ISBA Conference 2013: Newsbrands discuss their “digital first-ish” strategies
Lloyd Embley, Editor in Chief of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People has has said that the idea of newspapers as brands – something he never thought he’d get excited about – is a key part of the evolving business models for the press as traditional print journalism continues to keep step in a digital world.
Speaking at the 2013 ISBA conference, hosted at Lord’s cricket ground in London on Wednesday, Embley was interviewed in front of a packed audience alongside the Daily Telegraph’s deputy editor Benedict Brogan.
Asked by Rufus Olins, chief executive of Newsworks, who conducted the 45 minute interview, what he would say to those that think newspapers are a dead medium, Embley was almost incredulous. “Newspapers dead? Absolutely not. We’re not just about paper any-more; we’re a brand and we’re a growing brand.”
When asked what that really means for the Trinity Mirror owned titles, Embley explained that his papers are doing what many others have already done and continue to do: move to a seven day operation with a strong focus on digital.
“We’re digital first-ish,” Embley said, explaining that news content is now vastly more complicated to deliver than it was only a few years ago. The three key parts of the Mirror newsroom – daily, Sunday and digital – have already merged into a seven-day operation and the way news is now distributed – 24 hours a day, over multiple platforms and to a global audience – have stretched the business model in uncertain new directions as it tries to keep pace with changing technologies and consumer behaviours.
Brogan, whose own paper this week announced it is cutting 80 print jobs while making plans for 50 new digital roles, agreed. “The traditional print model is fading,” he said, “but the newsbrand – when you take in digital – is growing hugely. It’s a challenge, but one the industry is going to crack.
“Digital has changed everything. 24 hours a day we’re trying to work out when best to deploy our content to make the most of a global audience and the traffic patterns they create…for instance, 12pm is better to get a news story out that will interest U.S. readers, so editorially we now change the timing and deploy via the most appropriate channel.”
Brogan went on to say that one of the great challenges for newspapers is to constantly run to keep up with technology. “Print was static for decades, but there is now a tsunami of information out there.”
However, it’s this that really offers hope for newsbrands: amongst the noise of the Internet, consumers are still drawn to quality, and perhaps even seeking it out more than ever – and it is precisely this that newsbrands need to deliver and monetise on.
There is a risk, however, that other routes to commercial sustainability will see brands interfere with journalism.
“The relationship for editors has now completely changed and they must work much, much closer with [a newsbrand’s] commercial staff,” said Brogan. “However, the content must never veer into the realm of the advertorial.
“Brands cannot interfere with editorial – but we need to be smarter [in the way new business models work] and journalism must work [with commercial drives] if we are to survive.”
Closing the interview, Rufus Olins, whose Newsworks is the marketing body for national newspapers, simply said there was lots to be chipper about. Many in the audience agreed and with huge digital growth recently reported for newspaper websites, it seems safe to say that the industry is managing to keep pace.