As an INMA member, you know that we have strived to lead the news industry through the complicated economics of content that now confront us (and entice us).
Through reports, conferences, webinars, awards entries, and a constant stream of articles, we have focused on the art and science behind digital subscription acquisition – and, now, with our upcoming Miami Consumer Engagement Summit we will focus on subscriber retention, reducing churn, and engaging readers.
Subscriber acquisition, retention, and engagement involve culture, data, execution, and a whole range of organisational muscles that our industry have rarely flexed – certainly not simultaneously. Of all the promises made in the news industry’s great transformation, a focus on reader revenue holds perhaps the greatest promise.
Today, I am pleased to announce INMA’s next phase of leadership in media subscriptions.
Over the next year, INMA will engage with Grzegorz (Greg) Piechota, and Oxford and Harvard researcher, in a series of INMA-exclusive reports, workshops, webinars, and engagement sessions designed to immerse association members in what we believe is the next generation in reader revenue development, notably media subscriptions. Greg will serve as a Researcher-in-Residence at INMA.
I would like to explain what this initiative will entail and where you can help.
4 pillars we aim to cover
While this road map may change, this is our aspiration for the next 12 months:
At INMA conferences in Miami, Stockholm, New York, and Hamburg, Greg will unveil the latest research in these spaces: present findings, conduct interactive workshops, and we will do webinars and reports around each of these four pillars.
Additional deliverables
Beyond this, INMA aims to develop a monthly reader revenue newsletter by Greg, as well as informal online meet-ups and perhaps a Slack channel where members can interact about growing their digital consumer business.
On occasion, we may ask for your help in the form of surveys. We need to (anonymously) capture your experiences if, as an industry, we commit to the path of constant improvement in content economics and reader revenue.
Finally, Greg will put together the agenda for the Media Subscription Week 2.0 March 18-22 in Stockholm.
About Greg
You have probably heard a lot about Greg Piechota in recent years. Prior to his new role with INMA as Researcher-In-Residence, Greg has been the Google Digital News Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Research Associate at Harvard Business School, a digital strategy expert, and a former news executive at Agora in Poland. He also serves as a long-time member of the INMA Board of Directors.
In my estimation, Greg has become the authority worldwide on media subscriptions, and it is a privilege to continue his fellowship on this vital subject with INMA.
Our hopes
Wherever you are in your push for media subscriptions, know that you have a friend in INMA.
There are media companies that are ahead on data, KPIs, analyses, culture, and more. Yet there is no single company with a monopoly on everything. INMA members have a lot to learn from each other on the vital subject of media subscriptions.
So our hopes for the next year are to constantly improve. The gap between news media and the broader subscription economy was so vast 2-3 years ago. The gap is closing quickly. If INMA can accelerate the closing of that gap even by a few months … well, I hope you see that of great value.
Thanks for your support of INMA – always, yet in this leadership role with media subscriptions in particular.
All the best,
Earl
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Join USA Luge and White Castle® for Free Live Trials in Salt Lake City
Annual ‘Slider Search’ tour to stop in Salt Lake City on September 8-9; children nine to 13 can learn how to luge from USA Luge coaches and athletes
WHAT: White Castle and USA Luge are bringing the 2018 “Slider Search” to Salt Lake City. The Slider Search is an annual grass-roots recruitment program to introduce youth to the sport of luge and identify the next generation of USA Luge team members and Olympians
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday – September 8 & 9, 2018 – 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Colorow Road and Tabby Lane (University Research Park area)
WHO*: Silver Medalist Chris Mazdzer, Team USA Luge representatives, coaches and athletes
Families with children aged nine to 13 interested in learning the techniques and basics of riding a luge sled
Media*
* The event is open to media for photography and video. Interviews with USA Luge and White Castle leadership can be pre-arranged. Please contact Graham Shippy (gshippy@paulwerth.com) or Mac Joseph (mjoseph@paulwerth.com) as soon as possible if this is of interest.
DETAILS: White Castle® and USA Luge, the nation’s two foremost slider experts, will bring the annual search for the next generation of USA Luge team members and Olympians to Salt Lake City, UT, with the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search. America’s first fast-food hamburger chain enters its second year as the official partner of USA Luge and title sponsor of the off-season recruitment program.
Building upon USA Luge’s success in Pyeongchang, the ‘Slider Search’ is an annual off-season recruitment program making its way across the country this summer. The series of clinics is open to boys and girls ages nine through 13, and will provide an introduction to luge using wheeled sleds and coaching from National and Olympic team athletes. Top participants from the nationwide tour will be considered for the USA Luge Junior Development team.
“As a family-owned business since 1921, White Castle continues to innovate to create the perfect lineup of sliders for our loyal Cravers,” said Lynn Blashford, vice president of marketing at White Castle. “We’ve taken those efforts even further by partnering with USA Luge in identifying the next generation of sliders to hopefully earn their way to many more Olympic medals in the future.”
The summer and fall tour will travel around the nation to introduce youth to luge in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Columbus, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Burlington, San Francisco and Palo Alto. The tour will also make its way to Lake Placid, hometown of USA Luge.
