A Silent RevolutionEmbedded publishing and it’s
consequences for the newspaper sector
Sander Spek, Jan Bierhoff
INM-EC/DC
Zuyd University
The Netherlands
Flemish E-publishing Trends
• Strategic research
• Multi-disciplinairy
• Focus on production, content,and user
• Validation tracks– www.fleet-research.be (en)
– www.fleet-project.be (nl)
Agenda
• Embedded publishing
• Embedded publishers: cases studies
• Motives
• Characteristics
• Implications and strategies
Embedded publishers?
• Organisations and professionals that publish on a regular basis and a significant scale…
Embedded publishers?
• Organisations and professionals that publish on a regular basis and a significant scale…
• …but that don’t do so for the publishing itself. It’s just a mean, in support of a main goal.
Embedded Publishing
Source-generated Content
Business goals
Political goals
Public safety
Science
Or higher goals
What is happening here?
• Why are these organisations and persons doing this?
• What does it mean for traditional independent media?
Motives
Motives
First of all:
Because now they can
Motives
Secondly:
Discontent about the
current media
Discontent
• Unfair business model
• Media coverage of themselves
• Media coverage in general
• But also happy customers
Characteristics
Control-driven
Characteristics
Stake-driven
Characteristics
Instrumental
Characteristics
Freedom of format
Characteristics
Refuge for
talent
Characteristics
Incremental
(incidental?)
growth
Five strategy options
1 – Counter
• Focus on own strength,and the flaws of EP
• Be the independent andqualitative alternative
• Innovate content and form
2 – Allow-in
• Open up
• Yet separate
3 – Collaborate
• Joint venture
• Selected partners
• Blending of editorialand commercial content
4 – Facilitate
• The brand as a platform
• Portal function
• Focus on skills of packaging contentand reaching large audiences
5 – Service
• Provide journalistic services toembedded publishers
• Focus on skills of content creation
Conclusions
• EP is a silent revolution
• EP is growing and becomingmore of a threat to incumbentmedia
• Newspapers need to comeup with strategies. We’vepresented five models.
