Progress
2014
was a progressive year for digital magazines – mainly because I think
publishers now realize they aren’t going to bring in the revenue they need to
‘prop up’ apparent declining print circulation revenue using current methods
and techniques. Investments will need to be made, sacrifices and ambitions
modified.
But
I still think there has been progress. This year’s raucous Digital Magazine
Awards was the most successful yet, with more mainstream titles and customer
publishers fiercely contesting for awards. There were less ‘art installation’
style apps (however dazzling they may be they aren’t the future). And we saw
some very familiar names grabbing awards that hadn’t been there previously (too
busy to enter, no doubt). Elle, Dare, Stylist, Metal Hammer and more all were
rewarded for their sterling work. And next year’s awards will see even more
entries and countries involved.
We
also had the International Digital Magazine Summit on the same day, and the
general feeling was a positive one, but there is a great deal of work to be
done. Neil Morgan from Magvault.com gave us some perspective about the massive
growth of digital businesses such as Uber and Airbnb in one year alone. Where
do ‘magazines’ as a concept or market figure compared to those guys. Nowhere.
Culture
change has sadly been slow, PDF replicas still exist, and there has been a lack
of experimentation and real innovation in magazines. Print is still king (or
queen) over digital editions, and the 2010/11 dreams that tablets and phones
may ‘save publishing’ is now steadily becoming a daily nightmare for many. How
do we turn this around?
Shifting sands
Things
have to change – and they will – I can’t think of a day working on digital
magazines where I didn’t learn something new, however small. Also, the tools
and operating systems are changing all the time, publishers are realizing it’s
as much about the ‘back end’ as it is about the ‘front end’. I want to see
magazine editors and creative teams taking a risk with their own apps, trying
new ideas much more often. Working with archive content, working with live
content, making more video, making more, end of. Why not create your own
innovation team within your own group? It’s all there to be owned and not too
late. And anything is possible with support from the top down.
So,
what is 2015 going to be like? Here are some thoughts and ideas to think about…
1. The bad news first
Some
digital magazine apps will close. Sorry to start with a gloomy negative
prediction, but after seeing the (quite frankly) excellent Esquire Weekly UK
edition team sadly announce its end, I can see a few more digital editions
disappearing from Newsstand. Lack of marketing, lack of innovation, lack of
product ownership from the editorial team, poor value subscriber offers,
too-heavily resourced, print mindset, poor technical support, no support from
Apple or advertisers, wrong market, its a PDF… there are loads of reasons apps
fail. We need to nip these in the bud and fast.
2. Continuous Publishing model
Article-based
consumption, not entire issues. Evo started this on iPad in magazine terms, I
recall, and others will definitely follow. Look at ‘Espresso’ by The Economist.
Great idea, fits with their readership, and it works very well. Yahoo (yes,
Yahoo!) has a strong contender in their twice-daily and rather smart ‘News
Digest’ app for mobile. Simple, easy to use, plenty of additional context,
enough info for a commute, and home. Plus it’s beautifully designed. And, it’s
free.
3. Mastering mobile
According
to Ovum, over one billion people will use mobile as their only source of
accessing the Internet in 2015. In 2014 we’ve finally seen most mainstream
magazine publishers create magazine-focused apps for iPhone and android phones.
However, only a handful has really got anywhere close to innovating or trying
anything remotely experimental. Conde Nast UK have created a great workflow
that uses a CMS, smart templating, HTML, InDesign and DPS, and if you look at
Wired, GQ, Glamour and co you’ll see where they are headed. Its bold. But not
bold enough. I would still love to see more apps and user-friendly products
published alongside an entire ‘monthly’ publication, but for now its a start,
albeit a little after the horse has bolted. The iPhone has been around longer
than the iPad. Many other magazines now have bespoke-designed iPhone editions,
Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, Top Gear, T3, Stylist, Harrods and Stylist are
all great examples. But are they selling? Do readers really want to trawl
through a whole edition? If you look at the Newsstand grossing charts, there
are still PDF replica editions flying high and bringing in revenue, whereas the
more bespoke offerings are somewhat lower down. So there is a market, of sorts.
There is still a long way to go for publishers on phones – and this should be
right at the forefront of any digital transformation strategy in 2015. Like I
said in my ‘Magazine Diaries’ article, I really think publishers need to rip it
up and start again. Seriously.
4. Independents and self-publishing
Simply
have a look at some of the independents and self-publishers and what they are
doing, free from ABC circulation pressure, and old-fashioned print mindset
workflows. Ernest Journal, The New British, Sister Mag, Brilliant Baking
Magazine, The Unlimited, Bande A Part, Snoovies, #5 magazine, and – even
Cristiano Ronaldo has his own digital magazine. Maybe what they are all doing
is far braver, finding a niche, and exactly what mainstream publishers could at
least try out for a period. If Esquire Weekly didn’t have the Esquire name,
perhaps something else, would it have done better? Controlled experimentation
is vital, especially when digital means global, and a quickly moving target.
Try and learn, fail, increase knowledge in the process, start again, keep
focus, win.
5. Shoppable, wearable, unstoppable
We’ve
seen how Grazia, Stylist and Porter, Harrods, Argos and others have added shoppable
features to their digital editions in 2014 to great success. In 2015 we’ll see
targeted ads, more shopping baskets across even more magazines, and we’ll also
see brand new ventures by publishers that focus entirely on e-commerce for
apps, digital media and wearable technology. Mobile Pay may well be the force
of the year in the digital magazine market, and if you aren’t already planning
your attack on reader’s wallets and purses, it’s never too late.
Looking
at wearable tech, and the ‘Internet Of Things’ – smart cars, smart thermostats
and security devices – consumers are looking to manage their busy lives via
connected devices and phones. Accenture research confirms that ownership of
wearable technology, i.e.: smart watches and fitness devices, is also expected
to increase, with just under 50% of consumers owning or planning to own this
form of device in the next 5 years. Where do magazines and content fit into
this? Article-based publishing might be the start, smaller bite-size entry
points to a longer read, perhaps. Or why is not something different and new?
Print will still exist, of course, but the kids aren’t reading print magazines.
They want it instantly, on their device, all devices, probably free, or
super-cheap, and will move on in a flash if what you are offering doesn’t meet
their expectations or ambitions. (Digital magazine publishers, take note).
One thing is for sure: Monthly
magazines will be a thing of the past if we don’t look to the future, learn and
adapt, right now. (David Hicks)
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