Consumers are finally ready to pay directly for their content, right? Well, maybe. Beyond enterprise journalism benefiting from a heightened political environment, how is the range of publishing content (news, lifestyle, enthusiast, fashion, sport, etc.) leveraging this renewed focus on direct-to-consumer revenue? How are media in various categories creating value-added packages and marketing appeals that lure their users from two decades of free Internet habits?

Today, brands are faced with an increased demand from consumers that they be authentic, transparent and, most importantly, that they stand for something. National Geographic shares how they have partnered with major brands like Microsoft, Stella Artois, Sprint and Airbnb to bring brand purpose to life in the name of action. Through these cases we explore why brands are taking the path of purpose-based storytelling in lieu of traditional advertising, and how they can perform both for publisher and client.

Media e-commerce takes a range of forms - from simple affiliate links, to licensed e-shop brands, on-site "shop" tabs to full-blown fulfillment centers. And none of them is a turnkey solution. We assemble a range of publishers pursuing some of these different models to share their strategic thinking and tactical learning. How did they settle on a specific model for their brand, and what have they learned about implementation? How have publishers been using site design, new content/commerce strategies, dedicated buyers' guides and deeper partnerships with retail to make a business?

Paid Content - David Grant, Associate Publisher, Christian Science Monitor
Cause-Driven Advertising - Tammy Abraham, VP, Corporate Partnerships, National Geographic
Content and Commerce - Luke Edson, CRO, Future plc

The great disruptor has been disrupted. Algorithm changes, serious reputation hits and repeated bait and switch initiatives with media partners (live/long form video, Instant Articles, etc.) have seriously shaken media's relationship with Facebook. How are publishers reconfiguring their social strategies? For content distribution, audience extension/arbitrage, and video? Is this an opportunity for media to leverage other channels and reassert a direct relationship with their users?

Publishers have taken back control of their programmatic inventory even as they have expanded automation and enhanced their direct relationships with advertisers. With header bidding in display and now video, private marketplaces, and smarter contextual targeting of native campaigns, programmatic clearly has risen above its bottom-feeder past. But how are publishers now leveraging automation more strategically at the center of their ad business? What does the new sales staff and organization look like? And what are the next steps for automation?

For years, both publishers and marketers have targeted audiences based on demographics. A new research report, co-produced by Insider Inc. and Digitas, rethinks this traditional approach. Learn how Insider Inc. has refocused attention away from Millennials and uncovered a more action-minded segment who are truly driving engagement and disruption: The Transformists.

The new audience development strategy requires channel diversification, niche content development, as well as authentic, more personalized connections between media brands and their users. We bring several different media companies together to explore what is working for them on all of these fronts. 

Audience Development 2.0 - Finola Austin, Brand Strategy Director, Refinery29 Intelligence
Managing GDPR - Patrick Engelhart, Senior Director, Business Development, BounceX