Audience Engagement Digital Publishing
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The Must-Read Publishing Stories You May Have Missed May 17th 2019

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How QR codes are helping reinvent print magazines in South Africa, ad-blocking rates at a 3 year low, and more

Learning the limits of A/B testing

The Economist is known for being one of the most forward-thinking publishing brands when it comes to data and audience monetisation. They’re frequently held up as being one of the long-standing believers in reader revenue, which is more relevant now than ever before.

The Economist’s Head of Insight and Data Science, Adam Davison explored the brand’s paywall evolution at the PPA Festival on Thursday 9th May, and the key finding that stood out for us was Davison highlighting the limits of A/B testing.

A/B tests can only tell you about the short term impacts of changes; the immediate response. What it can’t tell you is how that will affect long-term business goals. Davison’s outline of how the publisher overcame these challenges is a must-read for any publisher looking to understand the long-term impact of becoming a data-driven business.

@WNIP

What’s new this week

How QR codes are helping reinvent print magazines in South Africa

While there are a growing number of publishers dipping into ecommerce online, print magazines have largely remained static in their approach to shopping. But one publisher has taken the idea of magazines as a shop window to a whole new level using QR codes.  

Publishers that closed their comments sections made a colossal mistake
In pursuing this strategy, publishers placed more distance between themselves and their users.
Making an impact with 360-degree content
Creating a high-value proposition means revolutionising content. Mary Hogarth explains why her 360-degree approach will add value and engagement.
Inside the Economist’s data-driven paywall evolution
Adam Davison explored the brand’s paywall evolution, and explained how data has been used to take it to its present iteration.
Ad blocking rates at a 3-year low to almost single-digits, AOP audit reveals
According to the findings, ad blocking rates fell to 10.3% in 2018, the lowest in the three-year period. This is compared to the average rates of 11.6% in 2017 and 12.5% in 2016.

Should news publishers get in bed with Amazon?

Given the roles Facebook and Google played in siphoning away both attention and money from news publishers, do those same publishers face similar risks getting in bed with Amazon?

AI and media – where next?
Perhaps the biggest issue surrounding artificial intelligence, and in particular its use in the media, is that executives need to finally grasp what AI actually is.
The mission of magazines, with CEO of Associated Media Publishing Julia Raphaely
Julia Raphaely takes us through how magazines can act as storefronts, the differences between the SA and UK magazine markets, and why people are continuing to make time for print.
Subscribers are 34.5% more engaged compared to occasional readers, study shows
More and more publishers report an increase in the number of subscribers; reader revenue is gradually becoming one of their most important sources of revenue.
How are big data technologies impacting journalism?
While the idea of big data is hardly a new one, the technologies enabling it have altered our relationship with it irrevocably.
Audio beyond the Anglosphere: What publishers need to know
We dive into the status of audio in non-English speaking countries, explore the differences and similarities of these audio initiatives, and highlight innovative audio projects.
Internet advertising rises above $100 billion
Internet advertising revenue has officially passed the US$100 billion mark growing by 386 percent in about a decade, according to a newly released report from IAB and PwC.