The Rebooting Show

At last week’s Media Product Forum, which The Rebooting held in collaboration with WordPress VIP, I had a discussion with Dotdash Meredith chief product officer Adam McClean and The Daily Beast svp of product Samantha Winkelman about their respective product strategies. While both owned by IAC, the publishers are at vastly different sizes, with The Daily Beast having three people in product to DDM’s 75. The connective tissue of both: A focus on audience needs.

In a session recorded at The Media Product Forum in NYC, Bloomberg Media global head of product Marissa Zanetti-Crume shares how the media organization takes an audience-focused approach to building products. Marissa highlights the importance of understanding user behavior, particularly the shift towards personalized, relevant content delivered efficiently. She shares insights on Bloomberg's recent homepage redesign, the role of AI in enhancing user experience, and the strategic decisions driving their product development.

In a discussion held in Cannes, I sat down with Jason White, chief product and technology officer at The Arena Group, and Johanna Bergqvist, general manager of the managers at The Rebooting partner EX.CO. A part of the conversation that resonated was how White has zeroed in on revenue per session as what he calls the “God metric” that prioritizes session depth over raw page views. This is a recognition that traditionally digital media publishers have focused on eyeballs without understanding the intrinsic value of user engagement. "The days of not knowing the value of your audience and your content are kind of gone,” Jason said. “Marketers forever have had CRM experts; they know their audiences, they know the value of their users, the value of their products, their margins, etc. We've played an eyeball game for the past 30 years in digital media." The benefits: Organizational alignment. As highlighted in The Rebooting and WordPress VIP’s recent research, internal misalignment bedevils publishers. Different groups pursue different goals. The horror show of many webpages is a sign of internal misalignment and “shipping the org chart.” True personalization. There’s no personalization without understanding the person. RPS allows The Arena Group to figure out not just how best to serve visitors – “Is this a younger audience that wants to consume video?” Johanna said. “Let’s take them down more of a video path." – but how best to make money from them. Publishing is increasingly a game of finding the high value audiences within a mass of impressions. Resource allocation. The more-with-less era is a reality. It requires making hard choices about where to spend and where to cut. Having alignment on a KPI makes these choices somewhat easier, if no less painful.

In a session recorded at the Cannes Lions, Hearst Magazines CRO Lisa Ryan and Jen Dorre join the show to discuss how the publisher is responding to the shifts in advertising to performance-focused channels, including retail media and platforms.  Skip to topic: 00:00 Introduction 01:36 Realism in Publishing and Growth Strategies 04:45 Focus on Audience and Data Utilization 07:33 Innovative Ad Products and Consumer Engagement 13:03 Challenges and Opportunities in Attribution 14:26 The Role of Brand Storytelling 16:37 Hearst's Commerce Business 18:53 Understanding Consumer Behavior with AI 20:39 The Future of Programmatic Advertising 24:04 Premium Ad Strategies for Publishers

In this episode recorded at the Dotdash Meredith villa in Cannes, Dotdash Meredith CEO Neil Vogel and Axios senior media reporter Sara Fischer discuss the impact AI is set to have on the publishing business. Skip to topic: 00:00 Introduction 03:04 Challenges and Opportunities in Publishing 05:44 The Role of Algorithms in Media 13:02 AI Deals and Legal Considerations 22:47 AI's Impact on Business: Myth vs. Reality 25:38 The Future of Print and Digital Media 31:36 The Role of Credibility and Relevancy in Content 37:41 Adapting to the Digital Advertising Ecosystem 40:43 The Challenge of Intermediation in Publishing 42:58 Embracing Change and Enjoying the Chaos

This episode from Cannes of The Rebooting Show, presented by Outbrain, features David Kostman (CEO of Outbrain), Kate Scott-Dawkins (Global President for Business Intelligence at GroupM), and Johanna Mayer-Jones (chief advertising officer of the Washington Post). They discuss the ad market's growth contrasted with the decline in ad revenue for news publishers. Emphasizing the value of trusted journalism, they explore the importance of advanced audience targeting and AI in creating brand-safe environments. The conversation highlights the need for new strategies and better communication to showcase the value of news audiences to advertisers. Skip to topic: 00:00 Introduction 01:43 Panel Introduction and Discussion Overview 02:07 Ad Challenges in the News Business 06:31 Impact of Keyword Block Lists 08:19 Brand Suitability and Safety 23:23 Performance Marketing Trends

