophy, which has led to a successful series of brand extensions all arising from its close audience relationship and a desire to maintain their trust by serving their needs.

2. The Need for Speed. Throughout the event, speakers emphasized the need for continuous experimentation and innovation without fearing the fast-failure.

Julie Fleischer, Director of Media and Consumer Engagement at Kraft, may have summed it up best when she said, “The pace of change will never be slower than it is today.” She discussed Kraft’s agile approach to marketing, which emphasizes creativity and fresh thinking over tried-and-true.

Kendall Aliment Ostrow, Digital Agent at UTA, offered a Hollywood’s-eye view of the transformation that’s taking place in the entertainment industry and, in particular, the pace at which younger consumers adopt and drop social media and technology tools. Keeping up, according to Ostrow, is essential in order to identify the best channels and formats to reach audience younger audience and also to identify talent, suggesting “…find a 14-year-old to follow—one that won’t make you feel creepy for doing so.”

Noble Ackerson, co-founder and CEO, LynxFit, shared that
while wearables ”launched” in 1780 with the first pedometer, the pace of development has ramped up exponentially of late. Rather than chasing the next thing, Noble encourages companies to focus on creating useful wearable content experiences.

DCN CEO Jason Kint echoed the “need for speed” mantra when he spoke about DCN’s focus on the business issues of today and the future for digital content companies noting the change in its board structure voted in at the event which will better reflect this evolution and surface creative ideas from the breadth of its members.

3. Quality, not Quantity. Another recurring theme of the Summit was that, in an Attention Economy, it is important to make the most of customers’ valuable time through excellent content experiences.

Edward Felsenthal, Managing Editor of Time.com pointed out that the tension between content we want to consume and the limited time we have to consume it is not new: He kicked off his talk with a Henry Luce quote from the 1923 prospectus for TIME: “No publication has adapted itself to the time which busy men are able to spend on simply keeping informed.” And while his publication continues to attract and engage audiences almost a hundred years later, TIME’s continued focus is on high-quality journalism that respects the value of its reader’s time.

Brendan Spain, US Commercial Director of the Financial Times and Tony Haile, CEO of Chartbeat, offered a candid look at what it’s like to transact ad-sales based on time. As Haile pointed out all ad views are not created equal: “impressions are not a commodity. There is a difference between one that gets a lot of attention and one that doesn’t.” Spain spoke about the FT editorial team’s focus on writing deeply-engaging content to support the time-spent monetization model. Their paying subscribers spend 10 or sometimes 100 times more minutes with content and that, in their beta tests, “the shift to attention over impressions yields more engagement and more value.”

Frank Igrec, Brand Director of Dick’s Sporting Goods pointed out that engaging content can be branded, yet as interesting to the viewer as editorial. He played some of Dick’s Hell Week series to hammer home the point that native advertising can add value to a publisher’s site when well-executed.

Ray Wang, author of the forthcoming Harvard Business Review Press book Disrupting Digital Business, summed it up when he said that “We’re moving from selling products and services to selling brand experiences….You are competing for time and attention; focus on delivering experiences and outcomes to succeed.”

Innovation

The Strategy Behind Harvard Business Review’s Last Redesign

January 19, 2015 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

Harvard Business Review (HBR) may never overhaul its website again. Late last year, HBR debuted its first major site redesign in five years and, according to Eric Hellweg, Managing Director, Digital Strategy, this may be its last. No, this doesn’t mean that Hellweg believes that the site won’t have to evolve to keep pace with consumer demand and digital developments. Quite the contrary. HBR.org’s latest redesign fully embraces an agile methodology that will allow it to continuously iterate the site. “We need to stay close to our customers and make changes quickly,” said Hellweg.

Becoming an increasingly agile digital organization is a significant undertaking in terms of mindset and Hellweg said that HBR made organizational changes and used incentives to ensure that all employees worked cross-platform effectively. It also required “groundbreaking work by our tech team to make the site open, modular and flexible because, for us—like a lot of publishers—the future is ambiguous and we need to be able to quickly adapt.”

