SCMP

Another exciting announcement by NewspaperDirect.  This week, South China Morning Post (SCMP) became the 700th title on NewspaperDirect’s Global Digital Network.

First published in 1903, SCMP is Hong Kong’s premier English language newspaper and has the city’s most affluent and influential readership.  Now the world gets to read it cover to cover on PressDisplay.com.

“We are excited about partnering with NewspaperDirect. This relationship will benefit our readership, bottom line and brand,” said David Savelson, Assistant Director of the South China Morning Post. “For no up front cost, we can now expand our global distribution. And our readers can find the actual newspaper in almost any country they find themselves.”   

Wow, 700 titles.  It seems like only yesterday we were at 500.  Okay, it was about a year ago, but time sure flies when you’re adding 200 titles to PressDisplay.com and our global Print-On-Demand network as well.

And if you think that was fast…check out our website now - we’re at 720 and growing, almost daily now.

Gayle

Ahoy there!

It probably comes as no surprise to you that even the super-rich still like to read their favorite newspapers with their morning coffee, no matter where they are — yes, even while they’re afloat.  Many have gone to some incredible lengths to scour the local ports for their daily fix and come up empty.  But not any more…

Today, on board many of the world’s most advanced super-yachts is a printing press of sorts as yacht captains offer their owners and guests a distinctly old-fashioned amenity: hard copies of their favorite local newspaper, available just as it rolls off the presses at the publisher. 

This is possible with ND Press from NewspaperDirect, which offers almost 700 newspapers, available every day online or for printing on board through a standard laser printer and an internet connection.  It’s much like PressDisplay.com, but with the added capability of being able to print an entire publication at one time and schedule printing ahead of time so you can print lots of papers in the middle of the night as they are published and have them waiting for you when you or your guests wake up.

Today, NewspaperDirect is seeing record orders for ND Press from the yachting industry. In fact, ND Press is now installed on 21 of the world’s 100 largest yachts, and demand has accelerated in recent months, with 84 installations on yachts around the world.  Owners love it, captains love it, the crew love it and guests are blown away by getting their local paper often before friends and family get it back home.

According to Captain Heinz Krodel of luxury motor yacht Zoom Zoom Zoom, “All our guests love it and they are pleasantly surprised when we present them with their favorite newspaper with their first breakfast on board. It is a very nice addition to the service we provide for both our owner and our charter guests, and we wouldn’t want to be without it.”

ND Press is also a very popular service for the hotel and aviation markets.  It’s a key product for NewspaperDirect where our motto is, “Give readers what they want - the way they want it - where they want it - when they want it.”

For more information on ND Press, jsut contact us here.

Gayle

To all publishers who want to Engage Readers and Fuel Audience Growth Using Digital Content, have I got an event for you! 

The Digital Publishing and Advertising Conference is being held on June 25th at the New York Marriott Marquis and NewspaperDirect’s Igor Smirnoff (Director of Strategic Development) will be participating on a panel that addresses that exact issue.

Track Session B – Publisher Track – at 3:30 PM will be where you can get answers to questions that keep you awake at night, such as:

- Can your digital content drive additional revenue and value for your company?
- How can you take full advantage of your digital content for data acquisition, paid subscriptions, product sales, and grow your overall audience?
- How can you reinforce the value among existing readers and deepen the connection between them and your brand?
- How can you  build and reinforce your subscriber database through digital publishing?

Moderated by Jeff Leibowitz, CEO, Laredo Group, the panel will also include:

Dave Rosenheim, CEO, JamBase
Lance Podell, CEO, Pulse360
Barbara Eskin, VP Consumer Marketing, Source Interlink Media
Michael Wilson, Founder & CEO, Small World Labs

The panel should be lively and provocative with this unique combination of talent.  And don’t forget to stop by afterwards and set up some time to talk to Igor about your challenges.   I think you might find that those challenges are just great opportunities in disguise.

Gayle

Hello everyone

In case you missed it, Randy Siegel, president of Parade Publications had a very interesting article in Ad Age today called Reports of Death of Papers May be Greatly Exaggerated.

As I read Mr. Siegel’s questions, I felt compelled to respond.  But there just wasn’t enough room to write in that little comment box they provide, so here I am…

It was Mr. Siegel’s premise that the future could be very bright for newspapers IF (and there are a lot of IFs) publishers would “embrace the rapidly changing forces that are fragmenting all media, then forge ahead with fortitude instead of complaining that “the good old days” are over.”

A man after my own heart :) 

Siegel:  “What if newspapers expand their editorial franchises and launch portfolios of print and digital products that meet the different information needs of their consumers?”

Gayle: Would that mean…give customers what they want (and then some…)  What a novel idea! You’re preaching to the converted, Mr. Siegel.  In fact, we’ve been preaching this message for years!

Siegel:  “What if newspapers start charging for the newsroom content that portals and online aggregators pilfer and profit from without paying a cent?”

Gayle:  In case you missed it, NewspaperDirect just announced support of ACAP?  This would definitely go a long way to protecting publishers’ high value content.

