Digital media execs are grappling with all of the adjustments spurred by the expansion of AI merchandise and platforms, from shifting search and content material methods to evaluating AI licensing offers for income alternatives.
AI would be the main theme on the Digiday Publishing Summit subsequent week, Sept. 15-17, in South Seaside, Fla. Beneath the palm timber and by the ocean, prime media execs will focus on how publishers are deploying AI brokers for advert gross sales, growing AI-powered paywalls and updating their visitors and content material methods for the zero-click future.
Execs from Bloomberg, The New York Occasions, Folks Inc, The Washington Submit and plenty of extra will take the stage to share their methods for dealing with the largest AI threats and alternatives, and unveil what’s working — and what’s not — to organize their corporations for this subsequent part in digital media.
Subsequent week there shall be extra in-depth recaps of what was mentioned onstage and behind closed doorways. For now, right here’s a take a look at among the matters that shall be mentioned at this fall’s DPS.
Bloomberg Media CEO Karen Saltser will set the scene for the occasion, discussing how the corporate is balancing AI innovation with strengthening direct viewers relationships, and rising throughout platforms and income streams as search and social develop into much less dependable.
Its technique has helped develop paid subscriptions, including about 100,000 new subscribers over the previous yr. Key to that is additionally Bloomberg’s diversified content material distribution technique throughout worldwide studios, and channels comparable to linear TV, digital streaming, reside video, authentic collection and short-form content material. Saltser may even focus on the other ways Bloomberg is implementing AI expertise to enhance click-through charges, and for information evaluation and video curation.
Adapting search engine marketing and content material distribution methods for the AI period
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode — and the rising person base of AI search engines like google from platforms like Perplexity and OpenAI — are essentially altering the way in which individuals search and discover data. Publishers are seeing a decline in search visitors, and shifting their search engine marketing and content material methods to keep up visibility. Sarakshi Rai, The Hill’s deputy managing editor of viewers & content material technique, and Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic’s managing editor, will stroll by way of the methods they’re reaching this.
Corporations like Folks Inc. and Wirecutter are introducing extra instruments and merchandise to have interaction their audiences and encourage them to come back on to their websites, such because the Folks cell app, and Wirecutter’s onsite product finder.
Leilani Hani, government director of commerce at Wirecutter, will share how increasing into new protection areas and codecs for its purchasing guides — comparable to magnificence and youngsters, and producing extra video — helps to develop its direct viewers.
Folks Inc. is razor-focused on diversification because it lessens its reliance on Google. Alysia Borsa, Folks Inc’s chief enterprise officer and president of way of life, well being and finance, will discuss in regards to the firm’s technique to develop its occasions by double digits, which helps make up for visitors losses. She may even disclose changes Folks Inc. has made to its gross sales strategy to develop advert income regardless of declines in programmatic advert income.
The evolution of latest AI exec roles
New AI-focused government roles have been cropping up left and proper. We’ll hear from two individuals who maintain these roles at DPS — at The New York Occasions and The Washington Submit.
Sam Han, The Washington Submit’s chief AI officer, and Zach Seward, The New York Occasions’ editorial director for AI initiatives, will focus on how these newly-created roles have advanced, and the way they’re dealing with the analysis and rollout of AI instruments and initiatives within the newsroom and past. These classes will give an inside take a look at how these two massive legacy publishers are overseeing AI technique, with sensible examples of learn how to make this course of smoother.
They’ll focus on areas inside their newsrooms and corporations the place they’ve overseen the mixing of AI expertise (comparable to in audio and investigations), and areas which can be insulated from these adjustments.
How AI is powering search and personalization
Enterprise Insider has made no secret of its plans to leverage synthetic intelligence throughout all elements of its enterprise, rolling out a slew of AI-powered merchandise over the previous yr, together with an AI search engine launched final October and an AI-generated audio briefing device launched in June. The overarching objective of those merchandise is to reinforce the person expertise by making it simpler for readers to search out related content material and devour information in ways in which match their habits. For instruments just like the audio briefing, extra customized components are within the roadmap, per Enterprise Insider CTO Harry Hope.
However BI’s AI push has had constructive downstream results past the pure person expertise. Instruments just like the AI search engine hold engaged readers on BI’s owned platforms, whereas AI-generated content material merchandise just like the audio briefing symbolize untapped sponsorship stock. And at a publication the place over 70 % of workers use AI instruments commonly, synthetic intelligence is liberating up Enterprise Insider’s editorial employees to give attention to higher-level reporting. At DPS Miami, Hope will be a part of us on stage to debate how leaning into AI has helped Enterprise Insider enhance its backside line.
Hearst’s Amazon DSP technique
Jen Dorre, Hearst Magazines’s svp of advert merchandise and information, will define how a writer can work with Amazon’s demand facet platform to develop its advertisements enterprise. Hearst has built-in its first-party information concentrating on device Aura with Amazon Advertisements, mixing its content material alerts with Amazon’s buy intent information.
She’ll stroll by way of how Hearst is providing advertisers the power to succeed in new audiences who aren’t actively purchasing on Amazon. That appears like displaying pimples remedies alongside skincare articles, for instance. Dorre may even tease a brand new AI-powered native commerce format Hearst is growing that may routinely match merchandise to the proper content material and readers.
Contained in the nuances of AI dealmaking
Publishers are more and more tapping and hiring execs to supervise dealmaking with AI platforms and tech corporations to determine learn how to make cash from the brand new, AI-driven media setting. Jacob Salamon, Trusted Media Manufacturers’ vp of enterprise growth, will share how his workforce is evaluating AI writer applications and licensing offers from tech corporations, and what a really perfect deal seems like – in addition to what the dealbreakers are.
Salamon will give an inside take a look at TMB’s AI committee and firm coverage, what the corporate seems for when evaluating AI platform offers (trace: pay-per-usage fashions) and what it avoids (one other trace: unfettered entry to content material). He’ll additionally share the use circumstances and areas that AI expertise may assist evolve at TMB, and the way AI partnerships may speed up these efforts.
Alexander Lee, media and leisure senior reporter, and Tim Peterson, video and audio government editor, contributed to this story.
