publishing Archives - SmartFrame

Inside SmartFrame: Cristina Ghiuta, Publishing Manager

SmartFrame — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:22:24 +0000

Publishing Manager Cristina talks to us about her career to date, attitudes towards brand safety today, and the importance of honest journalism in the age of AI-generated content

How did you get started in the publishing world?

I started about 15 years ago. My first job was a sales job for a publisher, and I worked there for two years, learning how they operated, who did what, and so on.

After that, I was picked up by an ad tech company, where my primary role was advertising sales. It was a startup company, and the role required me to connect publishers to run the campaigns. So, it was a mixed role between managing campaigns and speaking to publishers, selling to publishers, recruiting publishers, and so on.

When I joined SmartFrame, I started in a publisher sales role, but it’s also been a fairly mixed position between client success and sales. So, in one way or another, I’ve always been involved with publishers.

What has been the biggest change you’ve witnessed during that time?

I think this industry changes very quickly. It was very basic when I first started in that publishers would have advertising spots and they would sell them. When I first sold to publishers, it would be for the print edition. The digital side of things was essentially only sold as added value – some banners on their site, for example. So, print was the focus, and digital was secondary.

And then the digital space grew as interest grew, and technologies grew in the space too. And the more these grew – such as by adding SSPs, DSPs, data management platforms, and so on – it shifted.

There was a period when it was very data-driven. Previously, publishers held control of the ad space – especially on digital – and media agencies would go to hundreds of sites to buy the ad positions. But media agencies faced a logistical nightmare creating bespoke banners for each publisher.

When the digitalization of advertising began, media agencies had bespoke formats and publishers had to feed into that. But then publishers started losing control because they had data management platforms, and media agencies would cherry-pick what they wanted from the site.

So, you had data companies and ad tech companies who had control over the budget and how it was spent, whereas before, it was publishers that had control. So, it shifted. But I think with GDPR being more of a focus, and after COVID, the discussion became very much about how to protect users.

Now, the conversation is about having a connection with the buyer, and I’m hearing more and more about being in the right context and creating meaningful connections with users. If someone is reading an article about a car, it makes sense to show them adverts with cars. It may be that a user is not looking to buy a new car, but by reading the article, they might start to question whether they need a new one. And then they may start looking into it. So, brands have started to look at being seen in the right context.

I remember a conversation I had with an automotive client about the best kinds of sites for their ads, and it transpired that baby and parenting sites were working particularly for them. Most people will have a second-hand car as their first car – only a limited number of people buy a new car – and they will only tend to buy a new car when something happens in their life. It could be that they get married, get a new job, or their family grows, and they realize their existing car doesn’t fit their needs. Mums have a huge influence on deciding when to buy a new car – and this specific brand had huge sales of their cars just by targeting families and parenting sites, which they had excluded before.

So, you need the right context. But that has to go beyond keyword targeting, as this can exclude you from relevant articles. For example, let’s say you’re a fashion brand. You may, understandably, want to add the word ‘killer’ to a block list. But then if you think about phrases like killer looks or killer image, you can appreciate why you’d not be seen in the right context.

Another key change is that a lot of sites and publishers are scaling down. The more ad tech partners you have in your waterfall, the more it slows down your sites, which impacts the user experience. Publishers are concerned with becoming sustainable and diminishing their carbon emissions. The more partners you have and the slower your site is, the more carbon emissions there are. So, publishers are thinking, “I’m going to just select a few partners that work for me.”

Do you think attitudes towards brand safety have changed over the last few years? Where is brand safety today?

In the early days, brand safety was not a major consideration. There were sites buying clicks and bot traffic was common. But as digital advertising grew, so did the need for brand safety tools – and brands like DoubleVerify, Moat, and IAS played a significant role in addressing these challenges.

But even though we have these technologies now, a key question around content is: “Yes, this looks safe for the brand, but is it truthful?” A key issue now – especially in the age of AI, but even before – is that you can take an image, edit it, and make it look like something very different from the original. And with that, you can build a story that’s actually not a story.

We have many examples of how AI images have contributed to fake news, and also where real images were taken out of their original context and used elsewhere. A lot of fake news, propaganda, and conspiracy theories can sound very real. So, now it’s a case of understanding how we counteract that – and I think SmartFrame is in a perfect place for that.

Would you say misinformation is the most significant challenge facing publishers right now?

Yes, this is a big challenge, especially with the growth of AI. Editorial teams can easily use images they think are real on their sites. The case of an AI-generated image that appeared to show an explosion near the Pentagon, which had an impact on the stock market, reminds us of how easily people can be fooled.

