Digital Publishing News for December 18, 2013
The digital landscape gives publishers the opportunity to provide a variety of content on different devices. This versatility is expanding the idea of what a digital magazine can be.
Panna, for instance, is a new digital cooking magazine that relies on showing videos of recipes on the iPhone and iPad. Naakai Addy writes, “Panna’s videos not only guide you through individual meals; the Chefs give you tips and tricks to help you become a savvier cook in general. You can pause when you need to, rewind when you missed a detail, and see exactly how each step is supposed to look as you’re working on it.”
With interactive devices and mediums, it’s no wonder that magazines are expanding their content offerings and developing new niches in the process.
Local Magazines Most Likely to Succeed
An article from the FOLIO website discusses how local magazines have been able to fill a void left by local newspapers cutting staff and companies like AOL’s Patch network. Michael Rondon writes, “Art, entertainment and lifestyle were cut … that’s left a widening void for community service journalism, but Patch, by and large, has been unable to fill it. City and regional magazines have instead.”
According to Mediafinder, “The city and regional sector remains one of the strongest in the industry.”
It seems that with the digital aspect of magazines, it’s easier to produce timely content while still covering the topics important to local communities.
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Facebook Turns to Video Ads
It seemed like only a matter of time before Facebook started bringing more types of advertising to the massive social network. Video ads are the new foray, and they may be financially successful. Seth Fiegerman writes, “Facebook confirmed Tuesday that it is testing video ads this week that automatically start playing in the News Feed on desktop and mobile. The move is among the most significant of the company’s many, many efforts to introduce new revenue-generating products following its IPO last year. Some analysts predict that video ads could be a billion-dollar market opportunity for Facebook, but it comes with the risk of potentially alienating users.”
Do you think these new video ads will become a headache for Facebook users, or will they be wildly successful? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Flipboard Gets Social
With the new update to the Flipboard iOS app, you can share articles with other Flipboard users. Jon Fingas writes, “All shared articles now show up in a central area, and you can turn this list into a magazine if your friends have impeccable taste.”
Your friends must already be Flipboard readers to get the shared content, but it’s pretty interesting that you can create magazines for friends, or vice versa.
Johnson Publishing Names CRO
Todd Brown has been named the first chief revenue officer for Johnson Publishing Co.
Steve Cohn writes, “Brown, who is also a JPC executive VP, is assuming many of the advertising sales responsibilities held by Stephen Gregory Barr, who ended a 2½-year stint as group publisher earlier this fall. Brown is leading the company’s “worldwide growth and strategy for all media revenue initiatives” as well as managing the media sales team and broker firms.”