Siegel: “What if newspapers increase their investment in sales and marketing talent and superserve their advertisers with creative ideas and terrific service, integrating their print and online assets?”

Gayle: “Superserve advertisers!”  I love that phrase. What if newspapers could give advertisers more bang for their advertising buck?  What if customers could interact with advertisers w/o every leaving the newspaper giving publishers the retention that serves them and their advertisers?   With Adget…they can.

Siegel: “What if newspapers invest in sophisticated research tools to quantify how print ads can move product and provide superior return-on-investment value to advertisers?”

Gayle:  Have you heard about Reading Map?  NewspaperDirect’s proprietary Reading Map technology allows publishers to analyze reading patterns throughout their publications, gaining valuable insight into what elements of the publication are read most and least. This information is essential in order to better understand the impact of editorial content, layout and advertising on reading behaviour — and therefore the value provided to the reader or advertiser.

Siegel: “If advertisers can measure their sales, newspapers can do more to measure their impact at the cash register, especially with three out of four readers saying they rely on newspapers to help make purchasing decisions.”

Gayle: Imagine being able to measure the impact and result of every ad placed within a newspaper?  Combine Reading Map and Adget technologies and you’ve got the tools you need to do exactly that.

Siegel: “What if newspapers learn from MySpace and Facebook and create social-networking sites…Newspapers have a huge opportunity to leverage social media to facilitate local connections around shared passions.

Gayle:  Great idea Mr. Siegel!  I hate to burst your bubble, but we’re already there :)  Have you checked out the latest release of PressDisplay.com?   “Social” is, and will continue to be, a big part of PressDisplay.com and SmartEdition ePapers.

Siegel: “What if newspapers hire more-provocative and -diverse voices, including high-school and college students, who can help create compelling content for their respective communities?”

Gayle:  At the risk of repeating myself…Social, social, social

Siegel: “What if some of these what-ifs yield positive results and newspapers discover a winning road map for the future?  If newspapers can monetize the reach of their combined print and online audiences, the future looks even better.”

Gayle:  Monetizing content is critical and I’m not talking just about increased circulation.  Newspapers need to embrace new cost-per-action advertising models and “social” to enable them to exploit their strength in local and be successful online.  To find out more how this can, and is, being done, contact us at digital@newspaperdirect.com .

Siegel: “With their newsgathering capabilities, dominant print and online franchises, and strong brands, newspapers still have time to reverse their fortunes, re-establish their relevance and survive. But they must evolve rapidly.”

Gayle:  Couldn’t agree more!

Yes, the future is bright for newspapers that evole with the urgency Mr. Siegel encourages.   And we can help!

Gayle

Hello all Library PressDisplay users!

I’m happy to announce that we’ve just launched the new Library PressDisplay Video Demo/Tutorial. 

If you’re new to PressDisplay and want to learn all about its features and functionality or you forget how a feature works, why not just open the Demo and click on the topic that interests you. 

You can reach the demo through this link here.

Or, you can click on the button at the top left corner of the Library PressDisplay Home page as shown here with a red circle.

I hope you find it useful. 

Gayle

Hello everyone.

A quick update on some news from NewspaperDirect, just in time for WAN’s 61st World Newspaper Congress.  Today, NewspaperDirect announced that it is adopting the Automated Content Access Protocol (ACAP) so that its publishing partners have better copyright protection of their content. 

According to CEO, Alex Kroogman, “ACAP puts the control of content back into the hands of publishers where it belongs.  By implementing this proposed standard, we enable our publishing partners to expressly state permissions of access so that they can now offer free and paid content within the same publication, giving them more opportunities to increase readership and monetize their high value assets.”

Many of NewspaperDirect’s publishers are already on the bandwagon.   Francisco Pinto Balsemao, Chairman and CEO of Impresa and former Prime Minister of Portugal shared his support on the ACAP website:

“The future of the newspaper and magazine industry is more secure now thanks to ACAP. We can be sure that our content will be viewed and distributed according to our own terms and conditions. As a business we now feel that any investment and innovation in the field of digital publishing will be fairly rewarded. I am convinced that ACAP will very quickly become a universal standard and will benefit every player in the digital publishing world.”

NewspaperDirect continues to see rapid adoption by publishers of its SmartEdition ePaper technology because:

1. It has a very appealing business model - no additional investment needed to take a print edition online, while taking advantage of the numerous distribution channels and reader platforms offered (desktop, laptop, mobile, libraries, corporate and government office, distributors, etc).

2. No client software is needed - it’s a fully web-based solution.

3. SmartEdition preserves the look and feel of the publication.

4. It’s ability to embed interactive advertisements with Adget - the “cost per action” advertising widget that brings higher returns to advertisers and revenues to publishers.

With this announcement, other publishers who have been reluctant to get on the digital train due to fear of copyright infringement battles with search engines, etc. can feel more secure that their content will be viewed and distributed according to their own terms and conditions, enabling them to focus on innovating to better monetize their online publications.

Sounds like a win-win to me!

Gayle

Congratulations Sonoma Index-Tribune on the official launch of your new digital newspaper and your mission to go paperless!

