Digital publishing news for February 20, 2014
eMedia Vitals is reporting that The Guardian has launched a new Guardian Labs division. Rob O’Regan writes, “The UK’s Guardian kicked off the launch of Guardian Labs, its new foray into marketing services and native advertising, in grand fashion: announcing a seven-figure partnership with Unilever.” The Labs division will be staffed by 133 people that will create content on behalf of brands. O’Regan adds, “The Unilever partnership will focus on the topic of sustainable living and will include interactive and cross-media content and live events.”
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Kiip Ads Rewards to Meredith Apps
Ad Week is reporting that Meredith has partnered with mobile startup Kiip to offer rewards within their apps. Emma Bazilian writes, “The mass women’s magazine publisher and broadcaster will use Kiip to offer consumer rewards like coupons or product samples on its AllRecipes Dinner Spinner and Better Homes and Gardens’ Must-Have Recipes apps.”
Kiip seems like a great fit for food magazines. Bazilian adds, “a person who bookmarks a recipe for quinoa could receive an offer from Quaker for a healthy snack sample, while someone who adds the ingredients for a pasta recipe to their shopping list might get a coupon for Ragu.” Coupon redemption rates in recipe apps have been as high as 22 percent. We look forward to hearing more details about this partnership.
Food Network Magazine App Gets Update
Talking New Media is reporting that the Food Network Magazine app has received an update. D.B. Hebbard writes, “adding social media sharing, as well as a way to save recipes and other article features into folders. The Newsstand app is universal, though the new features are currently exclusive to the iPad version and will require another update to bring to the iPhone edition.” Hebbard mentions that the app is still hindered by the lack of video content.
Carlos Slim Increases His Stake in The NY Times
Fishbowl NY is reporting that Carlos Slim, the second richest man in the world, is increasing his investment in The New York Times. Chris O’Shea writes, “By the end of 2014, Slim is expected to exercise stock warrants that he obtained in 2009 via a $250 million loan to the paper. If he does, Slim will double his stake in the Times to as much as 19 percent. Slim, who owns eight percent of Times stock, is currently the company’s second largest stock owner.” Slim was the richest man in the world from 2010-2013.
Next Issue Update Improves Storage
Next Issue has released a new update to its app that improves the way the digital magazines are stored. D.H. Hebbard writes, “The app update also now sports a setting that allows readers to regulate the number of magazines on their devices, automatically deleting older issues to make room for new ones – a smart feature.” The new update also has push notification to let you know when a new issue is ready to be downloaded.
