Digital-to-Print Rule, Q&A: Consumer Reports, “The Bad News About the News”, Meredith’s Native Ad Strategy and Licensing Deal, Media Metrics, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week, DPS Tip: DPS Status Page, Quarterly DPS Tip Digest
Welcome to TFP’s roundup of news and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing stories about the 10% digital-to-print rule, Consumer Reports’ revamp, the (mostly) bad news about the future of journalism, Meredith’s native ad strategy and licensing deal, and more.
- If pressed to put a number on success, what would digital publishers say that is? Most often, 10%, meaning digital is 10% of a print magazine’s total circulation, according to an article from Talking New Media. It looked at four top consumer magazines in the U.S. to find out why the 10% digital-to-print rule is considered a reasonable, though not easy to reach, benchmark.
- In an interview with Mr. Magazine, Consumer Reports Editor Ellen Kampinsky and General Manager Brent Diamond discussed the revamping of the magazine and how they plan to keep the 78-year-old brand relevant as the way consumers get their information continues to evolve. While they acknowledged that the publication may see even more changes in the future, the one thing that won’t change, they noted, is its core mission: to deliver tested, unbiased information to consumers.
- “The Bad News About the News,” an essay by Washington Post veteran Robert Kaiser, offered a bleak outlook for journalism as we know it: “Despite two decades of trying, no one has found a way to make traditional news-gathering sufficiently profitable to assure its future survival,” he wrote. But, as Poynter reported, Kaiser holds out at least a little hope around news models like ProPublica, Vox, and local sites.
- Digiday reported that Meredith is the latest to turn to native advertising to help boost revenues. The publisher of Better Homes and Gardens, Allrecipes, and Parents said later this month it will launch advertiser content, including recipes, articles, videos, and slideshows, within streams of editorial content on its top websites. The branded content, appearing in new columns called “Buzz,” will be shaded in gray and labeled “provided by” with the sponsor’s name.
- In other Meredith news, the publisher announced it bought the rights to Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings in a 10-year agreement under which it will take over production, circulation, sales, and marketing of print and digital editions of the magazines. A Women’s Wear Daily report on the deal said Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia will continue to produce content for the titles.
- Get highlights from the latest industry reports in this month’s installment of Media Metrics. We look at growth in digital video ads, news on Facebook, Amazon tablet sales, and more.
- With all the noise around social media’s potential to drive sales and brand awareness, you’d think it would be at the top of every CMO’s list. But not all marketing chiefs are sold. This week, TFP’s infographic pick looks at the good and the bad of social media marketing.
- Also on the TFP blog, this week’s DPS Tip focuses on the Adobe DPS System Status page, an essential tool that provides you with important information and notices.
- Finally, we gathered our DPS Tip posts from the past quarter so you can easily catch up on any you might have missed.
This Week in Publishing appears every Friday on the TFP blog. Every week we compile interesting and noteworthy stories from the publishing world and put together a wrap-up to help our readers stay up-to-date. Think we missed something great? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Posted by: Monica Sambataro