The site redesign took about a year and a half to complete because of the significant technological undertaking, but also because HBR employed extensive customer reviews to ensure that the focus stayed squarely on their needs. “We did user testing every week and all of the new features reflect customer requests and feedback.” One particularly significant piece of feedback HBR got out of user testing was that its registration page “completely missed the mark.” It took a bit longer to get it right—and involved sharing some of the user videos in which they found registering to be difficult with the development. But Hellweg says they “nailed it” and the process of regular user testing was so effective, that it has become a standard part of his ongoing development strategy.

Given that it is a subscription-based product with a rich reputation, Hellweg says “the bar was set very, very high. We are a premium brand making a premium product.” For years, subscribers to the magazine had received the standard fare: the print publication, an app and access to the archive. Hellweg called this “table stakes” and said the brand wanted to rethink the entire experience to make it more digitally centric and better reflect the workflow of its users today. “We know there are still people ripping out magazine pages and filing them or sharing them around the office. We wanted to create functionality that enabled them to do this better.” To that end, the site now features “My Library,” an area where registered users and subscribers can save articles and graphics, create reading lists and share those lists with others. Users can also track their activity over the past six months, enabling them to resurface things they may have read in the past that could be useful now; an additional personalization feature includes the ability to follow nearly 200 topics, which will be featured as a feed in their library. They now also offer a one-click payment option in the ecommerce platform for HBR Press books, toolkits and other products.

The new site has also been visually streamlined and simplified, with an increased focus on graphics. In part, this reflects its growing mobile user-base (one third of its 4 million monthly users come from non-desktop devices and that number is climbing fast.) However Hellweg emphasized that they did a lot of user tests to be sure that they “aren’t sacrificing the desktop view and going overboard on mobile-first.” He also said that they are developing mobile-centric, and mobile-specific enhancements to their digital offerings.

Users can expect a steady stream of enhancements from now on, according to Hellweg. In the next three to six months, he says that the focus will be on enhancing the findability and usefulness of HBR’s largely evergreen archival content. “A central part of our value proposition is the caliber of our editors and what they deem important and relevant,” so the plan is to employ more curation and surface archival articles to continue to build out the highly personalized experience and make it easier for people to find relevant content.

Though Hellweg said he likes the idea of this being HBR’s last major redesign, he does acknowledge the possibility of major technological changes requiring another one at some point. He also points out that the premise of the agile methodology is to “always be improving,” which requires staying close to their readers — an approach that Hellweg finds “humbling and exciting. It is fascinating to really see, hear and watch firsthand how people engage with your content.”

Innovation | Video

WebMD’s New Series “The Future of Health” Hints at the Future of its Video Content Plans

January 9, 2015 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

WebMD has signaled an increased emphasis on video with the announcement of its new video series “The Future of Health.” While WebMD is no stranger to video content, it has teamed up with Robin Roberts’ Rock’n Robin Productions to develop new original video programming featuring five prominent health and medical advancements illustrated by global experts who will bring the information to life.

Hosted by Roberts, “The Future of Health” will highlight medical advancements as well as powerful human-interest stories. WebMD editors and Rock’n Robin Productions’ team of network, cable, digital, and commercial producers plan to begin production later this month, with the series slated for Q1 release. President Steven Zatz, M.D. says “We are really thrilled to be working with Robin Roberts on this series on such exciting topics. She is an inspiring and compassionate storyteller who can make the future of health accessible today.”

Zatz noted that there is a very broad appeal for the subject and not just for those whose health might be directly impacted, but for others who have a friend or family member that these medical advances might help in some way as well as those interested in general advances in medicine and technology. “There is such an interest from the public in what’s going on in healthcare. Also, some of the most interesting science and applications of technology are in healthcare. Whether it is ourselves or loved ones, these topics touch everyone.”

