Nina LinkPresident and CEOMagazine Publishers of America
Opening Remarks Magazines 24/7: Connecting with the ConsumerFebruary 27, 2007New York, NY
Good morning. Welcome to our third “Magazines 24/7” digital conference.
Almost two years ago, when we conceived the idea for the first conference, our biggest question was: will enough people attend? Well…knew the answer to that rather quickly
Back then – and we’re only talking fall of 2005 – YouTube, Second Life and Social Networking were barely on the radar screens of media executives. The long tail hadn’t yet entered our vernacular. And blogging was quickly becoming The Next Big Thing. What I’m saying is that the world moves fast. Scary fast.
These are uncertain times. Make no mistake about it. But for content creators and content brand managers, these are also exhilarating times. The canvas for their work has been greatly expanded way beyond the printed word and still life image. We have the most amazing tools at our fingertips to provide sound, and moving pictures and images. Our fabulous editors, writers, photographers, and art directors now have new worlds to explore. The digital world liberates them so their creative output can connect with consumers in a 24/7 environment on a variety of platforms.
On the page. On the web. On the go.
It also allows us to work with our advertising partners to deliver more engaged communities of users with common interests.
Magazine publishers have been busy on the digital front in the last year. We know. We follow this space very closely. In fact, MPA tracked more than 150 digital initiatives that were announced by consumer magazines in 2006. Our members have created online film festivals, interactive dating blogs, downloadable sports tickers, bridal sites with virtual fitting rooms and much more. They’ve introduced online social networks, launched in-house production companies to generate more video and audio content, and created virtual test drives for car enthusiasts.
I could go on and on. But the picture is clear. We’re witnessing an unprecedented burst of creative energy in our industry. I think one word sums it up clearly. Wow.
The purpose of today’s conference is to help us keep up with the change that’s all around us and better understand the profound shift in our business. We’re here to learn from digital innovators, entrepreneurs and thinkers who have spent their careers outside the magazine industry. And we’re also spotlighting our own digital leaders who have built powerful online brands that have transformed their businesses. To that end, we have created MPA’s first-ever digital awards where we honor excellence in 11 categories. We’ll be announcing the winners immediately following lunch. So be sure to stay for the afternoon.
At the end of the day, we want you not only to be inspired, but to walk away with practical ideas on leveraging your brands in the digital age.
And now I’d like to welcome conference Chairman Colin Crawford of IDG. Colin truly represents the bifurcated magazine executive of today with a foot in print and a foot in digital. Until 2003, he was the CEO of IDG’s MacWorld Magazine, which gave him a front row seat at the digital revolution. He now works as IDG’s key evangelist overseeing the transformation of the company’s brands from print to online media.
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