News Publishers’ Health Verticals, Multiplatform Push at HBR, Forbes’ Focus on Millennials, Facebook’s Media Roundtables, Media Metrics, TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week, Adobe Experience Manager Mobile v2017.2 Release
Welcome to Technology for Publishing’s roundup of news, stories of interest, and tips for media industry pros! This week, we’re sharing posts about the increasing number of news outlets launching health-related verticals, how Harvard Business Review is tapping emerging technology to prepare for the future, Forbes’ growing millennial audience, recent Facebook meetings with media leaders, and more.
For many of us, new year resolutions to lose weight and exercise more have (sadly) gone by the wayside already, but publishers are taking our health and wellness aspirations seriously. As Digiday reports, a number of primarily scale-driven digital news companies are jumping into the vertical, launching health-focused sites that operate with lean teams and rely on evergreen content versus breaking news. The idea, says NBC News SVP Nick Ascheim, is to “stretch [the] brand a little bit further into new content areas. We want [audiences] to stay for something more.” Although up against the likes of trusted brands like WebMD and Every Day Health, publishers with “good audience data and targeting capabilities can appeal to endemic advertisers who want to reach specific audience segments,” the article says.- With a growing focus on creating multiplatform “experiences” for its subscribers—integrating a recent print redesign, events, and emerging technologies like bots, live video, and more—Harvard Business Review isn’t standing still either. EVP and group publisher Josh Macht details in a Fipp interview the thinking behind HBR’s new features and editorial strategy, and how the brand is exploring innovative ways to interact with its audience (hint: think virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and self-driving cars).
- Another leading business pub focused on the future is Forbes, which Adweek reports was the first in its category to launch on Snapchat Discover. In fact, it says, the Snapchat crowd (i.e., millennials) now makes up almost half of the 100-year-old magazine’s audience, with more than 50% of its 56 million monthly digital readers coming from mobile devices. As such, it’s designing “consumable” (i.e., swipeable) experiences that “feel familiar to their millennial audience and create an easier experience for them to navigate.”
- Also in the news world, Campbell Brown, the newly installed head of Facebook news partnerships, has been hosting roundtable events at her home with media leaders to quell ongoing concerns about the proliferation of misinformation on the social platform and other issues eroding the trust of media companies. In a statement published by Buzzfeed, Facebook confirmed Campbell is reaching out to industry leaders worldwide to “open lines of communication both ways.” The New Yorker’s David Remnick attended a recent event, according to the report, and had this to say about the platform’s role in the spread of fake news: “Clearly Facebook feels some combination of responsibility, confusion, and determination to do something about it. [The meeting] was receptive and encouraging. We’ll see what comes of it.”
On the Technology for Publishing Blog
- Media Metrics: Get insights from the latest industry reports, with this month’s roundup highlighting 2017 journalism trends, the potential of news alerts, desktop usage, iPad sales numbers, and more.
- How does LinkedIn do content marketing on LinkedIn? Check out TFP’s Infographic Pick of the Week to learn the secret sauce.
- AEM Mobile Update: We bring you all the new features and enhancements in Adobe Experience Manager Mobile Version 2017.2.
- ICYMI: Read one of our February Book Picks to learn how to stand out and come out ahead in today’s hyperfast, hyperconnected world
Image: Digiday
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Posted by: Monica Sambataro
