“Technology is changing the way we acquire and monetize audiences like never before,” said Daniel Heaf, former Chief Digital Officer at BBC Worldwide, at the “Publishers Going Global” panel, held at the 2014 CDO Summit at the Time Warner Center in New York City on April 23.

Success in digital is a juggling act for publishers, since they have to tackle several diverse transformative issues to stay competitive in the near future. Digital has changed everything from monetization to content creation. The Summit’s panel of digital experts has identified six key areas where publishers can take advantage of the transformation on a global level, creating opportunities for their organizations in a sector that also happens to be rife with risks and pitfalls.

Panelists included, shown from left to right in the video below:

• Daniel Heaf (Moderator): SVP Digital Commerce at Burberry, former Chief Digital Officer at BBC Worldwide
• David Payne: Chief Digital Officer at Gannett Co.
• Justin Tobin: Founder of DDG Inc.
• Eric Hellweg: Managing Director, Digital Strategy, Editorial Director at The Harvard Business Review
• Ro Gupta: Vice President of Business Development at Disqus
• John Cantarella: Former President of Digital, News & Sports at Time Inc.

Below are six ways Chief Digital Officers can take publishing international:

1. Build a (different) long-term relationship with your international audience

To succeed globally, publishers need to develop different expectations for their international market. “It’s not something you should jump lightly into,” John Cantarella said.

Justin Tobin remarked, “The Economist is a great example of content that has truly global relevance. They understand who they are, they understand what they’re about, and [they have] a global audience as a result.” With global markets as integrated as they are, The Economist has a ready-made international audience. Meanwhile, the specific humor of something like The Onion (a satirical news site) can be more difficult to translate to a market like China, he explained.

“You’ve got to have the stomach for it in the long term,” David Payne said. He gave the example of MTV’s expensive foray into the international market, spending millions on foreign versions of its programming, such as MTV Germany or MTV Japan.

“But all they really wanted was the U.S. version of MTV,” Payne noted. On the other hand, The Harvard Business Review, a nonprofit with limited resources to prioritize, chose the more conservative route of reaching established audiences in Western Europe, launching the French edition of the magazine, said Eric Hellweg.

2. Invest in multiple publishing platforms

“If you’re on the Titanic and you’ve hit an iceberg, you’ve got to divide your resources up—to simultaneously plug the hole and build more lifeboats,” Tobin suggested.

While Hellweg boasted that The Harvard Business Review’s traditional product was still doing well, he said, “We’re not mistaking weather for the climate.” Its transition has been huge (and ongoing), with HBR moving from a $17 monthly print product (retail price) to digital content on multiple social media platforms. Hellweg said the process involved three stages.....

Today David Mathison will be speaking at The Identity Summit presented by ForgeRock.

David Mathison and Mike Ellis, CEO of ForgeRock, will lead the Digital Transformation panel discussion that will focus on the partnership between marketing and IT that is required for a successful digital transformation. The panel will also discuss the challenge of meeting the ever-expanding requirements of the digital customer. Learn more

In addition to Mike and David, other panelists include:

• Bill Phelps, Managing Director, Global Practice Lead, Security Services at Accenture
• Jeff Elgin, Enterprise Platforms and Frameworks Engineering at Capital One
• Jen McClure, Vice President, Digital & Social Media at Thomson Reuters

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If you are tasked with understanding what digital leaders must do in order to succeed in almost any industry, the best place to learn more is at the CDO Summit.

Register today for the Sydney CDO Summit on 24 February, 2016, presented by Accenture Digital.

Also sign up now to lock in our Super Early Bird Discount for NYC in April 2016, and Toronto in July 2016.

Reserve your place now:

The CDO Summit is the “must-attend” digital event of the year. The 2013, 2014 and 2015 CDO Summits received stellar endorsements from dozens of speakers and attendees alike:

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