by Jeanniey Mullen, Global EVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Zinio and VIV Magazine-
10,492. That is about how many different prerogatives I have heard about digital publishing’s future over the past 8 months. I started counting these on October 11, 2008. That seems to be the day when, for a number of reasons, the world realized that digital reading was not just an innovation any longer, but a reality.
Professionals from a number of industries: publishing, advertising, technology, research and services have all started pontificating about how digital publishing is going to change the way consumers will access, consume and value (aka. How much they will pay for) traditionally print media now available in a digital format.
It’s chaos!
But, it’s a good chaos. The entire ecosystem is bravely crossing into the next frontier: The Digital Divide. Over the next few months, anyone in the publishing industry will be able to say they were a part of a revolution. A revolution where digital stands up and takes permanent place in the hearts, minds and hands of consumers. This is a good and powerful revolution.
In it, publishers will be able to unleash creativity in designing publications with added depth and interactivity. New (profitable) business models already have, and will continue to be introduced, replacing older tired models. They will open up new opportunities to monetize brands like never before. And consumers will spend significantly more time with our publishing materials as it is easily integrated into their daily routine and lives.
There is a lot of work to be done, but there are a lot of hardworking companies our there (like Zinio, VIVmag, Popular Science, Outside’s GO, Just Cause, SPIN, ESPN, Starwood Hotels, Duncan Channon, Yoga Journal, PCMagazine, Media Ideas, The Direct Marketing Association, DM2, and many more) who are taking the bull by the horns, and are exploring this new world with vigor! And this is just the beginning.
These companies have not only embraced, but have started to effectively capitalize on digital publishing’s new opportunities in very unique, inviting and intelligent ways.
Every other week I will be interviewing a few of these companies and conducting and in depth interview about their efforts, successes, roadblocks and learnings. Is you are a skeptic, afraid, or unsure of what this new world has to offer, stay tuned, because this column will unlock valuable secrets on achieving success for the future.
As a final note, I would like to challenge all of those non-believers to actively comment, post and email me at jmullen@zinio.com or find me at empg on twitter to keep this conversation interesting and intriguing.
Need some phenomenal work to review to get your comments and conversations started? Zinio has made four NEW dynamically digital magazines (including interactive ads) available to you on demand. Just click on any of these links and enter the word “gozinio” in two times to start experience what happens when you step across the Digital Divide.
Complimentary copies are available for:
* VIVmag (See Beth Ostrosky Stern on the cover of the annual “Pet’s Issue”)
* Popular Science’s Genius Guide (See the new Greening Your Home Issue)
*Outside’s GO (Experience the entire Summer issue in digital-only, dynamic format)
* Just Cause (Explore the newly released Just Cause dynamic magazine)