Registration is required and can be completed online at http://www.teamusa.org/usa-luge/slider-search. Participants only need to attend one of the many free clinics and everyone in attendance will receive an exclusive White Castle USA Luge Slider Search T-Shirt.
At each series stop, participants are taught the basics of riding a luge sled at controlled speeds, including positioning, steering and stopping. Once these skills are developed, athletes take several runs down a paved luge course on wheel-equipped luge sleds and test skills through a battery of fitness tests.
Those who show promise in the summer program are invited to Lake Placid, NY; Park City, UT; or Muskegon, MI, to try luge on ice at a USA Luge sanctioned training site. The top young athletes from this group are selected for the next year’s development team.
“The White Castle Slider Search is critical to finding luge athletes to represent the United States who will someday go for the gold,” said Gordy Sheer, director of marketing and sponsorships for USA Luge, and 1998 Olympic silver medalist. “A morning or afternoon of trying something fun and new could be the first step down a path to glory.”
Over the years, the White Castle USA Luge Slider Search has traveled over 220,000 miles and introduced the sport of luge to more than 20,000 eager young athletes.
For more information about White Castle, visit whitecastle.com. For details about USA Luge, the Slider Search program, or to register for a clinic, visit http://www.teamusa.org/usa-luge/slider-search.
About White Castle®
White Castle, America’s first fast-food hamburger chain based in Columbus, Ohio, has been making Bold Moves™ as a family-owned business for more than 97 years. Cravers on-the-go can access sweet deals and place a pick-up order any time in the official White Castle app (iTunes App Store or Google Play) or in the frozen aisle at a grocery store near you. www.whitecastle.com
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It’s an episode that will have everyone talking. On Monday, September 10 at 10 PM ET/PT, Discovery will air an eye-opening episode of “Diesel Brothers,” which picks up on the headline-grabbing viral video of a Hispanic family peppered with insults after their vehicle breaks down in Northern Utah. The video caught the attention of ‘Heavy D,’ who was so angered by the incident that he offered to not only repair the vehicle, but also modify it for free. Below is a sneak peek clip for posting online. Interviews also available upon request.
VIRAL VIDEO CATCHES ATTENTION OF DISCOVERY’S ‘DIESEL BROTHERS’
AND LEADS TO TOTAL TRUCK OVERHAUL FOR LOCAL DAD
VIDEO SNEAK PEEK FOR POSTING ONLINE
Link: https://vimeo.com/288208526
Password: DB
Downloadable: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/mlVZw421x1
YT Embed:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ykrzotZywHo" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
PHOTOS:
https://discovery.box.com/s/0ac374dt02pfn2qm3idd7c6ev23brzhi
Credit: Courtesy Discovery
DIESEL BROTHERS – YES WAY, JOSE
Monday, September 10 at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel and Discovery Go
The fun-loving, truck-building men of Dieselsellerz are known worldwide for their crazy online videos and their incredible, over the top diesel builds. Their truck giveaways are the stuff of legend, and this week they'll be giving a total truck overhaul to a local dad who was extorted and harassed with his family at a campsite when his F350 broke down. And the guys put together the shop's first-ever diesel Motorcycle, a steampunk dream with a Magneto!
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City Announces Open House after Renovating 102-Year-Old Historic Home
OGDEN, UT –
Ogden City invites the public to tour the newly restored historic home at 884 24th Street during a two-day open house event on Friday, September 7 from 2-7 p.m. and Saturday, September 8 from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. After being occupied by Dr. J. Dwight Harding’s family from 1916 through 1948, this Prairie Style home suffered decades of decline until the Ogden City RDA invested in restoring the property to its former glory.
This residence is one of over 200 homes the Ogden Community and Economic Development Department (CED) has renovated in the past 30 years. Ogden City began buying homes for renovation and resale in 1991. The primary target area has been the East Central Community. In addition to homes scattered through the East Central Community, Ogden City has targeted blocks for intensive revitalization. Some of these include the Jefferson Avenue and Eccles Avenue Historic Districts, the 2500 Quincy block, and the 2700 Gramercy block.
“Renovating historic properties gives our residents the chance to live and embrace the City’s history in their everyday lives while preserving it in the best condition possible,” said Ogden City Mayor Mike Caldwell.
The Harding family home restoration was part of the Quality Neighborhoods Initiative created in 2015 to further the development of urban renewal within the community. Efforts of the initiative have accelerated, and last year over 25 homes were undertaken for renovation. The City has also put programs in place, such as Own in Ogden and HELP Loans, which provide qualified applicants with financial assistance for down payments and home improvements.
“When the City Council, Mayor Caldwell, and the Ogden City RDA adopted the Quality Neighborhood Initiative, it was with these kinds of achievements in mind,” said Ward Ogden, Ogden City’s Community Development Manager. “We want to ensure there are quality housing and environments available to a broad range of income demographics. High-quality renovations and iconic new designs are joining with Ogden’s economic resurgence to enhance Ogden’s reputation as a great place to live, work and play.”
### Contact Ward Ogden, Community and Economic Development Community Development Director wardogden@ogdencity.com, tel: (801) 629-8942
