Mail Metro Media has unveiled plans for further premiumisation and audience-first engagement innovation across its portfolio of newsbrands, at its annual event, Upfront & Centre.
Taking over the Outernet at London’s Tottenham Court Road, the editorial and commercial teams joined comedian compere Katherine Ryan, Olympian Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Tim Lovejoy, host of the recently launched podcast Soccer A-Z.
Mail Metro Media says the evening’s agenda laid out its vision for the coming year, including developments in video, podcasts and social media strategies. Following an opening address from Chief Revenue Officer, Dominic Williams, an editorial panel session showcased the variety inherent within Mail Metro Media’s titles, featuring Ben Bailey - editorial director, MailOnline; Deborah Arthurs - editor-in-chief, Metro; Amy Iggulden - deputy editor, the i paper and Catherine de Lange - editor, New Scientist.
Discussion ranged from the importance of engagement and maintaining the loyal reader relationship, to shaping more immersive experiences to encourage further loyalty. In an exclusive announcement, Ben Bailey unveiled the upcoming relaunch of the MailOnline app, complete with a new look and host of interactive features including a podcast player and vertical video channel.
Reaching new heights in audience engagement, The Daily Mail says it has recently hit 4 million followers on YouTube and over 17 million on TikTok. This set the stage for Lisa Snell - director of video, MailOnline; Mike Wooller - deputy head of podcasts, dmg media and Phil Harvey - head of social Video, Daily Mail to dive into discussing emerging platforms and the future of modern publishing, in a session chaired by Jamie East - head of podcasts, dmg media. Topics ranged from the power of having a team of channel experts driving audience-led content, to having the freedom to experiment and learn to fuel success.
Ryan Uhl - chief brand strategy officer, Mail Metro Media and Lauren Dick - executive director of media and data, Mail Metro Media outlined the commercial innovations being implemented to complement editorial evolutions across the portfolio to an audience of over 400. Uhl focused on the development of Premium Engaging Formats including “Edge to Edge”, a full-width mobile browser ad experience, created to deliver standout presence in the palm of your hand. He also discussed the integration of AI language processing to categorise three years of cross-title content. This new function allows trends and correlations within content to be analysed, providing hyper-relevant contextual signals at speed and scale.
Lauren Dick expanded on closing the loop between media engagement, inspiration and purchase. She underlined the close connection between content and commerce, and successes as an early adopter of TikTok Shop. She stressed the media’s deep commitment to quality storytelling, while connecting purchase-led campaigns with key audiences via compelling content.
Dominic Williams, chief revenue officer at Mail Metro Media, said: “We have had a phenomenal year, breaking boundaries in brand firsts, setting new standards for audience engagement on social platforms, conquering the podcast charts and racking up industry awards recognition in the process. The year’s Upfront & Centre should underline to the industry that we refuse to stand still; pushing the boundaries of effective audience connection. And as always, it’s brilliant to get together and celebrate our achievements and plans with our very valued advertising partners.”
The publisher says following the evening’s industry update, guests enjoyed music from global DJ and broadcaster, Goldierocks. This year’s Upfront & Centre event was run as an eco-aware event as the team took sustainability into account with every production element, include the use of a conscious catering company and recycling materials.
