Eight things the Indy needs to do to thrive as a digital only newsbrand
Recently, the Independent newspaper ceased printing to become online-only. Adam Kirk and Mark Doyle ask what it takes to survive as a digital first newsbrand in a crowded and competitive market.
While some may see this as the sad, slow fall of a well-respected publication, is it actually a shrewd move?
Instead of purely cutting costs, The Independent has the opportunity to harness the opportunities available in a digital landscape; building the brand an independent identity and a distinct audience, while escaping from the world of printed publications, where the bland and the mass-reach are currently taking over.
People have not needed to buy a newspaper to stay informed for a very long time now; the rise of free daily papers The Metro & The Evening Standard, along with the free weekly publications that conveniently make up the working week have ensured this. Combine this with free digital content available online and you create a perfect storm.
Newspapers and magazines have always been personal identifiers; membership cards used to express one’s personal beliefs and political leanings, while allowing the reader to further explore these ideas, educating themselves in the process.
As we move towards an increasingly digital society, printed publications are becoming more significant as social badges; a display of dedication to these explorations.
Meanwhile digital publications, which give away the same content for free, are finally finding a way to ring-fence their audiences, creating clear audience segments that they can allow brands access to, re-establishing the old model.
Below, we briefly examine a few digital publications which have managed to successfully ring-fence their properties:
The Mail Online, for example, has created an incredible property through its side-bar of shame; something other brands struggle to compete with (perhaps because they feel brand integrity is worth too much). Like it or not, the Sidebar is a valuable asset to the Mail Online, fuelling debate and keeping audiences from getting their judgemental fix elsewhere.
Buzzfeed created its own unique way of delivering content; by putting human interaction first and always striving for content that people inherently want to share, it became a platform known for its viral capabilities. Brands now fight to work with Buzzfeed, creating unique content that resonates with their audiences in an effort to be seen as more approachable.
Vice has always been available for free; using a no-holds-barred approach with controversial points of view. Unique, owned content has helped attract and maintain their hardcore following. Now a digital media powerhouse, Vice is able to offer this same attitude-heavy reporting through different channels, focusing especially on video where their created content is clear and most effective. Vice’s most valuable asset is its dedicated taste-maker following.
Although Reddit has been struggling to make money from its offering, a broad user-base that research and generate the news has turned into a community, who consistently return to know what’s new and discuss what matters to them. With such a wide user-base, Reddit has become a haven for special-interest groups, with a segmented core of dedicated followers that offer significant opportunities for brands to interact with directly.
News aggregator Qz has recently released its own app, by leveraging the insight that people are increasingly reading news through their phone, it aims to interact with the user on the same level; providing conversational reporting and unique ways to interact (such as GIFs and messaging) in a hope to capture an audience who are truly passionate about news.
What is perhaps most interesting about the above examples is that they each leverage an emotion, a hook that readers return to again and again to experience and share. From distraction & surprise, through to anticipation & annoyance.
So what does the Indy need to do to thrive as a digital entity?
While there is undoubted competition from younger newsbrands, the Indy has to ensure that they retain and grow their audience, continue to innovate and have a sound commercial footing.
Mohawk work closely with the Guardian whose digital-first strategy is already maturing.
The Independent will no doubt note how their peers successfully transitioned from a left-leaning British newspaper to a leading quality global newsbrand, the subtle change of URL from guardian.co.uk to theguardian.com marking this transition. The Guardian now have which operations in the US, India and Australia, there is no daily newspaper in these territories.
Of course a domain change was not the only element at play here. The Guardian’s stateside expansion and continued investment in journalism paid off with the scoop of the century for which The Guardian shared the Pulitzer Prize with the Washington Post for Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing on the NSA.
Delivering this complex study via the award-winning interactive piece, ‘NSA Files: Decoded’ heralded the age of digital innovation for news and the trend for more immersive ‘storytelling’ pieces.
The Independent and the Guardian are both on the cutting edge here successfully blending reporting with data visualisation and video content in a way no print publication could ever do, or for that matter, their digital competition.
But what really sets the Guardian apart is their audience, which they label Progressives. These are free thinking individuals who value the Guardian’s independent heritage and the platform it gives them to bring power to account, that and of course a love of soda bread, not a million miles away from the Independent’s audience.
The Guardian’s acute knowledge of this group and the wealth of data from its various collateral (websites, apps, social media) spawned Guardian Labs, an in-house content marketing shop which partners with brands to create ‘unstoppable stories’ that resonate with this growing network of global influencers.
This has been further strengthened by the launch of the Pangea Alliance; a media network of quality news brands which includes the FT and the Economist. With an audience of over 110 million ‘influencers’, programmatic technology and data ensures that branded content and advertising hits the sweet spot of an incredibly valuable audience.
Some would argue that the Guardian has the safety net of the Scott Trust but with digital revenues on the up, it’s clear that there is a viable business model for digital savvy newsbrands. There are going to be more opportunities for customer growth via emerging platforms that have massive untapped young audiences, such as Apple News and Snapchat Discover.
So, the answer for the Independent may not be in the physical manifestation of their brand but in its DNA; the building blocks of quality content, audience insights, commercial savvy and innovation, where they must excel.
As more publishers move over to digital-first or digital-only models, the only way to compete in an ever-wider marketplace is to produce something unique and of value, both for audiences and the brands that want to access them.
If the Indy are not to be tomorrow’s digital fish wrapper they should ensure they strive to:
- Stay laser focussed on ‘independent’ quality journalism and content.
- Develop a real relationship with and understanding of their audiences.
- Crystallise the essence of their audience in a narrative that is easily understood by media owners and buyers.
- Connect brands with these audiences via quality branded content rather than be reliant on traditional display advertising.
- Stay on the upward curve of innovation and user experience.
- Leverage 3rd party news platforms and social networks, such as Apple News, Snapchat and Facebook.
- Adopt a youth policy/steering committee to understand the next generation of Independent readers.
- Have an owner with vision and deep pockets.
What do you think? Are you sad to see the demise of the Indy and anticipate more newsbrands follow suit? Or do you think access and consumption of news content is thriving via digital media. Let us know in the comments below.
