Shift is an entertaining event that recognises challenges but does not endeavour to get into debates around them.
The recognition yesterday was around measuring content and audience – briefly referenced by Newsworks CEO Rufus Olins in his opening comments and re-iterated by Tim Pearson, executive director of Manning Gottlieb OMD during a presentation showing John Lewis’ use of, and affinity with, newsbrands.
Pearson commented that three things were getting in the way as newsbrands grew their apps businesses.
“Apps numbers need to be bigger. We need a tipping point on the numbers; we also need a greater level of transparency around the data; and there is an opportunity for richer and more suitable ad formats.”
Newsworks will be launching its own research around tablets – a project that analysed campaigns across six sectors – on 20 May.
Earlier in Shift, the invited guests heard from Jason Seiken, the recently installed editor-in-chief and chief content officer at Telegraph Media Group. Seiken said that contrary to many views, the Telegraph and others are already moving to the cutting edge of new technology.
“Soon readers will experience the same sights and sounds as our journalists,” he said.
To illustrate this a Telegraph drone was flown around the auditorium as the audience were given impressive examples of the depth of coverage these could pick up – reaching parts that no journalist would be able to after extreme storm or hurricane conditions, and identifying the extent of damage – and locating survivors.
Seiken asserted that “no one person has all the skills, expertise and data knowledge to be an all-powerful editor these days. Intuition still matters, but data matters more. If you aren’t
using data to listen to your customers your competitors are.”
Last up at Shift was Jim Hytner and his Dragons’ panel of clients, judging the winner of Day of Influence from the final shortlist of three. Hytner’s quick wit and pace of delivery stole the show from earlier sessions, and Emma Callaghan, press group manager at PHD, emerged the winner – gaining £300,000 of free advertising across Newsbrands to run on 22 July for “Expedia: driving tourism to the Philippines.
Emma won the audience vote against two other strong presentations from Jon Kershaw (Vizeum) and Persa Shadnia (Mindshare).
