Waiting for the second generation digital media product

Media companies are fighting to be among the first to offer paid news apps on iPad. But most of them are based on a print paradigm. When will we see the first revolutionary second generation digital media app?

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Plenty of media companies seem to rejoice in the opportunities presented by iPad and similar technologies. Finally they seem have a platform to replicate the traditional subscription model.

Has the media industry been saved?

Of course not.

Ipad is great for telling stories, but does not in itself make it easier to make money. One reason is that success in this new media landscape requires a radically different way of thinking.

At the moment almost all media companies of any size are trying to build models for user payment. That includes my own employer Aftenposten, the soon-to-be largest newspaper in Norway, where I work as digital strategist. We all try to create digital products that users will be willing to pay for.

Many hope apps for iPad will prove a viable model. However, after having looked at some of the first news apps for iPad as well as other efforts in the media industry, I think it is fair to conclude as following:

Most of the efforts are in fact trying to replicate the print model of presenting the news. Some of the characteristics are:

• A daily package of the most important stories, neatly edited and presented according to their significance and relevance. Quite often it is more or less an exact copy of the printed newspaper.
• Important print concepts are kept, including “pages”, “edited frontpages”, a daily update rather than a continuous of new stories, layout and navigation similar to the newspaper, text and photos as the core elements of almost all stories, not much interactivity, and the content is based on what is printed in the newspaper.
• A strong belief in the value of receiving this daily package of edited content and an overwhelming confidence in readers willingness to admire the selection skills of the editors of the newspapers even when content in general is being disaggregated on new digital platforms

Is this bad?

Of course it is!

In the long term just copying the print model will not work.

Yet it may still be necessary and even smart to do so in a  transition period in order to really succeed in the next phase.

In an ideal world media companies with a long history of presenting the news to the public would swiftly shift to a new paradigm and start presenting their content to new generations of consumers without the restraints of the past.

However, the world is not ideal. And human beings do not take easily to demands of change. Also: It does take a lot of time and effort to find new ways of doing things, whether you have the traditions or not.

Therefore: Realistically speaking, for most media companies replicating the print experience is a necessary first step towards developing a future digital concept.

There are two main reasons why most media companies end up with this approach.

Technological restraints: It is the easiest – and quite often the only feasible – way to market fast. Productions systems and the workflow in most media companies are set up for production of a print product and a web site. As the print version usually is considered the premium version, most media companies naturally would try to make a digital premium product based on this content, either as a PDF version or a more sophisticated solution.

Cultural restraints: Journalists are trained to think in terms of single products and normally lack the skills to develop content for several platforms simultaneously. For most media companies the transfer from being a “single-purpose company” to become a “multi-purpose company” is a huge cultural challenge not only requiring new skills, but also a completely different mindset.

And let’s face it: Getting out there with a first generation digital product is much, much better than not introducing any product at all waiting for the perfect solution. By experimenting – and failing – media companies gain valuable experience. Chances are that the early movers will be the winners in the long term.

But it is now time to wait for the next generation digital media products. And I imagine we will see some awesome and compelling news apps for iPad later this year as the most brave media companies rething their approach. It will be a completely new way of telling news stories.

What would characterize the second generation digital media products?

Nobody really knows, of course. We have seen a number of media companies publish the results of prototypes.  Many of them are quite inspiring and it will be interesting to watch them come to live on iPad or other platforms.

Here are some of the characteristics I imagine will define the next generation of digital media products:

• They are truly digital products in their own right, not just replicating the print experience.
• The apps will make full use of the multimedia tools available to creative designers. Video, interactive graphics and sound will be integrated in the product in a very smart way.
• The media products will focus on telling great stories in a compelling way.
• Readers will interact with the stories and the media designers will make full use of the possibilities presented by the touch screens.
• The concept of “issues” will fade away. You really don’t need it in the digital world.
• Products will be made for sharing and engagement.

I really look forward to use this next generation media products – and I think we will see them quite soon.

In the meantime I suggest you read this excellent article by Thomas Baekdal (which I admit I have stolen a couple of ideas from): Debunking the digital magazine.

Related articles by on other sites

• Apple’s iPad may give media executives a chance to make money (guardian.co.uk)
• Media Apps Among Most Popular iPad Downloads (blogs.wsj.com)

Tagged as: digital future, E-readers, iPad, media, newspapers