Some of the topics, however, can be complex and confusing. Given its reputation as a trusted source for reliable medical content, Zatz believes that WebMD is uniquely positioned to identify emerging medical advances, to reach a large audience and to make a positive impact. And while the series will contain a range of multimedia content, they are emphasizing video because it is an optimal format to communicate complex subject matter. “I’m a physician,” said Zatz, “and I find the video helpful myself.”

While WebMD already produces a significant quantity of video content, the collaboration with Roberts heralds a “serious investment in high-quality video” an effort to keep pace with the general trend to satisfy increasing consumer demand, particularly as it is readily consumable on mobile devices. “All Digital Content Next members are seeing the rapid growth of access to our content through mobile. We are all thinking hard about how you put together content that plays well on mobile or desktop,” Zatz said.

However “The Future of Health” series, which is slated for launch early this year with a series of five videos is more than simply another addition to WebMD’s online video lineup. “Stay tuned,” says Zatz. “We are exploring video and its uses. We think we have both perspective and audience that will respond to video programming but the web isn’t the only outlet. We are always interested in reaching new people and reaching our existing audience in new settings.”

Innovation

Mastering Data to Optimize Content and Capture Attention

January 6, 2015 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

Last year around this time, more than one pundit predicted that 2014 would be “the year of data;” unfortunately, the sobering light of early 2015 has delivered a fair number of articles calling 2014 the year of data breaches. It appears that consumers, media industry players are developing a bit of a love-hate relationship with data given the necessity (and challenge) of addressing privacy concerns, the seemingly limitless potential for hacks, grim statistics around ad viewability, and ongoing discussions about which metrics really matter to marketers.

On the the positive side – particularly for marketers, is that data is providing opportunities to create compelling new marketing offerings and personalized content experiences. While just-right, just-on-time content is hardly controversial—particularly in the context of trusted content providers who are transparent about what data is collected and why—there remains some concern that data-driven content creates a “filter bubble,” in which content is so tailored to your stated interests that you rarely see anything else, even if it is about important issues.

For consumers, data-driven content creates a mixed reaction: frustration when sites don’t tailor content offerings to their needs and even more when they are served ill-fitting pseudo recommendation links or followed around the web with content-targeted advertising. So despite the challenges in collecting, protecting and leveraging data, the focus our industry shines on it is merited. Given the insights and opportunities data provides, it is also well-worth the effort to understand its power and potential.

This year’s Digital Content Next Summit, the member’s only annual meeting of DCN’s senior executives from more than 60 digital media brands, is themed “The Attention Economy” and will focus on the myriad ways our attention is pulled, stretched, interrupted and engaged. While advertising and marketing have captured the lion’s share of attention, there are many other ways that organizations online are putting data to work, not only to measure attention but also to attract and engage in the first place

Christian Rudder, the co-founder of OKCupid and author of Dataclysm, will kick off the event with an unprecedented look at what data can reveal about people and ways in which should or shouldn’tuse this information to shape online experiences. Rudder has had his share of success with data: OKCupid is not only highly trafficked with impressive time spent statistics, but also a highly-rated dating site. He has also had his failures, some of which drove his most revealing explorations of data. Ultimately, though, this Harvard-trained mathematician has developed a committed relationship with data and will share his “intimate” knowledge of the subject.

Certainly, getting to know users is one of the most appealing applications of online data. But most of us aren’t in the matchmaking business so we put that information to work in other ways. DCN Member, Business Insider, uses data to grow attention through mobile, social and other channels. At the Digital Content Next Summit, President and COO Julie Hansen will discuss how they’ve created a site that leverages algorithms and editors to produce recommendations that actually satisfy visitors. Business Insider also provides its entire team—business and editorial—with real-time dashboards to optimize content creation, delivery across channels and increase value for readers and marketers alike.