Semafor editor in chief Ben Smith sees a fragmenting media landscape and impatient owners running headlong into the peculiarities of newsroom culture, where bosses have never had an easy time. Enter the hard-charing Brits. Also: check out Ben’s new podcast, Mixed Signals, in which Ben and co-host Nayeema Raza unpack the real conspiracies of modern media. Skip to topic: 00:54 Introducing Ben Smith and Mixed Signals 04:14 Podcasting and Media Expertise 09:09 Challenges in Modern Newsrooms 20:11 Unionization and Media Management 23:40 The Washington Post's Third Newsroom 26:19 Semaphore's Journey and Business Insights 28:37 BuzzFeed News: Reflections and Lessons 35:28 AI in Journalism: Opportunities and Challenges 41:55 Starting from Scratch: Advantages and Strategies 43:22 The Role of Journalists in Modern Media

In the wake of Jeff Bezos buying The Washington Post in 2013 and the heady “Democracy Dies in Darkness” days following the 2016 election, The Washington Post was considered a credible rival to The New York Times. That’s no longer the case. New CEO Will Lewis is embarking on a turnaround at the Post, which lost $77 million last year. As Lewis put it, “We are in a hole, and we have been for some time.” On this week’s episode, Matt Cronin, founding partner of House of Kaizen, joins to discuss the Post’s strategy as laid out by Lewis. Skip to topic: 00:00 Introduction and Breaking News 01:00 Challenges Facing the Washington Post 02:20 Industry-Wide Transitions 03:51 Engagement and Product Strategy 05:49 Podcast Introduction and Format 06:12 Will Lewis's Turnaround Plan 09:29 Subscription Models and Audience Segmentation 22:13 Historical Context and Missed Opportunities 28:06 Peak Subscription Debate 31:47 The Paradox of Choice in Consumer Behavior 35:52 Volume vs. Value in Subscription Models 42:09 Challenges of Subscription Tiers 46:40 B2B Opportunities for News Organizations 51:59 Microtransactions in Media

Publishing is shifting from prioritizing breadth to rewarding depth. That starts with understanding the audience — and its segments — more granularly in order to create a more sustainable and varied business foundation. Cory Munchbach, CEO of BlueConic, shares her view of the next chapter. Skip to topic: 00:00 Introduction and Media Challenges 01:02 Welcome to The Rebooting Show 01:44 Discussion on Audience vs. Consumer 03:38 Key Takeaways from the New Growth Agenda 07:22 Challenges in Media Transformation 09:37 The Role of Technology and Organizational Structure 13:01 Existential Threats and Industry Nostalgia 18:22 Adapting to a Consumer-First Strategy 25:59 Navigating Data Collection and Audience Insights 30:16 The Role of AI in Audience Understanding 36:00 The Future of Personalization and Content Delivery 38:55 Transparency, Privacy, and Value Exchange 44:47 The Future of Advertising and Publishing

Scott Porch, founder of Big IP, which operates the business side of several popular lifestyle podcasts like The John Campea Show, Happy Sad Confused, Star Wars Explained, discusses that state of podcasting, and how it is morphing. He acts as something of a talent manager in expanding these podcasts into more well rounded media companies, with revenue coming from memberships and events. The growth of these businesses will not be driven by ads necessarily. "Podcasters are influencers in a lot of respects and they monetize like an influencer in a lot of respects,” Scott noted. Skip to topic: 00:00 Navigating the Complex World of Podcasting and Monetization 01:25 Introducing Scott Porch: The Podcasting Pro 02:31 The Intricacies of Podcast Production and Distribution 07:33 Exploring the Podcast Landscape: Growth, Challenges, and Opportunities 15:25 The Evolution of Podcasting: From Audio to Multi-Platform Engagement 19:30 The Future of Podcasting: Diversification and Creator Economy 26:25 Understanding Podcast Subscriptions and Membership Models 35:06 The Realities of Podcast Touring 37:52 Monetization Strategies in Podcasting 42:14 AI's Impact on Podcasting and Content Creation 48:36 The Debate Over Long-Form Podcasts 53:23 Challenges and Strategies in Podcast Distribution 58:50 Sponsorship and Monetization in the Podcast Industry