a silent revolution. embedded publishing and its consequences for the newspaper sector

A Silent RevolutionEmbedded publishing and it’s

consequences for the newspaper sector

Sander Spek, Jan Bierhoff

INM-EC/DC

Zuyd University

The Netherlands

Flemish E-publishing Trends

• Strategic research

• Multi-disciplinairy

• Focus on production, content,and user

• Validation tracks– www.fleet-research.be (en)

– www.fleet-project.be (nl)

Agenda

• Embedded publishing

• Embedded publishers: cases studies

• Motives

• Characteristics

• Implications and strategies

Embedded publishers?

• Organisations and professionals that publish on a regular basis and a significant scale…

Embedded publishers?

• Organisations and professionals that publish on a regular basis and a significant scale…

• …but that don’t do so for the publishing itself. It’s just a mean, in support of a main goal.

Embedded Publishing

Source-generated Content

Business goals

Political goals

Public safety

Science

Or higher goals

What is happening here?

• Why are these organisations and persons doing this?

• What does it mean for traditional independent media?

Motives

Motives

First of all:

Because now they can

Motives

Secondly:

Discontent about the

current media

Discontent

• Unfair business model

• Media coverage of themselves

• Media coverage in general

• But also happy customers

Characteristics

Control-driven

Characteristics

Stake-driven

Characteristics

Instrumental

Characteristics

Freedom of format

Characteristics

Refuge for

talent

Characteristics

Incremental

(incidental?)

growth

Five strategy options

1 – Counter

• Focus on own strength,and the flaws of EP

• Be the independent andqualitative alternative

• Innovate content and form

2 – Allow-in

• Open up

• Yet separate

3 – Collaborate

• Joint venture

• Selected partners

• Blending of editorialand commercial content

4 – Facilitate

• The brand as a platform

• Portal function

• Focus on skills of packaging contentand reaching large audiences

5 – Service

• Provide journalistic services toembedded publishers

• Focus on skills of content creation

Conclusions

• EP is a silent revolution

• EP is growing and becomingmore of a threat to incumbentmedia

• Newspapers need to comeup with strategies. We’vepresented five models.

Thank you

• Sander Speka.spek@hszuyd.nl

• Jan Bierhoffjan.bierhoff@hszuyd.nl