The CEO of Dynamic Yield (a DCN Supporter Member), Liad Agmon will share insights in his Summit presentation on ways in which organizations can harness data to increase user engagement. In particular he has found that, given decreasing user attention spans and the real-estate limitations imposed by mobile browsing, the need to show visitors exactly what they are looking for has become critical. Agmon’s point underscores the theme of the DCN Summit for 2015 and the rest of the 2-day agenda: Today’s consumers have a voracious appetite for content, but a finite amount of time in which to consume it. Data is a powerful tool—and an essential one to master—as we seek to make meaningful connections in this attention economy.

Innovation | Revenue

Purch Acquires AnandTech in Continued Push to Connect Content and Commerce

December 22, 2014 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

With its acquisition of AnandTech, Purch continues to put its money where its mission is. Since it rebranded from TechMedia to Purch last April, the company has steadily continued to build up the ways in which it can “ease complex buying decisions for shoppers.” Fitting neatly into the buying funnel, AnandTech further enhances the reviews component of the ever-growing Purch stable of sites, joining its Top 10 Reviews, the Tom’s brand of tech media sites (purchased last year) and BuyerZone (purchased in June).

Anandtech.com is known for its computing and IT analysis and reviews, with an emphasis on mobile, which the company feels will round out Tom’s Hardware coverage. “AnandTech will be complementary, more than competitive, to Tom’s” says Purch COO, Doug Llewellyn. “The world is going more mobile. These guys got there early and do it better than anyone else.”

However he emphasizes the importance of what the two brands have in common: loyal, engaged audiences of tech enthusiasts. “With acquisitions, we always look at the user community and the people driving that community,” according to Llewellyn, pointing out that Purch focuses on the connection of content, community and commerce. He also says that the feeling across Purch is one of admiration and respect for AnandTech’s rigorous reviews process as well as its writers and editorial team, who will be staying on as part of the acquisition.

AnandTech Editor-in-Chief Ryan Smith–who took the role after the site’s founder Anand Lal Shimpi’s retired from journalism to join Apple in August–wrote a lengthy post about the search for a buyer. In it, he says Shimpi spent almost a year meeting with potential buyers to find one that had a sustainable business model (particularly given that AnandTech has been profitable since inception) and could improve the site’s reach. They also sought a buyer that had values that aligned with theirs. Smith found the process hearting, noting recent investments from traditional and new media, as well as VCs in the business of creating high quality content.

Smith writes that, “In meeting with the Purch business and editorial teams, there was a clear interest in further developing AnandTech’s strengths as well as feeding back AnandTech’s learnings into the rest of the Purch family.” Llewellyn echoes this, pointing out that through the Tom’s acquisition, “we learned a ton from how they do things and you can see the effect across our entire portfolio.” He feels confident that Purch “can bring enormous expertise on how to scale a brand, given that Tom’s was a third, or maybe only a quarter the size it is today when we acquired them last year.”

And scale, as well as advertising sales and marketing acumen are things that Smith clearly looks forward to increasing under Purch: “While we had no issues competing with larger corporate owned sites on the content front, when it came to advertising we were at a disadvantage…larger corporate owned sites could show up with a network of traffic, substantially larger than what AnandTech could deliver, and land more lucrative advertising deals than we were able to.”

Given that Purch boasts the number one position in ComScore’s Tech-News category, a global readership of more than 100 million monthly unique visitors, and the ability to drive more than a billion dollars in commerce transactions every year, increasing scale for the AnandTech brand should not be a problem. “We are really attuned to how marketers want to reach and speak to readers,” says Llewellyn. “But as we tie this great brand to the portfolio of brands under Purch, we definitely want to be sure that the readers know are excited to support the best of breed content that AnandTech is known for.”

Innovation | Perspectives | Policy

Trust and the Future of The Internet of Things

December 10, 2014 DCN

Earlier this week, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released its 10 Policy Principles for Unlocking the Potential of the Internet of Things. While the report touts the enormous potential for a connected world, it unfortunately misses the point that industry needs to do more to build transparency and choice around data collection before this next component of our digital world becomes ubiquitous. The ability to capitalize on all of the amazing benefits from new technology won’t happen without consumer trust.

