In the modern digital world, everything begins with the user. Today’s most successful internet companies have thrived because they were the first to recognize this. They have built their empires around user experience, design, and data. Simply put, the Googles, Facebooks, Microsofts, and Amazons of the world win because they understand users.
For publishers and the Open Web, not just adapting to but thriving in today’s user-oriented digital landscape has become somewhat of an existential challenge. They’ve had to battle for users’ loyalty and engagement against not just other publishers, but against every other service that demands the attention of our fingers and eyes.
Fighting this battle has been tough for many publishers, with digital publishing revenue decreasing by $4.5B US dollars between 2011 and 2018. For an industry used to examining pageviews and CPM as their topline metrics, adjusting to a user-focused perspective — where ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) and LTV (Lifetime Value) are king — required a shift in not just mentality, but in resources and budget as well.
The good news? Digital media companies are beginning to embrace this shift with open arms — and it’s bringing results. Publishers have control over the most valuable resource on the web: good content. By combining that with a renewed focus on the user’s experience, growth, and data they are building the coveted “sustainable business model” that has been the topic of discussion in media for the last several years.
These initiatives will only continue to grow — the future is bright.
With this in mind, we are excited to announce that on June 26th at The New Museums Sky Room in New York City, we will be hosting the first ever Year of the User Round Table + Networking Event, which will bring together the leaders behind some of today’s most successful digital publishers to discuss the challenges, strategies, and future of the industry.
- The featured panelists include:
- 1) News Corp, Marc Frons, Chief Technology Officer
- 2) Refinery29, Julie Alvin, SVP of Editorial Content
- 3) Entrepreneur, Michael Le Du, Chief Operating Officer
- 4) Clique Media, Drew Elovitz, Global Director of Content Strategy at Clique Media
- 5) Fox News, John Fiedler, EVP, Digital Products & Technology
- 6) Scroll, Tony Haile, Chief Executive Officer
- 7) Spot.IM, Nadav Shoval, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
The roundtable will be moderated by Susan Kaplow, VP of branding and content at Invision, whose previous roles include Chief Content Officer at Apartment Therapy, and Executive Vice President, Editorial Development and Operations at Refinery29.
The Year of the User Event is an invite-only event for thought leaders in the digital media sector. Stay tuned to our blog for exciting revelations from the most innovative voices in the industry!
