This talk looks at how media brands beyond publishing are becoming direct competitors with magazine brands, and how publishing can create user focused experiences to compete in this market.

1. !
!
@robboynes
!
Digital Magazine Awards 2013
#dmag13

2. This is a 10 minute lightning talk.

4. Grumpy Cat.
!
Grumpy Cat is important because he represents the success of
viral content distribution and reach.

6. “CUTE”
!
Grumpy Cat at the time of this talk has approximately 2,359,598 +
official Facebook shares.
!
So what?

7. n = pN (1+R+R +R …) = pN / (1-R)
2
3
!
Duncan J. Watts & Jonah Peretti - Harvard Business Review

8. This is the Buzzfeed algorithm designed by Duncan Watts and
Jonah Peretti.
!
This algorithm shows how viral content is shared and becomes
popular through social networks and word of mouth.
!

9. n = pN (1+R+R +R …) = pN / (1-R)
2
3
!
R = reproduction rate
N = number of click throughs
n = user generated content distribution
!
Duncan J. Watts & Jonah Peretti - Harvard Business Review

10. It describes most of the traffic that goes through Buzzfeed’s site.
And it does a lot of traffic.
!
Which made quite a lot of money for Buzzfeed this year. “LOL”.

11. n = pN (1+R+R +R …) = pN / (1-R)
2
3
!
R = reproduction rate
N = number of click throughs
n = user generated content distribution
n = $60 million projected revenue 2013
!
Duncan J. Watts & Jonah Peretti - Harvard Business Review

12. Buzzfeed is relevant in this talk because Buzzfeed is a DIRECT
competitor with magazine brands.

13. “I think most magazine publishers
incorrectly feel that they are only
competing against other
magazines. So they take their lead
from what the industry is doing,
and iterate very slowly…
!
However the truth is that the
publishing world is not only
competing against each other,
but every content provider on
the web”
!
Andy Budd, CEO, Clearleft

14. Maybe magazines need a broader definition.
Maybe this definition is more appropriate.

15. !
So…what is a
magazine now?
!
‘Brands based purely on trust,
delivering fact and opinion about
topics that a significant amount
of people are interested in.’

16. So here is a Buzzfeed-style guide (with an aggressive SEO based
title) of five subjects in digital magazines that need focus.

17. 5 Totally Awesome Things In
Digital Magazine Innovation
!

18. “OMG”

19. 5 Totally Awesome Things In
Digital Magazine Innovation
!
o
g
m

20. 1. Share or die
!
Allow users to share anything they want.
Share skills and ideas as an industry.
Be limited by ideas - not software or skills.
Be transparent and collaborate.

21. 2. “Value must be
greater than pain”
(Scott Jenson - ex UX @ Apple / Google)
!
Content on demand - when the user wants it.
Reduce steps to access content.
Make things easy to read, share and save…
(i.e. make the user experience more than print)
Skeuomorphic ‘pages’ lose their meaning.

22. 3. Design for the user…
…not the device
!
Love responsive. Love agnostic. There is no hero device.
Build experiences - what works on mobile might not on tablet.
Design personal experiences that keep people coming back.
We are moving away from products and towards experiences.
We are moving towards a non-touch future. Kinect = 24 Million.

23. 4. “As a designer, if you want
your ego destroyed, have
someone use your app and
record their experience”
(Alan Branch)
!
Learn about people. Do user testing. Be humbled.
Create quick, minimum viable products. Test them. Improve them.
If you’re not testing or collaborating you’re just guessing.

24. 5. Don’t make me
look for my stuff
!
Search is hard work.
Search requires you to know what you’re looking for.
Replace search with relevant content the user actually wants.
Let users browse. Learn from their discoveries.

25. Conclusion?
w
f
t

26. All of these brands are DIRECT competitors with magazine
brands. And magazines need to compete with them directly.

27. http://factmagimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wpMAGAZINE BRANDS
BELONG HERE
content/uploads/2013/05/
Google150513.jpg

28. @robboynes