This document introduces Otherworld, an experiment that uses beacon technology to send location-based stories to mobile phones without an app. It aims to discover new ways of telling stories and engaging readers by delivering the nearest news directly to them. The experiment placed beacons in Manchester that directed over 600 readers to location-specific content in one day, showing that proximity-based stories are highly relevant. Lessons from the initial trial indicate that focusing on relevance through emerging location technologies could engage new audiences and reinvigorate local news distribution.

1. INTRODUCING
OTHERWORLD
@STUGOULDEN

2. NEXT GENERATION
STORYTELLING + PLACEMAKING
WHY?
WHAT IS IT?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?
WHAT’S NEXT?

3. WHAT IS THE FUTURE
OF LOCAL NEWS?

4. WHAT IS THE FUTURE
OF LOCAL NEWS?
BOTS? UGC? ALGORITHMS? SUBS?

5. WHAT IS THE FUTURE
OF LOCAL NEWS?
BOTS? UGC? ALGORITHMS? SUBS?
💀??

6. WHAT IS THE FUTURE
OF LOCAL NEWS?

7. WHAT ROLE CAN
LOCAL MEDIA PLAY IN
OUR FUTURE CITIES?
💭

8. * SHRINKING READERSHIP
- Generation(s) of people will never read their local newspaper
* RACE FOR CLICKS
- Landfill of content that never finds its intended audience
* POORLY PACKAGED
- Not made for mobile or embedded into everyday life
* NO TIME TO INNOVATE
- Stuck on treadmill of (self-imposed) daily deadlines
* PREDICTABILITY
- Let’s stop taking ourselves so seriously
* BROKEN AD FORMATS
– Forming a new relationship with cities and businesses
A CURE FOR…?

9. PROOF OF CONCEPT
NEW MODEL FOR NEWS
DISTRIBUTION, DISCOVERY
AND MONETISATION

10. NEW AUDIENCES
NEW EXPERIENCES
NEW MONEY
NEW MODEL FOR NEWS
DISTRIBUTION, DISCOVERY
AND MONETISATION
✨
✨
✨
PROOF OF CONCEPT

11. SO, WHAT IS
OTHERWORLD?

12. An
experiment

13. LIVING MEDIA
OTHERWORLD USES THE
LATEST BEACON
TECHNOLOGY TO MAGICALLY
SEND LOCATION-BASED
STORIES TO PEOPLE’S
MOBILE PHONES*

14. LIVING MEDIA
* ALL WITHOUT THE NEED
FOR AN APP
OTHERWORLD USES THE
LATEST BEACON
TECHNOLOGY TO MAGICALLY
SEND LOCATION-BASED
STORIES TO PEOPLE’S
MOBILE PHONES*

15. FOR READERS…
DISCOVER THE NEAREST
NEWS TO YOU NOW
+
EXPLORE THE WORLD
AROUND YOU LIKE NEVER
BEFORE

16. AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY
TO TELL STORIES AND
ENGAGE WITH READERS
+
AN INCREDIBLY EFFICIENT
WAY TO DO SO
FOR NEWSROOMS…

17. A SMALL EXPERIMENT
* MCR
* 10 BEACONS
* 60+ PARTNERS
* v1 (2017)
* 💸 GOOGLEGOOGLE
* FUTURE: TBC

18. CONTENT PARTNERS
+ MORE

19. CURATING
THE CITY

20. CONTENT
POSSIBILITIES

21. HUGE POTENTIAL
RELEVANCE SUPERSEDES
EVERYTHING ELSE
EMERGING APP-LESS TECH
40% (UK) PEOPLE HAVE
BLUETOOTH ‘ON’
LIBERATING FOR NEWSROOMS
MARKETING & PLACEMAKING £
HALVE AV. AGE OF READERS

22. Learnings
Relevance supersedes everything
664 readers – 1 beacon, 1 day
Location – 8x more popular
Tech troubles
Weather & Theft

23. INTRODUCING
OTHERWORLD
@STUGOULDEN