Strategies to Keep Pandemic Subscribers PLUS Image Recognition Creates Shoppable Magazines

May 11, 2021

The pandemic created a huge spike in news consumption both digital and via traditional broadcast channels. It was a silver lining in an otherwise bleak market that saw print sales and advertising take a body blow. Piano, which consults and provides technology for majors like the Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph and The Economist offers up some strategies to keep the subscribers you've gained.

Bauer Media rolls out a new ad recognition that allows readers to shop items in their print mags without the use of QR codes, and it cuts out search engines from the mix so that Bauer gets to keep the data.

Vox's new editor, Swati Sharma, talks about building a media brand, which is key in building a media business.

Plus media news from Australia in which a survey finds rural raders are more loyal to their local newspapers than digital services. Clubhouse is coming to Android. The SPAC market cools (SPACs were basically a way for companies to raise funds for M&A), which looks like an opportunity for digital majors like Buzzfeed and Group Nine to become the big winners in the digital consolidation games.

Lessons in Building a Media Brand

"When I think about the kinds of stories I want us to do more of, it's the kind of coverage that pushes people to have the conversations that lead to real change."

She talks about working to be distinctive and your brand's 'North Star'. "(B)e really disciplined and deliberate with (your) coverage and figure out what spots (you want) to own."

Subscriber Retention Strategies After the COVID-19 Boom

Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

"After one year, 43.6% of post-pandemic subscriptions have been retained on average. The average before Covid-19 was 40%."

Image Recognition Technology Creates Shoppable Magazines

Bauer Media, part of the privately-owned Bauer Media Group, has announced a partnership with Phuzion Media, that allows its print titles to become fully interactive and instantly shoppable. The new technology avoids the need for QR codes or watermarking and instead relies on mobile image recognition, directing readers immediately to specific online content and ‘extending their customer journeys’. Because …

"The image match functionality also helps brands circumnavigate search engines, combining direct customer access with previously unavailable engagement metrics, personalization opportunities and the ability to create connected campaigns across multiple platforms."

Survey: Oz Rural Audiences Prefer Local Newspapers over Google

Newspaper readers in rural and regional Australia are five times more likely to go directly to their local newspaper website than Google or Facebook for local information, and almost 10 times as likely to go to their local news website over a council website for news and information. Nearly two-thirds of local newspaper readers also …

"These are some of the key findings of a national survey of almost 4,200 Australian country newspaper readers we recently conducted as part of a project to drive greater innovation in the rural and regional media landscape."

Hot Social Audio App Expands to Android

Social audio platform Clubhouse is getting an Android app which will roll out to US users first, then to the rest of the world in the coming weeks. It plans to keep the app invite-only "to keep growth measured," the company says.

Meanwhile it faces competition from Spaces on Twitter (very nice usability) and a soon to be released similar feature on Facebook.

SPAC Markets Cool, More Digital Consolidation Ahead

Dreams of going public in January and February have been put on hold for digital media companies as SPACs dry up and investors become more conservative.

This looks like it will add more pressure to consolidation in the industry. "Some digital media companies that had hoped to go public via SPAC may have to sell to Buzzfeed or Group Nine’s SPAC if there’s not enough outside investor appetite."

UK Regional Publishers Increase Furloughs Due to Feb Lockdowns

Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

"The UK was under a strict lockdown throughout February, which likely affected advertising and circulation sales as well as physical events for those publishers who previously relied on them."

Pandemic Hits Gannett's Ad Revenue

From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their careers.

Column: Gannett Needs to Invest Money to Make Money

The Gannett newspaper chain, like nearly all publishers, is staking its future on reader revenue. Which raises a question: What is the company prepared to do to make that happen? In its most recent quarterly report, the country's largest newspaper chain said that its total number of digital subscribers is now 1.2 million — an…