Digital transformation is not a one-and-done process, as anyone who has ever worked in the publishing industry can attest. For Hamburger Morgenpost the digital journey has been made in a series of steps and investments – all with an eye on transforming a once print-centric newspaper business into a digital pioneer. Now, with AI on the horizon, it is set to take another leap into the future of digital publishing by integrating artificial intelligence throughout its newsroom and processes.
In this special Conversations episode we hear from Arist von Harpe, Publisher of Hamburger Morgenpost and Peter Dyllick-Brenzinger Head of Product and Engineering at digital publishing platform provider Purple, about how the venerable newspaper is futureproofing itself and potentially providing a template for other media businesses taking their own first steps along that journey.
Arist and Peter tell us how MoPo went from a daily to a weekly newspaper while also embracing AI and digital technologies to reengineer their entire business model and become, as Arist explains, “bigger than they are”.
Some highlights from the episode, lightly edited for clarity:
The print-to-digital journal
Arist: When I took over in 2020, MoPo was already quite large in terms of reach. But they had taken this road of… cheesy clickbait. The brand wasn’t technically strong [online]. They also weren’t really earning money with it, so there was no paid content on there. Advertising was done in a not very professional way.
Those two points were actually the main two things that we addressed in the past four years together with Purple. Our print circulation [is going] down; we have been losing 20% every year. Of course, we increase the prices, but if 10% revenue goes away every year and if that revenue makes up 70% of your overall business, then you have heavy problems. So digital always had to compensate for that.
Peter: I think that if you look at the way the big platforms are going, having a direct audience like MoPo does is the key to success. It really doesn’t even matter how you monetise. In the end, if you go more for an ads business or a subscription business, the key is always having this audience there.
So I think that’s one of the key insights that that leads our path in product development, because we really believe in full ownership of the places where the journalism is consumed.
On becoming digitally sustainable
Arist: So the first step was that we became independent of the old CMS structure that MoPo was running on, still through the old owners.
Then step two was half a year later, when we introduced a paid content we call MoPo Plus.While we were the first regional newspaper to be online, we were actually one of the latest ones to jump on the paid content wagon, let’s say, so we could obviously learn from many others!
Step three was when we actually also got full independence from the monetisation aspect, which was also still run by the old owners, but that was from the beginning of 2023 onwards.
Peter: Before joining Purple I was with Axel Springer where, obviously, the amount of resources available around topics like that are on a different scale, because it’s the largest newspaper in Europe.
But what I’m seeing with with MoPo is right up there with just a very small, very dedicated team. So we’re really impressed. And we’re really, really happy to be able to work with them. What we’re trying to do is give them the tools that they need to be successful.
On AI and platform challenges
Peter: In the beginning, MoPo [used AI to] rewrite press releases; they’re still doing that as a first draft for their own article. We’re really looking closely at research around [AI hallucinations]; everybody’s interested in having large language models that actually tell the truth. And that’s actually something that’s quite challenging in the journalistic setting, because obviously you want truth.
The next step that we’re currently planning is what we call the one click article, so we want to get away from all these separate buttons if you will, and come down to one button.
Arist: So I think that is an overall threat with AI, but at the end of the day, let’s say it’s like with nuclear energy. Once it’s invented, it’s there, and you have to deal with it. So there’s no value in just being sad about it.
But from a business perspective, there is a huge threat that people go to Google. I mean, this is a clear monopoly.
Purple is a leading digital publishing platform for publishers, providing comprehensive solutions for modern publishing. Based in Berlin/Germany with an experienced team of 60 employees, Purple has been supporting publishers worldwide since 2007. Today, over 600 brands in 10 countries rely on Purple.
The platform consists of three core modules:
- Purple Editorial: Purple Editorial is an AI-powered headless CMS and editorial system that enables highly efficient workflows and reliable content distribution across multiple channels.
- Purple Experience: Purple not only offers an advanced editorial system but also solutions for creating apps and websites. This module allows publishers to deliver a seamless and engaging user experience that is consistent across all digital channels.
- Purple Growth: To maximise reach and audience engagement, Purple provides various audience development features. These help publishers better understand and target their readers, fostering long-term growth.
Purple offers Purple Essentials and Purple Pro, different products tailored to meet the diverse needs of publishers of all sizes. Purple is ideal for multichannel publishing and supports multibrand publishing, allowing publishers to manage multiple brands efficiently through a single platform. With these comprehensive and flexible solutions, Purple is the preferred choice for publishers aiming to succeed in the digital world.