One of the potential consumer applications of The Internet of Things (IoT) that the ITIF study outlines in its report is a “smart ‘onesies’ with embedded sensors that help parents monitor their infants’ health.” I doubt I’m the only parent who would be uncomfortable with a company using data about my newborn without very clear and transparent rules. As a parent, there is no way that I would buy that onesie without some more information about who else could see that data. And, if I started to receive targeted advertising based on my son’s sleep schedule, I would be a little freaked out.

The Internet of Things has the potential to alter our lives in amazingly positive ways. However, as with many promising technologies, our industry must set rules of the road for responsible and ethical uses of data. And, we must find ways to provide consumers with transparency and choice about how their data is being collected, used and shared. This is going to be particularly challenging for “devices” that don’t have a screen where consumers can be educated at the time their data is being collected.

As a cautionary tale, take a look at digital advertising. Click-through rates for digital ads are astronomically low. Fraud is abundant. Consumers don’t trust that advertisers are using their data ethically. And, increasingly, consumers are going to great lengths to stop it – Ad Block Plus is one of the most popular Android apps and consumers are activating Do Not Track even though there’s no industry standard yet. Advertising isn’t inherently bad and data can be used in powerful ways not only to improve its effectiveness, but to make advertising more relevant and valuable to consumers. However, people have a right to know when their information is collected and in what ways it may be used. That transparency helps build trust.

As we seek to take the power of data and the connectedness of the internet and extend it into a wide range of “things” — to make them smarter, better and more effective — we must put trust first. Without trust-based consumer relationships we risk never fully realizing all of the benefits of the world of IoT.

Innovation | Uncategorized

Mobile Day Offers a Strategic View of Challenges and Opportunities

December 8, 2014 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

The majority of digital content is consumed on mobile devices. Most people check their phone before brushing their teeth. And more than 90% of people have their mobile device within reach 24/7. This behavior creates an unprecedented opportunity to deliver mobile content and marketing; it also means that the breadth of use-cases, expectations and needs vary as much as the times and places consumers find themselves using their devices throughout any given day. Mobile is not just the most popular way to experience digital content; it is also the most personal — and perhaps most complex — way to do so as well.

At Digital Content Next’s members-only Mobile Day held December 5^th at The New York Times building, speakers shared a wide range of approaches to and experimentation with mobile content and delivery. They also examined some of the distinct challenges of meeting the demands of today’s mobile content consumer.

News seems like one of the most obvious fits for mobile content consumption. However, according to Editor-in-chief Anthony De Rosa, Circa was created because they felt that news was not optimized for a mobile audience. He pointed out that, “news consumption is very different on smart phones and we don’t want to shoehorn the desktop experience to mobile.” In particular, De Rosa believes that mobile apps over-use push alerts and said that the number one reason people delete apps is because of too many unwanted push alerts. The Circa news app only pushes story updates to users who have opted-in to follow a particular topic. The company “atomizes” its content and, rather than creating and publishing entirely new versions of stories as they unfold, Circa sends users directly to the updated aspects of stories they follow. Atomization does not mean less information, however. “There’s an idea that we only give people high-level stuff at Circa, but when users follow a story, they actually consume what amounts to a long form article over a longer time—but in a way that is better suited to the mobile experience.”

Circa is currently building out its website; to date its entire experience has been built to suit app delivery. Several of the DCN Mobile Day speakers noted that they see higher levels of engagement in apps than mobile websites. CNBC’s VP of Product and Design Deepanshu Bagchee reported that apps deliver the most engaged CNBC fan base and panel agency executives reported that, overall, they perceive apps to be a more engaging environment. Morgan Petti, Associate Director of Mobile at OMD Airwave said “we see more engagement and time spent with apps” and Andy Hoffman VP, Mobile Marketing at Havas Media / Mobext noted that “if your goals are about high-engagement and impact, [focus on] apps.” ‘

In contrast to those voices, Vox Media Product Manager Lauren Rabaino told DCN Members that they recently “killed mobile apps” opting to go with responsive design throughout its network of sites. As a company recognized for its agility and technological acumen, the move to streamline from four code bases to a single one can clearly be seen as allowing the company to focus on delivering an optimal website experience across devices. It also allows standardization of ad units for delivery throughout its seven brand sites.

