A Night of Wine and Conversation: Spotlight on Digital Trends
Originally posted on February 10th, 2016
Last month we hosted our first industry-specific wine tasting, in an effort to facilitate discussion around industry trends important to our candidates and clients. Surrounded by an intimate group of individuals with various levels of experience in the industry, our guest Brendan Spain, US Commercial Director at the Financial Times, shared some insight on the ever-changing digital media landscape, what it’s like to work at The FT, and most importantly, his preferred East Coast skiing destination (Killington, VT).
Digital media professionals, keep in mind:
Be aware of current digital advertising metrics (CPM, CPC). “The chase for impressions or unique users has led to major increases in ad blocking. However, the impression as a core measurement of value can be faked, bought, or created. At the FT, we are instead moving to a model that creates scarcity and value by selling active time in view. You can buy your campaign on active time in view of a marketer’s message. The more time a message spends in view, the more memorable the ad or brand will be.
Content is king. “We are thinking more about how marketers can leverage content using our platform. Marketers want people engaging with their content, especially at a brand level. We just launched “paid posts”, or branded-content advertising, with that in mind. We are hoping to see more solutions around these types of executions.
Monetization continues to evolve. Additionally, we have some new developments in our access model. As opposed to creating hard and fast subscription and registration walls, the FT now provides the opportunity for a 1-month unlimited access trial. This creates the habit, which will ultimately lead to increased conversions down the road.”
Brendan Spain also spoke to the ways in which the FT is fostering employee growth and cultivating a positive workplace: “The FT is perfect for people who are entrepreneurial. If you see an opportunity in the market, we will give you ownership of that. This is an ideal place for self-starters with a sense of responsibility, who do well in a team environment. The FT is great at investing in people –there’s start-up culture here. We do a good job of giving our staff great opportunities and great benefits (some of the best in the business!)”.
After the engaging discussion, we networked, we shared insights from various companies, and we received some very positive feedback from attendees:
I always find it re-energizing to hear people who are passionate about what they do discussing their thoughts about their company and industry.
I had an absolutely amazing time…the wine was delicious and Brendan's discussion was very stimulating.
[I appreciated] hearing about Brendan's experience from where he started out at the Financial Times and how he moved up to where he is now. I enjoyed learning about the company and the challenges they face. Also, the most valuable aspect of the event was meeting new people and hearing about their professional experiences.