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Dow Jones Local Media Group Metered Content Update

Dow Jones Local Media Group Metered Content Update. 2011 NEACE Conference. How We Got Here. Started with an open-ended question: Is there a pay model that makes sense? Began by collecting data and having conversations with industry peers. How may stories were we publishing daily?

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Dow Jones Local Media Group Metered Content Update

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  1. Dow Jones Local Media GroupMetered Content Update 2011 NEACE Conference

  2. How We Got Here • Started with an open-ended question: Is there a pay model that makes sense? • Began by collecting data and having conversations with industry peers. • How may stories were we publishing daily? • What was being read? • What were our sell through and CPM rates? • What models were in use, with what results? • Key observations: • Our sell through was 54%. Rest of our inventory only generating remnant rates. • More than 75% of our visits were being generated by 35% of the audience. As measured by Quantcast

  3. How We Got Here • The open-ended question became more specific:Is there another revenue stream that we can generate on the subscription side if we invest the half of our page views that were just going to remnant? • Allow for sampling, convert casual users to subscribers • Led us to the metered model

  4. Project Timeline • May 2009: Convened panel to study data and models and determine impact of instituting a paid content test in one of our markets. • July - October: Market and peer research. Product specification. • November: Development begins. • December: Launched marketing and pre-registration. • Jan. 12, 2010: Simultaneously launched metered content model at SCMG and SJMG. • July: Data from tests leads to initiation of broader rollout. • August: Development resumes. • September - November: Six marketing/product launches in nine weeks: HVMG, PMMG, SOMG (2), CCMG, SEMG

  5. Metered Content Model • Pay wall covers all local content (articles, photos, videos) plus digital extensions (mobile site & e-edition) • Articles metered to allow sampling: • Three free per calendar month • Four through 10 require free registration • More than 10 requires paid subscription • There is some fully walled content, i.e. subscription required (no sampling). • E-edition • High school sports in some locations • Outside of pay wall: • AP & other syndicated content • All of Region.com • Calendars and blogs

  6. Market Tests • SCMG/SJMG: Online priced higher than print; combo represents best value • HVMG/PMMG: Online only priced higher than combo. • SOMG: No print-only offering. Online only priced the same as combo. • CCMG: In addition to unlimited access (premium), offering basic online (50 articles/mo) and eEdition-only products • SEMG: Affordable online only price reflects price of content minus the cost of printing and delivery.

  7. Hypotheses • Paid home delivery circulation: Decrease rate of erosion • Hold constant to industry average by eliminating completely free Web site as an alternative to a paid subscription. • Single copy: No impact on sales because we assume this is influenced largely by newsstand price, which remains unchanged. • Web traffic: Page views will decrease by 50% • Digital Ad Inventory: Sites were only 50 percent sold out before launch of metered content. A reduction in traffic should have no impact on locally sold ads. • Higher CPMs can be gained from improved sellout rates – i.e. reduction in remnant inventory -- and a higher concentration of a local, loyal audience.

  8. Overall Results

  9. Online Results

  10. Other Tests: Opt-Out vs. Opt-In • Tested whether to be assumptive in upgrading print subscribers’ accounts to include online access. • Opt-Out (SJMG): 75 percent of credit card customers are paying higher rates, while 50 percent of invoiced customers also continue to pay higher rates. • Opt-In (SCMG): Relatively few opted in. Eventually switched to opt out model. Remains lowest ranked location when it comes to credit card customers paying higher rates, with 43.6 percent customers paying to include online access.

  11. Other Tests: Lightboxes Drive Leads • Last year, we streamlined conversion flow with these goals: • Greatly increase free registrations, because these represent our best leads for conversion. • Reduce steps required to register or subscribe. • Build our email subscriber list by placing the newsletter opt-in box more toward the front of the funnel, and more obvious.

  12. Other Tests: Lightboxes Drive Leads

  13. Choosing a Model

  14. Choosing a Model • If during the rollouts we had used Cape Cod’s product and pricing model for the entire company, we believe there would have been a 30 percent lift in annualized revenue, and a 20 percent increase in subscribers. • Conversely, if using the Seacoast model can translate to acquisitions that are nearly 9 percent of the daily print circulation, then the Seacoast model looks most compelling from a revenue standpoint, because that would be a significant increase in acquisitions at our largest papers.

  15. Next Steps: Focus on Conversions • Treat audience development like a sales funnel: • Which (traffic) sources are our most valuable? • Which customers are our most valuable? • Audience Conversion: • Convert casual samplers into repeat visitors • Turn repeat visitors into devout customers • Metered Content Conversion: • Convert anonymous users to a free registration about whom we’ll learn something about. • Convert registrants into paying, targetable subscribers

  16. Next Steps: Tracking Specific Consumption • Tracking Anonymous, Registered and Premium groups of users. Correlate with other metrics: Popular Articles, Sections Visited, etc. • Example: Using Unique User ID – db7e7543-6ff2-437d-bea1-a9737d9e9e74 – can correlate the following: • New Bedford resident and print subscriber. • 42 logins • Not subscribed to e-mail products. • Highly engaged consumer of photo galleries in March. Also read several articles on New Bedford Half Marathon. Reads other New Bedford-specific news.

  17. Next Steps: Product Development • Run the meter: • Newsletter product expansion to entice clicks (Off the Clock & Limelight) • Utilize blogs, social media and other platforms to our advantage. • Recommend related content in articles.

  18. Next Steps: More Premium Experience GOALS: • Make subscribers feel like they are immersed in a premium experience • Non-subscribers must feel as though they are missing something. Must feel value of a subscription – not just on our marketing or walled pages. IDEAS: • Different entry experiences * • Messaging * • Show the meter * • Visual cues • Alternate layouts • Personalization * (completed)

  19. Next Steps: Focus on Expansion • Expansion to Other Platforms • Intense focus now on mobile apps, devices and other opportunities • Launched mobile-friendly sites in 2009. • Mobile desktop icons ready for marketing: Dec. 2010 • Launched first iPad app in Nov. 2010 • Limelight coupon app on the runway in Dec. 2010 • Expansion to Other Products • Focus on solving needs that will translate to paid products

  20. Thank You Sean Polay sean.polay@dowjones.com www.google.com/profiles/sean.polay

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