Gamechangers and Transformative Change at FIPP World Congress Toronto

The following is a post written by Blippar's Head of Media, Kate Russell.

At this year’s FIPP World Congress in Toronto (October 13-15) it was all about embracing transformative change, the growth of digital and continuous innovation. FIPP, the international body that represents the world’s national magazine publishing associations, gathers CEOs and top executives from media companies around the globe to share ideas, inspire change strategies and explore business collaborations.

In his opening keynote speech Time Inc’s US CEO, Joe Ripp, shared the company’s "Transformation Strategy." He said their key objectives were to enhance the core business, extend their brands, content and audiences, invest and grow profitability and empower their teams to win.

Boston-based industry consultant Peter Kreisky provided key insights from his research after having interviewed 18 CEOs from leading companies in the publishing industry. He summarized their feedback in two distinct objectives: to "Bring the Audience Inside" and to "Build a Culture of Co-creation." Publishing and media organizations, he said, are prioritizing strategic disruption, purposed communication and the elimination of barriers. Kreisky says they need to invest in talent, embrace new values of co-creation and collaboration and do it with fluidity, boldness and nimbleness.

Instead of magazine companies, publishing houses now define themselves as entertainment, media, special interest, technology and platform companies that embrace new technologies and use data to their competitive advantage.

At our virtual newsstand installation, Blippar challenged publishers with the Innovation Hall of Fame, asking them, "Have You Got What It Takes?” Blippar demonstrated to participants that interactive print can bring ROI with new inventory for advertisers, make editorial and advertising shoppable and allow publishers to measure reader behavior from print.

In an exciting world first, Blippar announced at the Congress that it had made 500 of the U.K.’s top magazine covers interactive with a revolutionary new visual discovery interface. Readers can now "blipp" any of these top magazines to instantly tap into social media sites, shop the look and link to subscribe. Learn more about this experience here.

Rather than mourning the death of print, it seems media companies are rejoicing in new opportunities that digital presents and are learning to diversify in order to reach new audiences in the dynamic, multi-platform storytelling and media landscape.

Many are thinking “digital first and mobile first,” according to Hearst International’s CEO & President Duncan Edwards.

The Congress ended on a positive note when Edwards told the audience it was time to “celebrate the most exciting time to be in the content business."

Presentations from the FIPP Congress can be seen here.