10:00 a.m.-12:40 p.m.
(New York time)
About today's module
In this foundational session, we examine the industry's maturity shift from focusing narrowly on conversion or retention to driving continuous subscriber engagement. Learn about conducting customer-base audits, mastering essential KPIs, balancing print and digital strategies, and harnessing the power of personalisation to optimise customer journeys. Gain a deep understanding of how to use data-driven approaches to identify loyal and at-risk subscribers, trigger targeted engagement campaigns, and make informed decisions that lead to long-term success.
Key questions
- How can a customer-base audit transform your business strategy and help you become truly subscriber-first?
- What are the essential KPIs for assessing the health of your subscriber base, and how can you leverage them to identify areas for improvement and focus on high-impact product enhancements?
- How can you balance print and digital subscription strategies to build a durable digital subscription base without compromising the value of your content?
- What engagement strategies and data-driven models can be used to stimulate digital subscriber growth and improve retention across various platforms?
- How can machine learning models be applied to personalise specific parts of the customer lifecycle, and what lessons can be learned from real-world experiments in this domain?
10:00 a.m.-10:05 a.m. (New York time)
Welcome and introductions
In this opening session, our host will welcome you to the master class and introduce the expert speakers from academia and the news media business across the world.
Greg Piechota, Lead, INMA Readers First Initiative, United Kingdom10:05 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (New York time)
Becoming subscribers-first: How a customer-base audit can transform your business strategy
In this keynote session, we will interview professor Peter Fader from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a world-renowned expert in customer centricity, about his new book “Customer-Base Audit.” We want to learn about the theory and practice of conducting a regular customer-base audit to truly understand the customers' buying behaviour and the health of the overall customer base. We will ask how to use such an audit to make data-driven decisions that lead to long-term success, and transform the company to truly customers-first.
Peter Fader, Professor of Marketing, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, United States10:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (New York time)
Essential KPIs: Mastering the art of customer life cycle management at Prisa Noticias
In this practical presentation, Angélica Domínguez Martín from Spain’s top national news publisher (e.g., El Pais) will discuss the key performance indicators she and her team uses for assessing the health of the subscriber base – from basic metrics like churn rates and ARPU to more advanced such as recovery rates, promotional level, and migration ratios between products. Angélica will also share strategies for teams to work collaboratively and identify areas for improvement, understand customer segments, and focus on high-impact product enhancements.
Angélica Domínguez Martín, Customer Strategy Director, Prisa Noticias, Spain11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (New York time)
Balancing print and digital: Leveraging a subscriber audit for long-term success at The Seattle Times
In this case study presentation, Curtis Huber will take attendees through The Seattle Times' journey in balancing their print and digital subscription strategies. By conducting a thorough subscriber audit, Curtis and his team have developed a roadmap for building a durable digital subscription base without compromising the value of their content. You will gain valuable insights into how to avoid the pitfalls of consistently offering long-term, heavily discounted offers, and the benefits of maintaining a high ratio of tenured subscribers.
Curtis Huber, Senior Director, Circulation and Audience Revenue, The Seattle Times, United States11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (New York time)
Leveraging data: Driving digital subscriber growth through engagement at Hearst Newspapers
Kelli Dakake will share how Hearst Newspapers, the publisher of U.S. regional news brands like the San Francisco Chronicle and the Houston Chronicle, has leveraged engagement strategies to stimulate digital subscriber growth. Kelli will discuss how Hearst uses its "Subscriber Score" model to identify loyal and at-risk subscribers and trigger targeted engagement campaigns. You will also learn about the importance of leveraging all platforms, including newsletters and apps, to improve engagement and retention.
Kelli Dakake, Vice President, Subscriber Engagement and Retention, Hearst Newspapers, United States12:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m. (New York time)
Zooming in on personalisation: Enhancing customer journeys with targeted communication at Schibsted Media
In this expert lecture, Tor Marius Espedal will take us on a deep dive into how Schibsted Media, a Norwegian publisher of brands such as Aftenposten and VG, is using machine learning models to personalise specific parts of the customer lifecycle. Tor Marius will discuss how to personalise both the activity (what needs to be communicated and affected) and content (what content will create the most impact) aspects of customer communication. You will enjoy practical insights into how Schibsted Media has been conducting its personalisation experiments and the lessons learned along the way.
Tor Marius Espedal, Head of Customer Base Management, Schibsted Media, Norway12:30 p.m.-12:40 p.m. (New York time)
Summary and takeaways
At this closing session, we will summarise the key insights, strategies, and best practices shared by our expert speakers.
Greg Piechota, Lead, INMA Readers First Initiative, United Kingdom