The Media Pioneer Awards celebrate innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in specialist media, across print, web, mobile, social & events. The Media Pioneers shortlist demonstrate true pioneering spirit and a willingness to push the boundaries of specialist media, said Carolyn Morgan.
Four entries were highly commended by the judges:
The Covered Bond Report
A very small publisher who noticed that a sector of their free triallists liked their content but found subscriptions too expensive. They found a sponsor and used a LinkedIn group in the region to promote a weekly PDF newsletter. In a short space of time they have attracted a quality audience who value the content – and haven’t cannibalised their paid subscriptions.
DJ Mag
An independent publisher who found a way to engage their social media readership through participating in a global poll, and grew it to 800,000, making it the largest music mag on facebook in the world. Plus they have used this poll to build sponsorship revenue and magazine subscriptions worldwide.
The Recycler
A small publisher who have developed their own platform to integrate their subs, advertising, CRM and invoicing systems, saving significant costs and also identifying opportunities for new premium subscription products.
Songlines
An independent publisher who now offer a truly integrated set of products for their audience – and have used their awards to dramatically grow their profile in their industry, create new products and sell more subscriptions. They have worked closely with retailers and now offer their digital readers a seamless journey from reading a review to sampling a product and purchasing it.
And there were four overall winners:
Big Data Republic
A team who spotted a growth sector, and within months created a credible online community around a site featuring innovative visual treatments, contributions from across the industry and idiosyncratic videos. Enough sponsorship revenue was secured to cover the costs, and the community has provided a launch pad for a live event.
Football Week
This launch is really pushing the boundaries of what we consider a magazine to be, and in a highly competitive sector. With live feeds it is always up-to-date, and readers can personalise their magazine by selecting one of 20 different “tribes” to get customised covers and content. Adept use of social media has helped it grow to be the no.1 free sports mag on Newsstand, and secure new commercial partners.
Rock Sound
Showing that a shoestring budget needn’t cramp innovation, this publisher has made it easy for their audience to get close to their cover stars, and along the way have grown their social audience significantly across twitter, Google+ and YouTube, and importantly have seen a dramatic boost to newsstand sales.
Imagine Publishing
Imagine are a true pioneer on mobile devices, putting all their titles on a wide range of platforms. Their success in selling their content internationally is underpinned by the fact that they own all rights to their content, and they are able to repackage content in multiple forms across all digital channels. With a full archive of back issues, 200 bookazines and a rapidly expanding portfolio of ebooks, they are perfectly positioned to grow worldwide.
