Michael Ross, SVP./GM of Education for Encyclopaedia Britannica, discusses how they transformed from the iconic printed encyclopedias to a thriving digital paid content strategy available by desktop, tablet and mobile.

1. CONTENT: Subscription Apps and Web sites
that Deliver Value
Michael Ross
SVP
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Twitter handle; @britannica
Event hashtag #MobiU2012
Presented by the Heartland Mobile Council

2. #MobiU2012, @britannica
Agenda
• About Britannica
• Websites and Mobile Apps—Revenue Models
• The Format Dilemma
• Building Traffic vs. Growing Revenue
• Dealing with App Fatigue
• The Future as I see it
• What’s next for EB

3. #MobiU2012, @britannica
The Britannica Story: How We Got Here
• 244 Years of Print-Related Products
• 20 Years of Disruption
• Obsolescing formats
• The promise of the Internet
• 2012—the end of an Era
• Where we are today

4. #MobiU2012, @britannica
Apps and their Web Counterparts
• The role of Websites in a mobile model
• Key Revenue drivers for Websites: Subscription and/or Ads—
which is better?
• Apps driven by Web sites or offline products

5. #MobiU2012, @britannica
Form Factor: The Good and the Bad
• Standalone apps
• Design challenges
• Size matters

6. #MobiU2012, @britannica
What to optimize: Downloads or Revenue
• How to make money
• What is considered a good value?
• Free or cheap
• Monetizing downloads
• Ad revenue can be good: So can sub revenue

7. #MobiU2012, @britannica
Fighting App Fatigue
• More Models:
• Inapp purchasing
• The New OEM
• Targeting Productivity and Solutions

8. #MobiU2012, @britannica
The Future of Apps: Is there One?
• Platform Issues
• Responsive Design
• Currency and Relevance
• Sum of the parts worth more than the whole
• Opportunities and Threats: Scale v. Pricing Pressure

9. #MobiU2012, @britannica
What’s Next for Britannica
• From Reference to the Classroom
• General reference vs. Subject Specific online products
• Changing Core Competencies
• Building Awareness