Publications worldwide have spent the past few years trying to define what it means to "transition to digital."
You'll see some publications take a minimal approach by posting the print article to a basic CMS, with little thought to user experience or engagement. Others commit to adapting the article to its digital audience. They focus on the reading experience, optimising the article for search engine visibility at the same time.
The key contrast between the two lies in recognising the difference between print and digital user experiences. Print can be a refined experience, albeit static and limited. Digital offers a variety of options. For example, using visual storytelling tactics to improve the reading experience can lead to deeper engagement and an increase in subscriptions.
Where digital transformation worked
Key Aero
Take this example of a successful digital transformation project when Full Fat Things helped Key Publishing’s aviation arm, Key.Aero.
For the Key.Aero content team, moving articles from print to digital was a manual and long-winded job. Time constraints meant they didn’t publish articles as promptly, or as regularly, as needed. And this limited their potential to develop their digital subscriber base. By automating the print to digital process, Key.Aero could publish content to their site easily, including thousands of historical articles and scheduled future pieces.
Full Fat Things' focus turned to the user experience – a crucial factor on b2c platforms. We worked with Key.Aero to design a new logo and website, keeping the customer in mind at every stage. By taking the time to understand Key.Aero's audience and style direction, we developed several design concepts and refined them following client feedback. We worked unobtrusive Google Advertising into the design, embedding it within the website content, maximising both the reading experience and revenue for the company.
Transforming the content management of the site made a big impact to their operations and the efficiency of the business. New ‘premium’ articles gave Key.Aero the vehicle to drive their digital subscribers too.
Where digital transformations failed
Not every digital transformation project is a success. According to Forbes, 70% of digital transformations fail. Digital mobilisation without the correct strategy is one of the most common causes, with fatigue and poor communication meaning ineffectual changes and a digital transformation which under-delivers.
Yahoo Magazines
Yahoo launched a number of digital magazines in 2014 with the aim of convincing advertisers they would reach the same audiences as glossy print magazines had done before them. The advertisers who tested the platform seemed unimpressed, with Yahoo digital magazines failing to spark en masse interest in their target audiences.
In 2016 Yahoo phased out or consolidated seven of their magazines, streamlining the remaining content to four areas: lifestyle, news, sport and finance.
The Daily
Another example of a failed transformation is News Corp's 'The Daily', shut down in 2012 by CEO Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch reported that The Daily’s audience didn’t grow rapidly enough to make it a sustainable business model for the long term. It had launched under two years before as a standalone publication with a 120 strong team – a large overhead for a rumoured 100,000 paid subscriber base. Had it taken advantage of News Corp’s existing resource, it could have run with much greater efficiency.
Zoo & FHM Magazines
In late 2015 the UK magazine and media powerhouse Bauer Media announced the closure of FHM and Zoo 'lad mags', having failed to translate their audience appeal of the 1990s and early 2000s to a digital age. As their target audience moved more and more to social media and mobile phones, and the 'lad' culture began to show signs of decline, the hard-stay fans who made the transition to digital subscription were too few in number to provide a legitimate business model. Where these magazines failed, social media based brands such as LAD Bible and SPORT bible gained enormous digital success.
Meet readers where they are
Print revenues are steadily declining year after year, with many publishers still seeking ways to generate alternative sources of income.
Staying print-first in mindset charts a non-sustainable path for a publication. Companies that invest in their digital platforms are learning to meet people where they are. They’ve developed a deeper understanding of how to reach their target demographic through effective engagement and SEO. And by doing this, they have learned how to serve unique experiences with high-value content.
It’s not an instant solution. The New York Times is a shining example of a publication that places value on its subscribers. To achieve maximum subscriber growth, they took the time to research and develop an easy-to-use experience that organically deepens page views per visit, maximising the time spent on each page.
Online and print versions of the most popular publications remain the top source of information for consumers, with nearly 50% of people accessing their news online. The increase in smartphone use means that number is growing.
Developing a digital transformation strategy is a complex task which, if not carried out perfectly, can damage a company's finances and reputation. Full Fat Things can help create a bespoke strategy customised to your existing systems and processes, and digitise your operations for a clearer, more agile future.
Services like those offered by Full Fat Things provide the infrastructure to jumpstart people towards a digital-first mindset through their digital transformation consulting. To see how Full Fat Things can transform your company's digital experience, contact us today to discuss.