Prepress
New business fields for publishers
Thursday 10. July 2014 - ppi's 14th Open Days: leading industry event in Hamburg
Print vs. digital? Or should all products go hand in hand? The publishing industry is becoming increasingly digital, but print still plays a significant role. This was the general consensus at ppi Media’s 14th Open Days. From June 23-24, 2014, 140 experts met in Hamburg, Germany’s media metropolis, to find out about new developments and exchange ideas at ppi’s Open Days, a two-day special event for the publishing industry. The agenda covered topics such as big data and cross-channel publishing, as well as process optimization in publishing and printing.?The participants at ppi’s Open Days were particularly interested in the presentations held by Nancy Lane, President of the Local Media Association, and Markus Feldenkirchen, CEO of ppi Media US, Inc. Crossing the Big Pond in a figurative sense, the experts talked about local media trends in North America. Markus Feldenkirchen made it clear that German publishing companies, like their colleagues abroad, should expand their range of products and see themselves as marketing organizations in the future. That which has been common practice in local markets in the USA for a number of years already still has to be established in Germany. Nancy Lane’s message was also very clear: through transparency and teamwork, we have to embrace innovation and overcome our skepticism towards new platforms and the social media. It’s exactly these channels that are suitable for a more visual communication and for collecting and analyzing data that is very lucrative for publishers.?Social media marketing in local markets?Using a small cupcake shop in Hamburg as an example, Christian Veith, product manager at ppi Media, demonstrated how social media can be used in local markets for a diversified marketing strategy. Here, the cupcake shop is only one element of the brand positioning, which is complemented by another seven touchpoints, i.e. company profiles in social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. In the USA, this marketing approach is well-established, and offers great potential in German-speaking countries – for the publishing industry as well. Whereas advertising budgets for print are decreasing, social media provides a new business segment which regional media companies can use to reach and interact with digital natives in particular, and to get to know them better in terms of personalized marketing.?No competition between print and online?Does the trend towards online mean that no-one wants to read a newspaper anymore these days? The answer to this from Michael Kuth and Christian Wagner at Bremer Tageszeitungen AG was a clear “no”. “It would be fatal to stop print altogether. There’s no competition between print and digital, so we need to cover both by creating media-neutral content,” they explained. As a media company, it’s important not to think in terms of specific channels, but in multi-media terms instead. This is why the Bremen-based publishing company is optimizing its print infrastructure by standardizing its workflows and systems and coordinating its organizational processes by integrating the online channels. According to Kuth and Wagner, the high level of credibility that daily newspapers enjoy should not be underestimated. And this needs to be transferred to the digital world. To achieve this, the Bremer Tageszeitungen AG will implement augmented reality in the editorial and ad departments of the Weser-Kurier.?Russmedia, on the other hand, takes a different approach: In order to grow in both the local and international markets and to be successful outside the original area of circulation, the company is active in several fields. Although it continues to focus on the printed newspaper, it also pursues a two-brand strategy for print and digital. Russmedia has optimized its online marketing strategy and currently has approximately 100 online portals. In so doing, the company creates proximity and provides citizens’ forums, for example. As a result, Russmedia has succeeded in increasing its mobile traffic. Markus Raith, CEO of Russmedia GmbH, described the special innovation strategy pursued by the Austrian media company and explained why it operates more and more in niche markets.?Online strategy to acquire new readers?Ralf Büschemann and Philipp Urbschat from the Lippische Landes-Zeitung, too, are breaking new ground in the Lippe region. With its news app, the Lippische Landes-Zeitung is adding new content and formats to its products. Ute Becker, CEO of OWL-Online GmbH, gave an insight into the business model that she and her team are currently developing: OWL-Online intends to establish itself as a brand name for the younger target groups. Since February 2014, the company has been working on relaunching its website, and is also revising its range of products, so that readers no longer associate the name OWL with a newspaper only, but also with an independent range of digital products. “Unless we rethink, this won’t work,” says Ute Becker.?Media-neutral content for all channels?Ute Becker’s phrase “to rethink” became the catchword of the entire event. Although print remains the core business of newspapers, digital products, social media marketing, mobile apps and cross-channel publishing must become a fixed part of the publishing industry, according to experts. Just how important it is to tailor content to each individual reader’s needs in the news jungle of a multi-option society was illustrated by Manuel Scheyda, Vice President for Product Management at ppi Media, in his presentation on big data. Know-how on users, proximity to customers and a back channel – as provided by Web 2.0 – are indispensable for addressing individual target groups, in particular digital natives. With this in mind, ppi Media not only develops software for print, but is enhancing its range of products to include streamlined workflow solutions for web, broadcast and mobile, as demonstrated by its managing directors Norbert Ohl and Jan Kasten. Individual portals for industrial customers and tools for publishing media-neutral content, software solutions for content management systems, as well as hybrid apps, are the main new elements in ppi Media’s new range of products.?Saving costs, optimizing processes?In their presentation, Barbara Scheuer and Markus Trost demonstrated how their company, Mediaprint Infoverlag, intends to remain successful in a declining market where competition, however, remains tough. Mediaprint Infoverlag GmbH is streamlining its print workflow and will supply its online channels with editorial articles as soon as possible. It will give priority to local products in print and mobile, thereby reducing its costs. Websites, apps, print products etc. will be developed and maintained for customers and corporate publishing, whereas user-generated content is to motivate people from small communities to visit platforms provided by Mediaprint.?Matthias Langenohl, CEO of the Eversfrank Group, envisaged another way of working more cost-effectively. He talked about how the Eversfrank Group produces eco-efficient print products, not only in order to save costs, but also to be more environmentally friendly and more regional, and to dispense with the use of chemicals. Matthias Langenohl conceded that although it is not possible to produce print products that are fully climate-neutral, we can make a positive contribution by reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, not using wood as a raw material and through afforestation projects. Mario Neurath from comosoft GmbH spoke about site-related advertising and, with the flood of product information available today, how we can succeed in providing customers with exactly the right information that is relevant to them.?Networked publishing industry?The evening event at ppi’s Open Days included a tour of Hamburg’s St. Pauli district and the Millerntor Stadium. Just in time for the World Cup, the participants of ppi’s Open Days found the time – between the players’ tunnel, lounge and stands – to exchange ideas and establish new contacts. There will be an opportunity to do this next year as well: ppi’s 15th Open Days will take place in Luebeck from June 22-23, 2015.?