Condé Nast’s Executive Director of Digital Development Ned Newhouse reported that the company “has “reached the magic number of 50 percent mobile web and 50 percent desktop.” While it has made a huge investment in video through its Condé Nast Entertainment division and delivers video through a portal, partnership program and websites, Newhouse said “we are really focused on deploying the video through our branded mobile web products because that’s where the loyalty and traffic exists.”

Sara Poorsattar, The New York Times’ Director of Video Products, has found that page views are higher in mobile environments, but noted that because of the “additional commitment and barrier of entry in mobile,” they do better with video on the website. However, they also see a lot of video views coming through YouTube because of the prevalence of the YouTube app. Poorsattar said that the Times is looking closely at the offline experience in developing for mobile, noting that video news is something users might want to consume during a commute or other times when they have time to focus on longer form but may lack consistent connectivity.

The offline experience is also one that Bagchee is closely evaluating. “We see that when people are on the move we see things like quick stock checks. But we are working on surfacing more contextually- relevant video and possibly creating video that people can watch later on the office Wi-Fi.”

For the Times, mobile video represents an opportunity to reach younger and international audiences. CNBC is also among those that believe content needs to be available on a wide range of delivery channels including YouTube and Facebook to reach a younger demographic while its older demographic is more inclined to use the app. Interestingly, Christy Tanner SVP and GM of CBS Interactive Media Group revealed that the TVGuide app experience is the only one that its under 35 demo (about a third of its audience) really knows, despite the fact that it is a 60 year print-legacy brand.

Tanner said that her company, which launched CBS All Access a few months ago, is focused not just on mobile but on creating a true multi-screen experience because “it is possible to engage audiences, and for them to have shared experiences, on any size screen.” And, as Newhouse from Condé Nast said, “It’s a mobile dominated world. This is the core device we use everywhere, but it is just another means to an end. Content absorption is not device specific.” While there are certainly ways in which content and experience can be optimized for time and context of mobile consumption, mobile cannot be conceived of in a silo. While it is a dominant part of users’ content consumption habits, creating a seamless experience across devices remains the goal.

Innovation | Policy

FAA Takes Shortsighted View of Drones

November 25, 2014 DCN

According to reports, the FAA is set to publish rules governing the use of small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) or drones which would smother innovation and jeopardize the current uses that provide immense benefits to the general public.

The FAA rules reportedly will require full pilot training in a manned aircraft which can cost between $6,000 and 9,000, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Placing high-cost barriers to entry will only hurt innovation – both in the uses of UAVs and the development of safety features in the industry.

The FAA rules may also require that the UAV remain within “line of sight” of the operator. This requirement is particularly shortsighted as it would completely shut down one of the most promising benefits of UAVs – their ability to reach areas where humans cannot. There would be very little incentive to innovate around UAVs if the FAA place an arbitrary, regulatory tether on them. News organizations use drones to help with the reporting of news – to fly over war-torn areas, survey environmental hazards. UAVs can get to places where humans cannot or where it would take an extraordinary amount of time and effort not to mention the potential risk of harm. In fact, CNN and the Georgia Institute of Technology are studying the safe and effective use of UAVs for news-gathering.

If the news reports are correct, the FAA needs to reevaluate these potential regulations in order to allow for a world where we have safety and innovation. High-cost barriers and arbitrary tethers would stifle technological advances. At the same time, other countries with forward-looking approaches will take the lead in the UAV industry – with investments, jobs and innovation flowing out of America.

