This first appeared in the AdNews print magazine as part of our mobile feature. You can read the rest of the feature here, and if you want to read it hot off the press, you better subscribe here.
Ever since the launch of Google’s accelerated mobile pages and Facebook’s Instant Articles, publishers are no longer just up against each other. Now, they are playing with digital giants and big social media players that are keen to take a slice of the publishing pie.
The constantly changing media landscape, where consumers are shifting from print to mobile, has meant publishers have had to implement new strategies and evolve alongside their audiences. While Google’s and Facebook’s developments have enabled publishers to adapt more mobile-friendly content, they propose new challenges when it comes to monetisation.
Fairfax was the first local publisher to join the Australian launch of Facebook’s Instant Articles, coinciding with the announcement it would be revamping its website properties with the aim of creating a more mobile-friendly network.
Fairfax Media head of audience and digital strategy, Conal Hanna, told AdNews the publisher is still testing the waters with Instant Articles, but the ultimate question of its worth will be to see if it pays off commercially.
“One of the biggest challenges publishers have in monetising mobile is players like Facebook and Google absorbing ad dollars,” he said. “Facebook will have prove to publishers the benefits of keeping people in their ecosystem.”
There is consensus between publishers that content continues to come first despite the platform.
Pacific Magazines CEO, Peter Zavecz, previously told AdNews: “It’s not about the print product. It’s not about the platform. It’s about content.”
Breaking long-form myths
When it comes to challenges facing publishers as they move into a mobile world, Bauer Xcel Media managing director, Carl Hammerschmidt, said one of the biggest is “overcoming the perception that mobile is only good for shortform, snackable content”.
“We are finding that on long-form articles on Australian Women’s Weekly – up to 1000 words – delivered on mobile, average time on page (all devices) was 7.31, average time on mobile was 10% higher at 8.16,” he said.
Hammerschmidt revealed the success of long-form content allows Bauer as a publisher to provide “scalable and engaging mobile content experiences”, which in turn increases value to commercial partners.
Mobile-first Dolly
Bauer relaunched its iconic teen girl title Dolly as a mobile-first platform – a sure sign of where its audience is spending its time.
Hearst-Bauer Media general manager, Marina Go, told AdNews at the time of launch, the mobile-first approach was a “necessity for any business” and something she is considering for other titles in her brand portfolio which includes Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Cosmopolitan.
As part of its new approach, Dolly launched on Snapchat, a social media platform which publishers are keen to get on board with, but haven’t cracked the code on how to monetise. That could all change with Snapchat coming to Australian shores.
Discovering Snapchat
News.com.au launched on Snapchat Discover earlier this year, allowing editors to curate content specifically for a Snapchat audience.
Despite the investment, News.com.au managing director and NewsLifeMedia chief digital officer, Julian Delany, said while it hasn’t seen a return in profitability yet, it is only engaging with a “modest” audience on the platform at this stage This has however allowed News.com.au to trial the social media platform and better engage with a younger audience.
Delany told AdNews the hardest part of monetising mobile is the view that mobile advertising is worth less than desktop.
“Yes, there is less space and less real estate to sell, but surpassing the mindset that a mobile consumer isn’t valuable can be difficult,” Delany said. “That is why publishers turn to native advertising to merge advertising into consuming content on the site.”
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