We have many clients in the publishing space – in markets like healthcare, education, medical, science, etc. – that we do international branding work for. I was recently doing some research around a U.S. publishing thought leader piece and I invariably came across many blog posts on 2012 trends in the publishing space. Always interesting to look at what has come to fruition now that we are well into Q3 already.
One of the most interesting Top 10 Trends list came from a post from the CEO of one of our clients, Publishing Technology out of the UK (yes, I know, a shameless plug...shoot me). My favorite items included #9 Exploring New Markets, e.g. BRIC countries are big for all global brands as traditional markets are saturated, and #7 Online Discovery and User Experience – goes with out saying that going digitial means killer UX is necessary for everyone. There are other key one for sure, but those are some big ones in my mind.
The biggest trend we see is with international publishers integrating a 'brand goulash' of titles. Often, after years of acquisitions and mergers, publishing brands are left with a rather large portfolio of non-cohesive, non-integrated titles. The challenge therefore is how to build an umbrella brand that all of their portfolio titles/brands can roll up into effectively. No easy task - but one that must be executed properly to leverage future growth.
Have you seen any recent examples of publishers pulling this 'brand goulash' challenge off? Would love to hear about them!
Dustin
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