Online Looks Like a Newspaper?

The great media experiment begins as London’s The Times and Sunday Times erects a paywall that requires online readers to subscribe.

So what are they selling? Simple really, either you buy today’s edition – or you buy a subscription to all the editions this month.

No atomic content sales here! No micro payments of 2p for 1 article – no! Just as we forecast, we have returned to selling newspapers!

Hurray!

The big question now is – can The Times make it work?

Well, time will tell – but let’s take a look at their offer. You have two choices

• £1 for a day pass (ie today’s edition) – sold rather like WiFi access is sold – on a time limited basis.

or

• £1 for 30 days (ie a subscription) – with repeat billing at £2 per week after the first month – or £8.66 per month.

So what does this tell us about strategy?

Clearly, everyone will choose the £1 for 30 days over the £1 for one day! So, the pricing is designed to turn us into subscribers.

And, what are we subscribing to? A £104 per year subscription. Is that a lot or a little? Well, my Economist subscription renewal has just arrived and I’m offered a 47% discount which means I pay £108 per year.

Practically the same then!

What is interesting is how this relates to buying copies at the newstand. Each copy would cost £1 during weekdays and £1.50 for the Saturday paper. The Sunday Times costs £2.

So, add it all up and you ‘could’ spend £442 per year on buying every copy of The Times and The Sunday Times. So, will the offer be shown as 77% off? Well, maybe, but who buys every copy every day? Perhaps a library – but no sane individual?

Hence, there would appear to be a growing practice of charging just over £100 for an annual subscription for a quality news feed.

And it fits well – because even if you took the view that you would only buy the paper 3 times per week plus the a Sunday paper – and not holidays – so 48 weeks of the year – your annual cost would still be £240.

And, of course, this subscription gives you access to the mobile (iphone) edition too – which, if bought through a different iPad subscription is a more expensive £9.99 per month. Now, the iPad edition is not great to navigate – the FT does a far better job – but that is another story.

The point is that the current pricing model adopted by The Times makes internet buying of newspapers a bargain!

Great – so the pricing strategy is clear – and is based on The Economist superbly successful subscription model. Now, will it work?

Want me to get off the fence and answer that? Well, of course, I have to say yes.

Why? Simply, the pricing is very attractive but also based on very sound principles – The Economist probably the best selling subscription product in the world and people are already paying for it – and The Times have taken a leaf out of their book (or newspaper).

do ipad or don't I?

On one hand – 2 million boxes shifted worldwide – so far.

On the other hand, slight disappointment.

Hmmm….

Do I, don’t I? Do I get an iPad, or not?

Well, at a basic level, yes, I want one. Just to be a part of the hype and excitement.

But, there is a version two coming very soon – the data plans that go with the iPad are currently rubbish and duplicate my existing plans… and then there are all the competitor products coming in the Autumn too.

Okay, so we are in business – a tablet device will be mine before the end of the year.

But who’s? iPad doesn’t run flash – that’s kind of annoying. Nor, as my daughter tells me, does it allow me to listen to music whilst reading a digital book – that is a shame (unless I hack it, of course).

But worse of all, Wired Magazine launched on the iPad last week and didn’t quite live up to its billing – and its You Tube videos of how it might look and feel on an iPad.

The complaints? Well, it took too long to download, the experience was poor – although the design was brilliant. Check this site for a further discussion of why the tradition high gloss magazine isn’t translating directly onto the iPad.

So, there we have it – the new digital magazine format – designed for tablet devices – is still up for grabs. No one, has, yet delivered the slam dunk digital magazine on this format. But somehow, there has been pretty broad acceptance that the future lies with tablets – for reading and enjoying media.

And there lies the opportunity ….

Successful and would-be successful entrepreneurs can access several video clips containing the first few points of the 7 Point Plan – ‘Accepting today’s business reality’, ‘Rapid product and service innovation’ and ‘Creating a local pool of freelance talent’ – at www.ragstowreckages.com. To access the remaining four points from the plan, they will need to sign up to the free Rags to Wreckages Successful Entrepreneur newsletter. The newsletter delivers a helpful monthly digest of all the latest news and feature articles on the Rags to Wreckages website.

Subsequent video clips will cover business overheads, marketing innovation, business efficiencies and ‘you’.

Digital magazine Rags to Wreckages… to Riches offers business strategy advice to successful and would-be successful entrepreneurs based on the premise that we can learn more from our mistakes than our successes. It offers short, insightful articles on various topics, from business goal setting, to outsourcing, and the benefits of keeping a business lean.

Neil Lewis, publisher of Rags to Wreckages and partner of its parent company MediaModo, says: “As business leaders, we are living in difficult times – we have less cash and fewer resources, but have the same need to grow. Added to that, we know that government cuts to spending are inevitable and will impact at least some of our customers if not our businesses directly.  Surviving is all about flexibility and speed. At Rags to Wreckages we’ve looked at how successful entrepreneurs are preparing to weather the storm and we share these insights in our 7 point plan.”