Innovation

Comcast NBCU and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America Tackle the Digital Divide with My.Future Initiative

November 25, 2014 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

By 2018, there could be 3 million unfilled science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) related jobs. While jobs overall are expected to grow just under 10% by 2018, STEM jobs are predicted to grow by 17%. More than half of this growth will be made up of computer careers, and more than a quarter will be engineers and technicians. Yet the reality is that STEM skills are highly sought-after in all fields of employment. The Boys and Girls Club of America, in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, recently embarked on a new technology initiative designed to teach Club members about the digital world to inspire and focus their passion for technology which in turn may help fill some of those unfilled jobs and fuel the future of these young people and the economy as well.

Our education system is often blamed for the “skills gap” seen in STEM areas, however education shouldn’t be limited to what goes on in the classroom. The Boys and Girls Club of America has long filled a need for afterschool and summer programs designed to help young people reach their full potential. Dr. Damon A. Williams, Senior Vice President, Program, Training and Youth Development Services for Boys & Girls Clubs of America points out that his organization must not only recognize and support employment opportunities for young people, but must also align its approach and educational tools with the learning style of today’s youth. As Williams points out, “they are going to be creative, build out in their ideas and so much of that happens in the digital world. We need to provide support but also be a transformer of opportunities.”

Its latest initiative to support young people’s interest and prospects is My.Future, which recently launched to introduce more young people to STEM-related activities in order to help address the skills gap, expand digital literacy and help bridge the digital divide. Williams says that the initiative is starting off strong in large part because of of its partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, the Presenting Sponsor of My.Future.

The objectives of My.Future are certainly in sync those of Comcast NBCU, a company that supports building a generation of workers who will not only be enthusiastic about using technology, but also well-versed in how to put it to work. However according to Charisse R. Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment, Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast Foundation, My.Future aligns with the company’s philosophical goals as well. “Yes, Comcast is a big employer of people with these skills and we want kids to understand what kind of careers are possible for them in the future. However My.Future matches beautifully with our goals to support digital literacy, leadership development and bridging the digital divide.” The company also addresses this latter objective through other programs such as Internet Essentials, which makes broadband internet access and inexpensive computers available to low income homes.

“My.Future gives us the opportunity to teach digital literacy and tackle the digital divide,” says Lille, “but also to teach to the next level.” My.Future allows the nearly 4 million youth served by more than 4,100 Boys & Girls Clubs to select from more than 40 activities that reinforce digital literacy, including exploring the web, communicating with others digitally and creating digital media. Additional experiences allow members to explore advanced topics, such as robotics, coding and game design.

As the cornerstone of this initiative, Comcast NBCUniversal renovated four Boys & Girls Clubs, located in Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, with state-of-the-art technology that reflects today’s mobile environment, including computers, tablets, SMART Boards, digital cameras, music studio tools and video-editing technology. However the program is designed to impact Club members everywhere. Williams describes My.Future as a “boundaryless environment” that provides members the on- and offline tools and mentorship that will help them develop strong digital literacy competency through project-based learning experiences, which range from research skills to data visualization, coding and robotics.

Recognizing both the social nature of young people and the increasingly distributed and collaborative digital work environment, My.Future includes online communities of interest and opportunities to develop communication skills through digital journalism and digital arts. The system includes digital badging that Williams believes will be achievements that Club members can leverage on college and scholarship applications. He also hopes that the will expand both their view of what is possible in their futures, but also their world view, given the BGCA’s national and global presence.

Along the way, both BGCA and Comcast NBCU hope to support good digital citizenship, internet safety and 21^st century leadership skills. While Williams is quick to applaud Comcast NBCU for its investment (valued at tens of millions of dollars in cash and in-kind support), he is hopeful that other organizations will step up to help it achieve its larger objectives, which he estimates will require a 100 million dollar investment. Lillie says that she too hopes that “other corporate citizens will be as excited about what the future holds and take up the gauntlet.”

