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Digital media must shift from incrementalism to innovation to stay relevant - adtechsolutions

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Digital media must shift from incrementalism to innovation to stay relevant


For the digital media industry, 2024 was characterized by continued disruption and challenges, balanced by new opportunities for resilience and growth.

For many digital publishers and media brands, much of the past year has been spent upgrading core infrastructure and systems (e.g. CMS upgrades, dynamic paywalls, authorization systems), improving website performance (e.g. core web functionality and SEO), and optimizing subscription strategies.

The impact of declining traffic from search and social referrals, along with the ongoing saga of the end of third-party cookie support, has led digital publishers to invest in strategies designed to increase direct traffic, build active and loyal communities on their owned and operated properties and focus on first-party data collection and activation. Overall, 2024 was a critical transition period for digital media brands seeking to adopt more sustainable business models.

2025 is the year the industry needs to move from incrementalism to innovation – making bigger bets to help reshape and revitalize the role and relevance of digital media in today’s highly fragmented and competitive attention economy. Ultimately, this means investing in bold new initiatives and strategies that will attract new audiences, transform the user experience and support alternative business models.

Reaching a wider audience attracts new consumers

Attracting new audiences isn’t limited to younger consumers, as detailed in FT Strategies’ excellent research and report Next generation news.

This process requires a much broader strategy that includes and reaches a wide range of audience segments, including hobbyists, fans and activists who look to online communities such as Facebook Groups and Reddit to share their interests, connect and communicate. The strategy must also reach professional and niche audiences looking for expert-level content relevant to their industries and professions, as well as creators and influencers who are reshaping the way and where consumers can access their news and entertainment.

Digital publishers have a unique opportunity to leverage their trusted brand and reach to create new products, experiences and communities that reach these diverse non-traditional audience segments.

New technology transforms the user experience for better engagement

While mobile, video and social technologies have improved the overall user experience on websites and digital media applications, the basic approach to content delivery, consumption and engagement has not changed since the days of the first web browser.

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence, advanced tools for creating user-generated content, and new form factors such as AR/VR and wearables provide an opportunity for media brands to rethink and reimagine the core user experience. It’s likely this year new story formats with chatbots appear where users can ask them for context, resources and questions. Users can leverage chatbots to co-create stories and media that incorporate user posts and comments, ultimately transforming a respectable homepage into an interactive social and community resource.

Exploring other sources of income paves the way for wider reach and opportunities

The transition from ad-supported commercial models to subscription or premium-based revenue models has been slow and slow. Paywalls are ubiquitous, but subscription conversion rates remain stubbornly low, and actively blocking users from consuming content reduces engagement, repeat visits and brand loyalty. This does not mean that digital publishers should abandon or prioritize their subscription strategies. Rather, the way is to invest in alternative commercial models that further diversify their income streams.

This goes beyond events and affiliate commerce, although significant growth opportunities remain in both areas. For example, behavioral statistics and trend data from user content consumption patterns and engagement activities available to digital publishers are a gold mine. While it is currently used to improve ad targeting, it is also extremely valuable to market researchers, pollsters, brand marketers and economists. Licensing this anonymized consumer insight data or using generative AI to create custom research reports is an opportunity to generate high-margin revenue from core assets that publishers uniquely own. McClatchy acquisition of Trend Hunterprovider of consumer trends and insights, is the first indicator of this emerging commercial opportunity in the past year. Other alternative commercial models may include partnering with non-traditional sponsors such as creators and influencers to create new advertising opportunities and reach new audiences on and off the platform.

While none of these big bets are easy, sometimes they are worth the risk and the remarkable payoff. Investing in bold strategies and initiatives such as alternative business models, engaging new audiences and transforming user experiences will help digital publishers and media brands stay relevant throughout 2025 and beyond.

Sponsored by Viafoura



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