Writing for InPublishing, News UK’s group chief commercial officer lays out the opportunities for news brands by harnessing the disruptive power of digital
Carter outlines three opportunities for news brands which have previously been considered threats: the role of news brands in combatting misinformation, the power of data in fostering relationships with readers and advertisers and the focus of content over platforms.
The first opportunity, taking on the increasing issue of online misinformation, has already been harnessed through the news industry’s united front in providing readers with trusted information throughout the pandemic. Referencing the All Together public messaging campaign around Covid, Carter stresses that this “ability to work together as an industry” will be instrumental in turning threats into opportunities.
Secondly, he predicts ever-increasing ‘consumer-centric’ news brands in 2022, as third-party cookies come closer to their retirement. With data fuelling newsrooms and product teams, Carter sees greater commercial innovation, bolstering publishers’ relationships both with readers willing to share data for good user experiences and advertisers looking for unique insights and deeper partnerships.
Finally, the most successful news brands will be those maintaining a content-led approach when it comes to digital disruption of platforms, particularly as consumers become more aware of the sources they encounter online and value trusted sources as a result. “Smart devices are just another way to get that content in front of more people”, Carter writes.
For Carter, the threats of disruption are “one and the same” with the opportunities that come from them. He explains: “If we believe that disruption to traditional models is the existential threat, then I believe the measure of our success a year from now will be the extent to which we have become – and remained – the authors of our own disruption.
“Actively making the change, rather than waiting to be impacted by it.”
