New Media transcends the digital divide

Overseeing the company's digital strategy Lindsay, previously the managing director for Mnemonic and head of the digital division and national marketing for online bank 20twenty, says her role is to ensure that NMD delivers first-class digital strategy alongside NMP's core magazine business.

“Today's digital technologies allow publishers to get closer to their consumers more than ever before,” says Lindsay. “By publishing content on different mediums such as websites, intranets and mobizines, companies can go beyond the printed material to add greater value to increasingly mobile and time-poor consumers.”

Creating e-business networks and taking the niche lifestyle titles they are so well known for into another realm to enhance the brand equity of their clients, NMD is currently a service and content provider to various clients including New Media's print titles Eat Out, Eat In, VISI, the recently launched Boeke Insig and Hip2b2. They also handle virtual communications for corporates like BMW Motorrad.

According to Lindsay, although magazine publishers may have been initially wary of losing readers to their cyber sisters, results of survey by Deloitte, the business advisory firm, and the UK Association of Online Publishers (AOP), found that the majority of magazine website users (68%) also read the parent magazine: proof, according to the AOP, that the audience is loyal to the brand.

“The report also states that of those magazine website users who do not read the magazine equivalent, 41% claim never to have read the printed title in the past. In other words, websites can serve as a powerful tool to attract new users to the brand,” says Lindsay. Furthermore, digital revenue now accounts for 17% of UK publishers' overall £7bn annual revenues and concluded that digital investment by advertisers has boosted, not compromised publishers' revenues.

Overall, the report states that print is still regarded as a valued means of consumption. Lindsay concludes: “No matter which communication channel our readers decide to use, we won't lose sight of our fundamental strength and expertise and that is to produce brilliant content. Whether it is delivered on a printed page, in a text message or on your fridge screen – the content should always deliver quality material that readers trust and value. This is what will distinguish successful brands from the on-line masses and ensure longevity and sustainability.”