Content publishers at Hearst, Time Inc., and Bonnier are creating new partnerships with Alexa, Twitter, and Skype, respectively
We’re seeing some of the biggest content publishers utilizing partnerships to build upon their large online audiences. Today we’re looking at these partnerships and what they mean for the publishers involved.
We begin today with Hearst, who has partnered with Amazon’s Alexa for a pioneering foray into ambient computing. Folio: reports, “What if publishers started programming the new generation of audio assistants as a kind of hybrid of daily news, on demand radio/podcasting and information resource? That’s the sort of experiment Hearst recently launched for the Amazon Echo with its “My Beauty Chat” voice-first brand. Once the skill is enabled, asking Alexa to open the app offers you a choice of hearing a morning or afternoon 5-10 minute beauty program or a tip of the day. With launch support from sole sponsor L’Oreal, Hearst is programming this project aggressively, with two daily shows (one available before 4 p.m. and the other after) as well as a daily beauty tip.”
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Why has Hearst decided upon a unique form of advertising for its partnership with Alexa. The article continues, “Interestingly, with My Beauty Chat, Hearst is also experimenting with a novel kind of native advertising. In the daily drop of content, the daily tip is the piece specifically powered by project sponsor L’Oreal.”
“This approach gives the sponsor a substantial dose of daily branded content, but it is distinct from the show itself. When the user launches the skill each day, Alexa asks whether you want to hear the show or the tip.”
Our next story looks at a partnership between content publishers at Time Inc. and Twitter for the creation of PeopleTV Videos. MediaPost reports, “Time Inc. has made a deal with Twitter to stream its OTT network PeopleTV on the social platform. Time Inc. will stream select real-time programming on the Twitter handle @PeopleTV starting November 20.”
“PeopleTV launched in 2016 as People/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN) to produce short- and long-form programming covering celebrities, pop culture and lifestyle, but changed its name to the more recognizable PeopleTV this fall.”
The article continues with thoughts on Time Inc.’s strategy for partnering with Twitter. “For Time Inc., the deal is another example of the publisher testing out new ways to expand its digital video production and snag more advertisers, when print and newsstand revenue are declining. The company cut 300 jobs in June, though it reached a record 1 billion monthly digital video views in April and expects to produce more than 50,000 videos and over 1,500 live programming hours this year.”
Our last story looks at a partnership between content publishers at Bonnier and Skype for creating a new chatbot. Folio: reports, “The rise of the chatbot is becoming less and less gimmicky as publishers continue to find valuable use cases for them. Bonnier’s Saveur was the latest magazine media brand to introduce one…Bonnier teamed up with the Microscoft-owned messaging platform Skype which allows users to chat about recipes and tap into Saveur‘s trove of content.”
The article continues with a reason for Bonnier’s engagement with Skype. “…the scale of Skype is significant here for a brand like Saveur, which has a bi-monthly print audience of under 500,00 and a digital audience of somewhere around 10.5 million. It’s a mechanism to reach well beyond the brand’s wingspan.”
Are you among the content publishers needing a new audience development strategy? If you’d like to discuss how we can help you increase your audience, revenue and profits, please reach out to schedule a no obligation chat with Don Nicholas, our Founder, Chairman & CEO.
