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Wired exec: Tablets help publishers, advertisers create engaging reader experiences

NEW YORK ? A Wired executive at the ad:tech 2012 conference said that the tablet market is maturing and publishers are now focused on creating sustainable tablet revenues, as well as developing unique content in a cost-effective manner.

During the ?Publishers and Tablets: New Strategies for Monetizing and Creating Content? session, the executive discussed how Wired?s tablet strategy has evolved over the past few years. The session was moderated by Jonathan Haber, chief innovation officer of OMD.

?When we realized Apple was going to put out a device that has a screen size that no one knew about, we started thinking,? said Keith Grossman, associate publisher at Wired, New York.

?If a magazine is defined as two pages glued together, this device can?t be thought as that,? he said. ?It?s all about interacting with the brand.

Tablet development
To develop its tablet strategy, Wired partnered with Adobe.

For publishers and marketers, it is important to test, test and test. Trial and error is key.

For Wired, its first tablet issue was a great learning lesson. It showed the company what worked, what did not work and what readers liked.

Tablets also are a great way for advertisers to offer consumers something different.

Take video for example.

Publishers are able to embed videos into their tablet issues and advertisers are able to offer interactive and engaging experiences to further interact with readers and offer them something a static print page cannot.

?It?s all about that user experience,? Mr. Grossman said. ?When you start thinking about this medium you have to think about brands and what the user experience is going to be.

?Nowadays, users have high expectations,? he said.

Keep it simple
Although tablet devices present great opportunities for advertisers, it is important they do not over-do it.

?As it relates to advertisements that work ? keeping it simple is the way to go,? Mr. Grossman said. ?Ads with a lot of gimmicks tend to crash the app.

?Make it simple and subtle,? he said.

According to Mr. Grossman, it is important for publishers to also offer a different experience than print.

For example, with print, readers only tend to read the magazine once a month.

But with tablets, that engagement has expanded.

?At he end of the day we have to start think about a membership and community model,? Mr. Grossman said. ?The last thing we want to do is have the readers come to the magazine once a month and sit back and wait for the next moment.

?Push notifications are great though,? he said. ?If you have the customer there, it gives you a new way to engage with the consumer.

?The instant publishing realm is great.?

Final Take