Personally, I like the imperfections of a real human, which includes their writing. This is the romantic in me! I like the nuances. Yes, you can have perfectly polished writing with AI, but it doesn’t offer the connection with the writer. I hope and pray publishers do not fall into that trap just to cut costs because I think they will lose that connection with humans. I hope journalists don’t forget to be journalists. They need to write the truth, especially with investigative reporting. Authenticity is what keeps us progressing as a society. I don’t think AI can give us that.

Where do you think SmartFrame fits into all this?

I think SmartFrame is in the right time and in the right place right now. Particularly with Content Credentials, we can not only protect photographers – in that we know who took the picture, when and how it was taken, and so on – but also the authenticity of the story. And when publishers use such an image, which is protected and embedded on their site, there’s no risk of someone editing and misusing the image.

For publishers using our content, and embedding it on their sites, they have the assurance of that human verification. So, in terms of protecting authenticity, I think we’re best placed right now.

Longer term, I see SmartFrame doing so much more in safeguarding not just companies and brands but also the elderly, children, and other vulnerable members of society. It’s a massive thing to be able to safeguard these images, and to ensure these images aren’t shared in a non-consensual way.

That is just the first step, but I see this application growing in many other fields. And the education around this isn’t just important for larger publishers, but smaller ones too. We need a new generation of writers and content creators, and the more we start from the ground up, and the more these sites grow, the greater the snowball effect can be.

How do you switch off when you’re not at SmartFrame?

When I’m not at SmartFrame, I focus on my family. We enjoy going out and having adventures together. This is why safeguarding is so important to me; I take pictures all the time but rarely share family images on social media due to safety concerns. I want to ensure our memories aren’t misused.

I enjoy reading and philosophy, though I don’t have as much time for them as I’d like, since the kids occupy much of it. Still, I have my philosophical perspectives on things. I’m not particularly political, but I find it interesting to consider others’ views on life.

I’ve read a couple of books that changed my perspectives on things. One I recently finished was Konstantin Kisin’s An Immigrant’s Love Story to the West. The author lived in communist Russia, where journalists are oppressed. He emphasizes not losing your voice, as it’s essential for building a reality for society.

This is personal for me, as I come from a country that used to be under a communist regime. At school, you are given a book, and you get higher grades if you can reproduce the content within it. I attended university in the UK, and it completely changed my way of seeing education. So, An Immigrant’s Love Story to the West really spoke to me.

The post Inside SmartFrame: Cristina Ghiuta, Publishing Manager appeared first on SmartFrame.

What does the future of journalism look like in 2024?

Liam Machin — Wed, 22 May 2024 10:20:36 +0000

In this piece, we look at the current state of journalism and speak with two respected journalists to talk about the future of their profession in an age where content is flooding the internet on a daily basis.

A combination of declining print readership and a rapidly changing online landscape has created a level of uncertainty over the future of journalism.

Yet, despite this, the average person is exposed to more information now than ever before, with social media platforms becoming hotspots for citizen journalism.

Theoretically, anyone holding a smartphone can share their version of events and become a news source.

The significant decline in newsroom jobs, with a 25% drop between 2008 and 2020, highlights the ongoing transformation of the journalism industry.

Meanwhile, legacy publications have rushed to build a digital presence to replace the decline in revenue from print, resulting in a greater number of clickbait articles appearing.

There are also many other headaches for the executives at these publications, from changes in regulations around third-party cookies and ad revenue to the persistent threat of misinformation.

We’ll break down some of the different elements that publications face, with insights from seasoned journalists Ed Walker and Harry Harris.

Dealing with a fragmented audience

With so many ways for people to consume information, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to identify where your target audience gets their news and what publications can do to attract new users.

The Local Media Survey revealed significant changes in how people access regional news. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular methods:

Social media (54%)
TV (53%)
Word of mouth (50%)

There’s a significant drop before you come across the websites of broadcasters and publications (35%) or printed newspapers (22%), proving a clear shift in behavior toward how we gather news.

Furthermore, a separate study by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, highlighted the change in behaviors, especially when looking at the younger generation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, almost half (46%) of those aged between 16 to 24 say that social media is their most important news source.

“The landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented,” notes Ed Walker, Director at Alma and formerly Audience and Content Director at Reach PLC. “Some people will use multiple channels, others will be single-channel readers – and that fragmentation is only going to accelerate.

“The days of a single mass distribution channel in digital, when Facebook was rising rapidly and the dominant distribution platform then consumption was fairly linear online, but that’s changed dramatically in the last 18 months.”

This fragmentation challenges publishers to tailor their content and distribution strategies to meet various preferences.

The cookie jar is almost empty

To add more complexity to an already difficult situation, the commercial teams at publications across the country must handle the deprecation of third-party cookies with the utmost care.

