It encompasses the views of 32 AOP member organisations, covering over 1500 brands. The Census reveals the key issues facing the modern publishing industry, including the importance of cross device, the growth of video and the rise of programmatic advertising.
According to the Census findings, publishers are increasingly focusing on mobile solutions as they look to change their approach to brand development and new activity, in reaction to increased media consumption across multiple platforms. The findings show that the mobile web in particular is seen as the major opportunity, with 69% of respondents focusing on this over the next 12 months.
It was also revealed that the majority (74%) of publisher’s portfolios are now mobile optimised and 90% of publishers are now implementing responsive design in their brand development to achieve seamless integration across multiple screens.
Mobile’s importance has also brought with it challenges. Monetising the platform remains the major concern for publishers as they grapple for ways to diversify revenues and expand in-line with audience growth. 60% of publishers also identified a lack of mobile-based skills within their teams.
While mobile is undeniably the major publishing focus, cross device offerings are still seen as a vital component of future success. 26% of publishers believe standard website offerings remain the best platform for paid content, closely followed by digital editions and tablet applications (23%).
Video has emerged as the model publishers think offers the most significant revenue generation opportunity on both mobile and tablets according to 56% of respondents. In a bid to monetise video more effectively, one in three publishers now versus only one in ten in 2013 are using video exchanges and social media sites.
In total, video now contributes to more than 10% of total ad revenue for 11% of publishers compared with just 6% in 2013.
Other key highlights include
* Alongside mobile and video, other major key opportunities identified by publishers include behavioural targeting (69%) community engagement and social networking (66%) and native advertising (62%).
* Publishers no longer see the overall economy as being a major business threat. Just 17% of respondents listed it as a major issue this year, compared to 58% in 2013.
* 50% of publishers see programmatic as a major opportunity to increase revenue and efficiency this year (compared to 42% in 2013). There is still some scepticism around the technology – 23% still believe it will be a small part of their business - down however from 39% in 2013.
* Half of publishers are now running a data management platform (DMP) compared to a third last year. As such there is a greater focus to expose first party data, with 63% of publishers identifying it as a core focus. Private marketplaces too are evolving - 50% of publishers now use them.
Tim Cain, Managing Director of AOP said: “The publishing industry is adapting quickly to embrace new technologies and platforms to continue brand engagement with consumers and relevance for advertisers. The step change towards a new, cross platform, content rich offering is the norm. AOP will continue to work closely with publishers and the broader industry to provide insight and learning as the digital publishing sector continues to evolve over the coming years".
About AOP
The AOP says: “The UK Association of Online Publishers (AOP) is an industry body representing digital publishing companies that create original, branded, quality content. AOP champions the interests of media owners from diverse backgrounds including newspaper and magazine publishing, TV and radio broadcasting, and pure online media.”
