Case studies from a new INMA report suggest a crossover point for mobile news consumption in the next two years.
Based on 15 case histories from around the world, ‘Emerging mobile strategies for news publishers’ concludes that smartphones and tablets – which “expand the clock” for news consumption – represent the tipping points for the all-access subscription bundle revolution it says is sinking in with consumers.
“A flexible mobile strategy is key for whatever comes next,” says author Shelley Searle, in an summary, declaring the rapid shift to mobile news consumption as inevitable.
While content must become ubiquitous across all platforms, the mobile web and mobile apps deliver different experiences for different objectives, smartphone products should serve some kind of utility, while those for tablet products should be immersive.
Consumers are moving fluidly from print to digital as well as between digital devices, and expect timely information from mobiles with crucial differences in the value propositions according to age.
Mobile is a central element to the emerging toolkit of marketing solutions news companies sell to potential advertisers – targeting geography and behaviour – and needs to be pushed hard in news company sales staffs.
However, the enduring premise of the report is that “mobile combined with social media equals engagement,” it says.
The 15 publishers had different goals and expectations. At the Financial Times, the aim was to make mobile more appealing than print, and to have a direct relationship with its readers. It has a global strategy and seeks to capitalise on emerging markets. HTML5 is being used as one way to achieve technological nimbleness.
Helsinki-based Sanoma has more than 50 mobile applications for different operating
systems and sites optimised for mobile devices in Finland, and says it pays careful attention to changes in how people use different media. As a result, it plans significant change in design next year for both mobile and print.
In London, The Guardian is guided by the principles that mobile should be broadcast free, advertiser-funded, and available to everyone on any device anywhere in the world, any time, day or night.
The San Francisco Chronicle markets its free apps heavily, and its parent company has invested heavily in mobile, building its own technology and partnering with other providers. The Chronicle also leverages mobile delivery by taking full advantage of interactive capabilities through social media.
For readers of the Toronto Star, mobile delivery comes at no cost and is tailored to take advantage of mobile’s potential for interactivity. It is happily turning online verticals – such as travel, automotive, and shopping – into cash. Mobile sponsorships are working for Telegraph Media Group, which is expanding both readership and revenue.
In the same way, ‘Ekstra Bladet’ has won a new group of readers – those in the younger age range – through its mobile delivery. It has found that video content helps increase mobile readership and may diversify its content for mobile.
With web apps built to work on all platforms using responsive design, Deseret News Publishing Company is experiencing unprecedented growth in both print and online by focussing on stories that are distinct to its voice.
These and other case histories are among 15 in the report. The last word, however, belongs to Chicago’s Tribune Company, which warns that “the key thing with apps, or any mobile product… is that you are never really done building them”.
The report by Searle – an Austin, Texas, freelance writer – has been edited by L. Carol Christopher, Dawn McMullan and Earl Wilkinson. For more information visit www.inma.org.