Hearst sites to be more visual, have more data

Posted by Alisa Zykova on December 28, 2009 at 12:47 PM

Hearst Newspapers may be seeing numerous changes next year, according to a message sent out to employees by the firm's president Steve Swartz, Poynter's Romenesko reported last week. In the message, Swartz mentioned digital publishing efforts and the U.S. newspaper publisher's digital content strategy, which will present Web sites that are "much more visual" and contain the "richest possible package of local information and data."

According to Swartz, Hearst will use the group's new Nstein digital content management and distribution system. In addition, they will be launch a paid edition of daily news and entertainment content that will feature "exclusives and higher levels of customization" in addition to free material.

"For too long, these search page views have been going to other sites whose content isn't nearly as rich or credible but who have been better organized for the search engines. Our company has come together with Time Inc., Conde Nast, Meredith and News Corp. to try to set standards for publishing to digital devices and setting payment mechanisms that should make the conversion to digital publishing easier for consumers and advertisers. This initiative, along with our company's efforts to engineer a digital publishing platform, now known as Skiff, promise to put Hearst at the center of our industry's digital transformation," he stated in the message.

Hearst and Sprint Nextel launched e-reader Skiff less than a month ago, according to Wireless Watch. The device is expected to have have strong layouts and graphics, which means newspapers and magazines viewed on the device would bear a closer resemblance to print editions, according to the article.

Swartz added that the company also plans to boost advertising effectiveness analytics, search engine optimisation, social media management, digital circulars and coupons as well as mobile marketing products. Hearst also plans to increase customer research, as today's digital trends need not only rapid experimentation, but also appropriately fast feedback and adjustment.