– Ends –

Notes for editors

About Neil Lewis and MediaModo

Neil Lewis is a media entrepreneur and business leader based in the North West of England. A partner in MediaModo and the driving force behind new digital magazine Rags to Wreckages to Riches, Neil has over 20 years experience in publishing and investment. His specialist skills include business strategy, online publishing and media plus business investment and start-ups.

Neil is soon to publish his first book 100 Rules for Successful Entrepreneurs and also regularly speaks at university and entrepreneurial networking events where he shares what he has learnt from his experiences. MediaModo offers a contract publishing service to businesses and entrepreneurs. They also recently won a North West Development Agency grant to develop a new entrepreneurial accreditation scheme that will revolutionise the way investors and entrepreneurs work together.

For more information on Rags to Wreckages… to Riches, visit: www.ragstowreckages.com

For more information on MediaModo visit: http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/

Media contacts:

Sarah Leatherbarrow
sl@mediamodo.co.uk
MediaModo
Tel. 01865 861717
Mob. 07900 887987

You can register at http://www.timesplus.co.uk/welcome/index.htm to get a ‘preview’ of what is to come  – and yes, it is all about paying, but it is also about paying for the new generation of digital media.

The point here is that we are about to see a new generation of digital media – perhaps partly inspired by the new devices that can carry it – but far more interactive, graphical and video based, than before.

Interesting development.

Wealth Manager International

Wealth Manager International is a digital magazine published by MediaModo under contract and is aimed at the expat and offshore professional advisor.

“The offshore sector is one of the fastest growing in the financial advice and services business and a magazine designed for this sector and about the people in this industry is long over due” says owner Kevin Turner.

Alex Connock, CEO of Ten Alps, will be speaking at the Enterprise & Freelance Fair in Warrington.

Alex has been several times shortlisted as Entrepreneur of the Year. He is currently Entrepreneur in Residence at INSEAD (Fontainebleau), Governor of Manchester Metropolitan University, board member of Salford University School of Media, Northwest Vision and Media and Creative Manchester. He is a NESTA mentor to startup media companies, working with Roughcut TV, a comedy producer.

“I am delighted to be able to speak at this event as I feel that engaging freelancer talent can considerably improve business performance” explained Connock.

The Enterprise & Freelance Fair is a brand new concept and will provide a series of unique forums for local businesses, agencies and freelancers to meet and build relationships, with the ultimate goal of working with each other. The fair includes two parallel workshops that will offer business attendees the opportunity to learn how freelancers can help them gain the competitive advantage needed in today’s difficult economic climate. Then, at the end of a briefing session, freelancers, companies and agencies will be invited to mix, network and develop ways of collaborating and working together.

To find out more about the Enterprise and Freelance Fair you can visit www.enterprisefreelancefair.co.uk.

Ends.

Notes for editors – About Neil Lewis and MediaModo

Neil Lewis is a media entrepreneur and business leader based in the North West of England. A partner in MediaModo and the driving force behind new digital magazine Rags to Wreckages to Riches, Neil has over 20 years experience in publishing and investment. His specialist skills include business strategy, online publishing and media plus business investment and start-ups.

Neil is soon to publish his first book on 100 Rules for Successful Entrepreneurs and also regularly speaks at university and entrepreneurial networking events where he shares what he has learnt from his experiences. Neil and MediaModo offer a contract publishing service to businesses and entrepreneurs. They recently won a North West Development Agency grant to develop a new entrepreneurial accreditation scheme that will revolutionise the way investors and entrepreneurs work together.

For more information on the Enterprise & Freelance Fair, visit: www.enterprisefreelancefair.co.uk

For more information on MediaModo visit: http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/

Media contacts:

Ceridwen Hughes
MediaModo

Email. ch@mediamodo.co.uk
Mob. 07971 983028

“I’ve learnt more on the way down than the way up. The experiences you have on the way down are curiously more interesting.  One of the greatest things I learned showed me that had I employed freelancers our vastly increased flexibility would have enabled us to whether the storm,” explained Neil.

Using his experiences he has recognised that entrepreneurs and businesses, whether intermediaries such as agencies or end users, can benefit from the added talent and flexibility that local freelancers can offer to help grow businesses, but entrepreneurs are often unsure where to find them.  In contrast freelancers rarely get the opportunities to put themselves in front of businesses and often lack the experience to help maximize every opportunity.

The Enterprise & Freelance Fair is a place where businesses and agencies will be able to meet and recruit talented local freelancers, whilst freelancers and agencies can win better contract work and start building relationships with local companies.  The fair includes two parallel workshops giving attendees the opportunities to learn how freelancers can help business gain the competitive advantage needed in today’s difficult economic climate.

At the end of the briefing session freelancers, companies and agencies are invited to mix, network and develop ways to collaborate and work together.

“Traditionally, recruiting freelancers has been slow and difficult, and never with the speed that is necessary to fill gaps and meet immediate needs.  To meet our own requirement, we have begun to build extensive pools of highly talented – and local – freelancers. So, the Enterprise & Freelance Fair came about because we saw the need to develop local pools of freelance talent – and we thought if we need this to grow, then so will other entrepreneurs and business leaders – so why not set up a workshop to help more businesses connect with freelancers” said Neil.