The move is aimed at protecting user privacy, but it will drastically change the way advertisements can reach users and how newspapers benefit from ads on their websites.

According to the Advertising Association, despite a 15.9% rise in overall ad spend, data shows an overall decline in money spent on UK news publications, both national and regional.

This shift has affected how publishers consider advertising, a crucial revenue stream. “Third-party cookie deprecation will make first-party data more valuable,” added Walker.

“We may see more direct deals and direct deals focused on reaching and amplifying messages on specific distribution channels.”

With Google announcing another delay to the phasing out of third-party cookies, publishers that have not already taken steps to build stronger relationships with their audiences and collect first-party data may prioritize this now.

This should, in theory, allow them to provide better ad experiences for their audiences once they can no longer rely on tracking data from third-party cookies.

Searching for sustainability and security

The decline of local journalism paints a grim picture, especially in the UK, where independent high street businesses – once vital sources of local advertising – have disappeared.

Additionally, many businesses that might have previously looked at print advertising have now turned to other forms of advertising or self-promotion marketing activities, leaving some local publications struggling to survive.

For example, last year, Reach PLC closed 13 local newspaper websites due to a drop in demand.

And in the US it’s a similar outlook, with an estimated average of 2.5 news publications closing per week in 2023, according to research.

Away from his duties as SmartFrame’s Sports Development Director, Harry Harris is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience at publications such as the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.

Harris acknowledged the harsh reality of the current climate of local journalism and explained that many local publications “have been hit hard by the high street recession.”

He continued: “Being acquired by major players has become one of the only ways they can guarantee survival. This, however, has resulted in a loss of local identity.”

Subscription models: Savior or temporary solution?

The subscription model has often been seen as a potential solution to this, representing a viable replacement for the losses to advertising and print.

Recent research from the Reuters Institute and Oxford University found that 80% of media leaders surveyed said subscription models and membership-type agreements will be an important revenue stream, ahead of both display and native advertising.

Subscription models have not always been as fruitful as expected, although there have been notable success stories, such as the likes of The Athletic and Mill Media.

However, most audiences accustomed to free online content are likely to hesitate before starting to pay for a service they can usually access without charge elsewhere, especially when there are several such options available.

Harris highlighted this public resistance: “The vast majority of the public believe access to information on the web is free and should remain free.”

Balancing valuable content with convincing audiences to pay for it remains a major hurdle for publications of all sizes.

What about the journalists themselves? What does their future look like?

Despite the challenges, the core function of journalism – to inform and entertain – remains as vital as ever.

In this age of information overload, audiences crave reliable sources they can trust.

Harry Harris emphasized: “A journalist’s role will never change. It’s to bring their audience news, features, and opinions with the ability to inform and entertain.”

However, the skills required to succeed in this new landscape have evolved.

Journalists must become specialists in their fields, offering unique insights and perspectives, but also be able to relay this in different ways.

Having the ability to navigate the digital world and curate content effectively across multiple platforms is essential for maximized engagement.

AI won’t replace journalists, but it can improve them

Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and while it might be a double-edged sword in the world of content creation, there’s no doubt it brings with it new challenges and opportunities.

While social media and AI-generated content have fueled misinformation and even defrauded advertisers, these same tools can also enhance journalists’ work.

Walker explained: “From recent conversations I’ve had with different publishers, their focus is on taking AI tools and training them to do something bespoke within a newsroom. This includes getting lower-value stories online in a more efficient way, or teaching them how to write in the style of a publication in order to reshape national content into the specific style and interests of a brand’s audience in a particular region.”

To do this, the upfront work on the prompts and training of the bots themselves is key.

Another way in which these tools can support journalists and publications is by automating and streamlining heavier tasks like data analysis, which will then allow journalists to dedicate more time to critical stories.

Walker added that AI tools can also assist with multimedia content creation, a critical component of engaging digital audiences.

“I think over time it will also help to make multimedia content quicker and easier for newsrooms to output on a greater scale e.g. captioning of video and audio content,” he said.

Conclusion

Declining trust, revenue shortfalls, and an increasingly fragmented audience are just some of the threats to the future of publications.

And while AI has the potential to be a valuable tool for journalists and publications, it has already accelerated the spread of misinformation.

Ultimately, the future of news publications is dependent on their adaptability.

Many revenue models for publications become outdated quickly, and publications that don’t take the time to truly understand their audience will struggle in the long term with changes in online behaviors and advertising regulations.

Though there are multiple opportunities to create new revenue streams, the fundamental principles of journalism remain unchanged – and people will always require reliable information.

Publications can move towards more sustainable models by embracing data-driven audience targeting, building trust through high-quality, relevant content, and leveraging new technologies to improve efficiency.

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