Enhancing the Paid Content Service

With a position as one of the top publishers in the UK, DC Thomson has grown a substantial audience across both its print and digital services. While the publisher had already employed a paid content strategy, DC Thomson saw the requirement to enhance its services and benefit from greater platform flexibility.

In order to provide its audiences with the best user experience, the publisher required a technology vendor with experience, industry insight and a dedicated local support team. This led DC Thomson to MPP Global, who empower publishers including The Daily Mail, Winnipeg Free Press and L’Equipe, to monetise digital content and physical publications with eSuite, an advanced eCommerce platform enabling publishers to identify, engage and convert consumers into paying customers.

Customer Insight

A key requirement for DC Thomson was to better understand their audience. With the implementation of eSuite, all DC Thomson’s customer and payment information will be centralised. eSuite integrates with the publisher’s single customer view, and provides efficient access for customer support, clear identification of Customer Lifetime Value and simplified reporting, which can be used to give powerful insight and shape business decisions.

Leveraging eSuite’s Intelligence & Decisioning module, the publisher will provide metered access to three of its largest sites, resulting in consumers being able to read a set number of pages before being required to register and pay for content. DC Thomson will also be using this functionality to collect information about its consumers, such as the type of content they are reading and the device they are using, whilst at the same time creating a digital fingerprint to collect this information with the consumer remaining anonymous. This data will enrich consumer profiles and enable the publisher to understand its audience like never before, which will play a key role in optimising the products and services on offer.

Utilising this audience insight, DC Thomson can create tailored offers and promotions using the Acquisition and Conversion module. This functionality enables the publisher to attract consumers to the different services with promotions, such as a discounted subscription or trial periods, optimising the conversion of consumers into paying customers.

Subscription and Identity Management

By integrating single sign-on capability with eSuite, DC Thomson can create and develop profiles for its paywall customers in a single location. Using the capabilities within the Identity and CRM module, the publisher can manage its subscribers efficiently and have access to their information to help understand their habits and engagement with the service.

DC Thomson can also utilise the Analytics and Reporting module to extract relevant insights, providing a snapshot to quickly identify performance trends. With this level of insight, the publisher can formulate business decisions based on its audience and their habits, helping to maintain subscriber engagement and create subscriber-focused products and services.

Commentary

Speaking on the project, Kirsten Morrison, Head of Digital at DC Thomson, said: “While we have been offering paid content for some time, we are excited to now be providing our consumers and subscribers with an enhanced and more flexible service.

“The integration of eSuite with our other platforms enables us to engage with our audience in new ways, helping to optimise the number of conversions the services receive.”

Paul Johnson, CEO at MPP Global, stated: “This project with DC Thomson further supports the fact that paid content needs to be incorporated into publishing strategies.

“MPP Global is dedicated to providing media and publishing organisations with the tools and technology they need to enhance online and offline services, with eSuite providing the functionality publishers need to manage and engage their audiences throughout the complete subscriber lifecycle.” 

About MPP Global

MPP Global is a technology business that delivers eSuite, an advanced eCommerce platform empowering publishers to monetise digital content and physical publications. eSuite enables publishers to identify, engage and convert consumers into paying customers, with new subscription and one-click payment models that extend existing ad-generated revenue streams.

Founded in 2000, with offices throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific, MPP Global has an impressive track record of helping companies deliver digital monetisation solutions.

Clients include The Times, L'Équipe, Racing Post, Local Media Group, The Irish Times, Daily Mail, Winnipeg Free Press and the New Zealand Herald.

DC Thomson is a private company and one of the leading media organisations in the UK. The publisher’s headquarters are in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in the world-famous Fleet Street. The company publishes newspapers, magazines and books and has diversified into new media, digital technology, retail, radio and television.

Throughout the course of the 20th Century, DC Thomson became one of the UK’s leading publishers, with publications including The Courier, The Press and Journal, and Energy Voice.