Digital Drivers - Nina Link

April 6, 2006

Nina Link
President and CEO
Magazine Publishers of America
April 6, 2006

Nina Link joined MPA as President and CEO in 1999 at the height of the first Internet boom. She came from the Sesame Workshop (formerly Children's Television Workshop) where she served as Group President, Publishing and Interactive. But what helped shape Link's hands-on digital knowledge and philosophy was her key role launching the Sesame Street website in 1998. Today, one of her main challenges is to help the magazine industry expand onto digital platforms.

Q. Why is digital a priority for MPA?
A. Digital is a priority for the consumer magazine industry. Magazines have tremendous assets to bring into the digital space. There are opportunities to bring in more revenue. Opportunities to expose new people to our magazine brands. Opportunities to interact with our readers.

Q. What do magazines bring to digital platforms?
A. They bring world class content. They bring community. They bring an edited voice and point of view. They bring advertising and sponsorship relationships. They bring incredible visual images. In short, magazines are perfectly positioned to take advantage of digital platforms.

Q. Is magazine content suited for digital platforms?
A. Absolutely. Magazines present information in chunks. That means the content can be reorganized, pulled apart and put together in new forms. In a sense, magazines are the original medium that has digestible pieces of information. That gives magazines a deep and rich database of content.

Q. What is the purpose of the work that the Boston Consulting Group is doing for MPA?
A. We asked BCG to help us identify a couple of digital growth opportunities for the magazine industry over the next few years. We decided to focus on two areas: search and wireless.

We're focusing on search because magazine content can provide both information and context. Our content has breadth and authority. We also want to examine our relationship with search engines. And we are looking at some of the initiatives we can undertake with our own channels or categories of search. It's not just about how many articles or pieces of information you can find on a topic. It's about the edited voice that helps the consumer navigate the search experience. We think magazines have a tremendous opportunity in this area.

Wireless is important because our information is "chunked." Our content is targeted. Our readers are part of a community experience and they care passionately about their subject of interest. They want to know where to buy and where to shop. That has incredible value in the mobile world. We need to look at what all magazines can do to take advantage of where mobile is heading.

Q. What is the length of BCG's engagement with MPA?
A. The first phase of research is done. They spent more than four months and they presented findings to MPA's board. We're looking at some follow-up activities based on the work they did.

Q. Last December, MPA held its first digital conference "Magazines 24/7." What was the industry reaction?
A. It was the highest-rated conference we have ever produced. It filled the tremendous need for more information about the subject area. Because of its success, this will now turn into a regular series. The next conference will be held April 26 in New York. We have a committee of digital executives from magazine publishers that helps us decide on the topics and speakers. "Magazines 24/7" really spotlights the best digital efforts in the magazine world.

Q. How can MPA help employees of member companies grow their digital skills?
A. MPA is playing a leadership role in this area. Through our professional development program, we offer digital courses for the novice to the more expert. Overall this year, we'll have more than eight digital seminars, including an internet strategy boot camp.

MPA-member employees can learn a lot by visiting the new digital section of our website, which is chock full of information about the digital aspects of our business. We are building it out on a weekly basis. We have best practices, case histories, a top 10 list of the most trafficked magazine websites, and links to magazine sites offering video and podcasts. Anyone who visits the digital section of our website will learn what's going on in our industry. It's also worth noting that we're weaving digital panels into our AMC this year. Our members will provide information to us that we will share with others in the industry.

Q. What's going on in Nina Link's digital life?
A. Nina Link's digital life is very busy. Because of my role with MPA and my interest in all things digital, I get to see all the digital goodies that are either available today or are under development for tomorrow. I feel I'm digital 24/7.

Q. Do you use a Blackberry on the weekends?
A. I do. But I try not to use it too much because there are people around me that love me to death and get very annoyed. I use it judiciously.

Q. What is your favorite magazine website?
A. How long do we have for this interview? Seriously, often at night, I try to pick two or three magazines and just drill into their websites. In the course of the week, I will visit more than 10-15 websites.

But it's important to note, that when I want to do something on my own time, in my own space, on my own schedule, I still turn to a hard copy magazine.