For her part, Lillie is enthusiastic about the future of the young people participating in My.Future. At the rollout of the program in San Francisco, she sat with a group of “remarkable young girls,” one of whom was developing an impressive art portfolio. “She didn’t plan to be an artist, though. She wants to be a vet. But these skills will help her get there. These kids have aspirations and we are proud to help support them.”

Innovation | Perspectives

Q&A: Gabriel Lewis, EVP Development & Strategy Maker Studios, on Media for Millennials

November 20, 2014 Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director – DCN

Q: Do millennial readers have brand loyalty as a rule? How do you develop brand affinity/loyalty with them?

A: Brand loyalty for millennials is less a rule, and more of an ongoing dialogue. They’re the most media-savvy generation, having been raised in an ever-expanding ecosystem of platforms and content that gets more and more niche and targeted. As these choices become greater, brand affinity becomes more valuable for consistency of voice and identity (and identification, i.e. “this represents who I am, my values, etc.”), but the flip side is that it’s easier to move on when and if a brand betrays their trust. It’s also the first generation to be raised in an environment where direct feedback to brands is very, very public. Millennials aren’t just consumers, they’re participants… and they expect to be treated with an appropriate level of respect in that conversation.

Q: Do you approach the development of user experience or content differently for the millennial audience?

A: At Maker, our core business is short-form content, and there continues to be a trend for shorter and more snackable digital video. The length of the average online video dropped 27% in the past year from 5.1 to 3.7 minutes. Once you start factoring in mobile video consumption—something 98% of millennials do every day—it’s inevitable this trend will continue for a large segment of digital content.

This leads to a broader conversation around producing the appropriate content for the platform it will live on. User behavior varies from platform to platform, and more than ever it’s important for content creators to have a distribution strategy in mind before going too far down a path developing the actual content. Just taking it across four typical distribution paths–TV, OTT, Web, Mobile–will yield a different approach to how the content is developed and produced. Within each of those distribution paths there’s also an additional layer of UX that will inevitably dictate how audiences interact with that content; the key is to be as far upstream and as aware of your goals as possible.

One of the most important questions any content creator can ask before starting any project is: “what does success look like?” It seems pretty basic, but I’ve oftentimes found myself in conversations with marketers or producers who start with the love of an idea or strategic approach and then try to force it into the proper lane to find success, as opposed to starting with a goal, e.g., audience, brand affinity, engagement, conversion, etc., and then developing their content and distribution strategy accordingly.

Q: When working to attract and retain millennial media consumers, what would you say are the most important things to consider?

A: While the word has become a bit commoditized, I would say authenticity is paramount. More specifically, having a clear perspective, being transparent, and fostering meaningful dialogue are assets for attracting and retaining millennial consumers. The explosive growth of social media among millennials is indicative of this dialogue-driven culture shift. Audiences can now connect directly with brands and creators that resonate with them. The elimination of gatekeepers and the continuing evolution of audience expectations are quickly relegating legacy approaches to content creation (and marketing) obsolete.

Digital platforms have opened up a world of opportunity to create content that leverages data and direct feedback. While programming has always been both art and science, at this point the science is getting more and more robust, and the artistry needs to start adapting accordingly.

Gabriel Lewis serves as Executive Vice President of Development and Strategy at Maker Studios, leading the company’s development of original content across platforms and strategic programming partnerships. Maker is the world’s largest network of short-form online video bringing together a diverse community of YouTube creators and global franchises as part of The Walt Disney Company. The company is home to the biggest digital stars and leading programming such as the hugely popular online series “Epic Rap Battles of History.” Prior to Maker, Gabriel served as Head of AOL On Originals, overseeing creative development, production, marketing and strategy for AOL’s original series and branded entertainment initiatives. Gabriel also served as Vice President of AOL Studios, where he co-created and launched the award-winning live streaming network “HuffPost Live.” Prior to AOL, he worked as a writer and producer for a variety of television and film projects. Gabriel is a graduate of Ithaca College and holds a B.S. in Communications.