This dynamic, information-rich day has three aims. To…

1. Help freelancers win more and better business
2. Show enterprises how local freelance talent can offer low-risk business growth
3. Link freelancers and businesses together in profitable relationships

The goals:

• Freelancers: will get at least three high-quality leads from potential clients
• Entrepreneurs: will meet at least three freelancers they could hire in the next six months

The first two Enterprise and Freelance Fair’s have been confirmed at Village Hotel, Warrington on 6^th October and St David’s Park Hotel, Nr Chester on 7^th October.  For more information you can visit www.EnterpriseFreelanceFair.co.uk.

Ends

Notes for editors – About Neil Lewis and MediaModo

Neil Lewis is a media entrepreneur and business adviser based in the North West of England. A partner in MediaModo and the driving force behind new digital magazine Rags to Wreckages to Riches, Neil has over 20 years experience in publishing and investment. His specialist skills include business strategy, online publishing and media plus business investment and start-ups.

Neil is soon to publish his first book on classic entrepreneurial mistakes and also regularly speaks at university and entrepreneurial networking events where he shares what he has learnt from his experiences. Neil and MediaModo offer a consultancy service to businesses and entrepreneurs. They recently won a North West Development Agency grant to develop a new entrepreneurial accreditation scheme that will revolutionise the way investors and entrepreneurs work together.

For more information on the Enterprise & Freelance Fair, visit: www.enterprisefreelancefair.co.uk

For more information on MediaModo visit: http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/

Media contacts:

Ceridwen Hughes
MediaModo

Email. ch@mediamodo.co.uk
Mob. 07971 983028

Digital Magazine for Successful Entrepreneurs

18th March 2010

 

New Digital Magazine Rags to Wreckages… to Riches Launches

Shows How Successful Entrepreneurs Use Failure to Create Success 

A new, free digital magazine – Rags to Wreckages… to Riches – has just launched, offering entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs valuable, regular business advice based on the concept of ‘been there, done it’. Entrepreneurs who visit the site www.ragstowreckages.com and subscribe to the accompanying newsletter will find regular news, features and opinion pieces designed to help others learn from the mistakes and experience of the driving force behind the site, entrepreneur and business adviser Neil Lewis.

The new digital magazine offers business strategy advice to current, would-be and successful entrepreneurs based on the premise that we can learn more from our mistakes than our successes. It offers short, insightful articles on various topics, from business goal setting, to outsourcing, and the benefits of keeping a business lean. 

Neil Lewis, publisher of Rags to Wreckages and partner of its parent company MediaModo, says: “It’s only by failing and looking at your mistakes that you learn – successful entrepreneurs aren’t necessarily successful the first time round and they don’t know if they can do it again if they’ve not failed. Successful entrepreneurs learn from failure because failure means that we have an opportunity to refine and improve what we are doing – so that we can come back even stronger next time.”

Neil’s advice comes from experience and he continues: “Before the global economy began to turn, many entrepreneurs took unacceptable risks or made bad decisions that didn’t impact on those enterprises UNTIL the economic tide turned. I count myself in that group too.  I saw the business mistakes of the previous five years make my company untenable, so that from a £2k start-up in 2002 to a £12m valuation in 2007, my first business closed its doors in August 2009 and we, the shareholders, walked away with nothing. It was quite a journey – and probably the best real life MBA you could ever get!” 

– Ends –

Notes for editors

About Neil Lewis and MediaModo

Neil Lewis is a media entrepreneur and business adviser based in the North West of England. A partner in MediaModo and the driving force behind new digital magazine Rags to Wreckages to Riches, Neil has over 20 years experience in publishing and investment. His specialist skills include business strategy, online publishing and media plus business investment and start-ups.

Neil is soon to publish his first book on classic entrepreneurial mistakes and also regularly speaks at university and entrepreneurial networking events where he shares what he has learnt from his experiences. Neil and MediaModo offer a consultancy service to businesses and entrepreneurs. They recently won a North West Development Agency grant to develop a new entrepreneurial accreditation scheme that will revolutionise the way investors and entrepreneurs work together.

For more information on Rags to Wreckages… to Riches, visit: www.ragstowreckages.com

For more information on MediaModo visit: http://www.mediamodo.co.uk/

Media contacts:

Sarah Leatherbarrow
MediaModo
Tel. 01865 861717
Mob. 07900 887987

So, what is significant about this?

… you are looking at an issue – a publication – no longer looking at atomised content – or a collective of individual pages.

What is clear is that this is a particular issue from a particular time covering all the issues, the scores, the stories and the trivia that were alive and interesting and relevant at that time.

It is an issue. It has a date. In time, it gives a glimpse of what was important back then, when it was published.

Media then, is attempting to return to its roots with its latest devises – that is publishing newspapers, magazines and books – only this time with multi-media content.

Perhaps we should have labled this post Back to the Future?