A delegation from the International team at Rezonence attended the recent FIPP Digital Innovators Summit in Germany.
Our goal was threefold, but was always underlined by our core message that “Well funded journalism matters”. We Rezonites believe this to our core, but does it chime well with what is happening in the broader industry? Are we alone? Will we be well received? What will we face in terms of objections and opportunities?
The fact that this note is over a month delayed shows the significant level of interest and follow-up involved; but I digress.
Task one was to introduce the 3rd monetisation strategy, FreeWall®, to the broader Publishing industry. Prash, CEO and Founder, spoke on one of the stages about the scale of the opportunity, and the need for a well funded free press freely available to all.
The team supported him by manning the company booth, meeting new Partners from Czech Republic, South Africa, Germany and Finland, to name just a few.
Task two was to hear what the industry is saying, take on board their challenges and identify whether there are nuances caused by geography, language and culture. Very swiftly we learned that the underlying challenge of monetisation has no borders, is a global concern and all publishers are focussing hard upon it. Reader revenue and Affiliate revenue were discussed at length and some highly creative opportunities were being showcased. Consumers can certainly expect to see more frictionless ways to purchase items seen on models, in reviews or articles. Nowadays the written word is not just the shop window, but the point of sale too.
A side effect of listening to the industry was the multitude of stories and areas being discussed that are not directly in our sphere. Tech solutions pervaded the exhibitor hall as they discussed AI, payment solutions, content creation, strove to answer the pressures of news room efficiency, and so much more.
If you are a media owner today you are fast becoming a tech expert, an integrator of vendor solutions, an audience expert as well as a content distributor. In many instances with over 200 vendors across the business it is understandable that access is hard to come by, and bandwidth to process new ideas is limited.
The final goal was to focus on the German market, where we already partner with major advertisers and media. Watch this space for announcements soon as new media join the mission to ensure the German media industry remains freely available to all, because well funded journalism matters.
Thank you FIPP and danke Berlin.