The 129 - year old, family- owned and- operated community newspaper is “going green” by delivering its entire publication online as a digital replica of its print version, complete with all of the advanced digital features offered by NewspaperDirect’s SmartEdition technology, such as easy-to-use navigation tools, powerful keyword searching, keyword monitoring with email notification, article sharing, a one-click ‘add to my blog’ feature, instant translation in up to 12 languages, integrated audio, back-issue access, photo galleries, and social media integration with Facebook, Digg and Del.icio.us.

Subscribers can also read the Epaper on their PCs, Macs, smart phones, BlackBerry devices, iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

I-T publishers Bill and Jim Lynch are trying to “convert” traditional newspaper readers into paperless newspaper fans and the new paperless edition is part of an overall effort by the publisher to reduce its environmental footprint by reducing its consumption of paper, ink and energy.

Subscribers to the I-T’s print edition will have free access to the new Epaper and then upon renewal of their current subscription, they can choose to continue delivery of the printed edition, or opt for the Epaper only and save a bundle on the subscription cost.

“The paperless newspaper, combined with our content-rich Web site, gives us a dynamic digital presence without the high consumption of newsprint and energy that a traditional newspaper requires,” Lynch said. “Our goal is a 50 percent reduction in our use of the paper and energy for the production and delivery of local news,” he added.

Sonomanews. com was named the best non-daily newspaper Web site in the United States by the National Newspaper Association in 2007, so they understand digital and its value to readers who want to choose a more environmentally friendly alternative to reading their favorite newspaper.

Well done, Bill and Jim! You are setting a benchmark for many publishers out there - keep it up and keep it green!

Gayle

If you like the Mac/PC ads, then I bet you will enjoy our Digital/Print ads which debate the value of SmartEditions and Printed Newspapers.  Check out this video and then you decide if going green and going digital is right for you.

Just send us your PDF of your newspaper when you send it to be printed and leave the rest to us.  No up front costs and no operational costs either.  What could be easier than that!

And your readers will still get all the paper without all the paper.

Want to learn more?  Contact digital@newspaperdirect.com and we’d be happy to prove it’s really that easy to go green.

Gayle

Exciting news this week for actors and casting directors…

NewspaperDirect Inc. and Nielsen Business Media today announced the launch of Back Stage Digital Edition — the online electronic replica of the weekly publication which, for the past 47 years, has been the most trusted resource for actors looking to find performing arts and casting information.

“Back Stage has always been a leading resource for actors, in print and on the Web,” said Neil Eisenberg, audience marketing director at Nielsen Business Media. “In working with NewspaperDirect on Back Stage Digital Edition, we have taken the publication and our readers’ experience to a whole new level, offering subscribers advanced digital features that enhance their reading pleasure and enable them to interact with industry-specific service providers like never before.”

This isn’t our first magazine from Nielsen (remember last June, The Hollywood Reporter, launched its SmartEdition) and it won’t be the last.   More Neilson digital editions will be announced soon because the publisher loves how easy NewspaperDirect makes the whole process for them.

“Distributing Back Stage Digital Edition through NewspaperDirect couldn’t be easier,” continued Eisenberg.  “We send the PDFs of our East and West Coast editions to them when we send the paper to print, and they take care of everything else.

Whether you use a PC, Mac, smart mobile device, BlackBerry, iPhone or iPod Touch, you can receive your Back Stage Digital Edition every week via email to your PC, Mac or mobile device.  There’s a free trial available, so why not sign up today.

And break a leg!

Gayle

According to a recent survey by McKinsey, almost 70 percent of executives around the world say that global social, environmental, and business trends are increasingly important to corporate strategy. Yet relatively few companies act on the global trends they think will affect them most.

Why do you think that is?  Why don’t corpoorations do more?

Well, it’s easy to point the finger and chastise them for not taking a more “global” position on social and environmental issues, but then we’d be living in a big glass house, wouldn’t we? 

Take a look around your office or your house and then ask yourself, “Am I thinking and acting globally?”  Oh sure, we all recycle our plastic and paper bags, bottles and newsprint, but is that enough? 

Everyday, I see dozens of people taking the next step and saying NO to plastic bags and buying those reusable cloth sacks to carry home their groceries (I have at least 1/2 dozen of them - I keep buying them when I forget to bring them to the store).  New “good” habits take a while getting used to, but I’ll persevere because I think it is the right thing to do.

And thousands of people are saying NO to newsprint and saying YES to digital newspapers instead.  Not only are they not giving up anything (except maybe inky fingers), they are gaining, by enjoying access to hundreds of international newspapers they never had the opportunity to read before, plus a ton of advanced digital features that enhance their reading pleasure.

NewspaperDirect introduced the Say NO to Newsprint Corporate Program a few weeks ago and it’s really taken off, so it would appear that some companies are starting to walk the talk about corporate sustainability.  This is great news.

But what about consumers?  Well yesterday, NewspaperDirect offered new users to PressDisplay.com unlimited access for a whole month for FREE if they registered with the offer code:  Earth Day.

The offer still stands so why not give it at try and then let me know what you think.  If you’re like me, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Gayle