The paper’s multimedia convergence started with the study of the customers’ news needs, which led to change the distribution timeline, producing a later print edition and bringing continuous updates to online news. The Volkskrant also created a new position, a ‘news flow manager,’ to head the convergence process.

The paper started offering combined subscriptions, to enable readers to receive their news on a different medium, depending on the time of day or of the week (for example, readers can receive three print editions on selected days, complemented by daily updates on a PDA on the other days).

De Volkskrant developed a content development matrix, listing its variety of media (mobile, print, online, audio and video) and their stages of development. This simple matrix enabled editors to decide in which areas convergence needed to be emphasized, or on the contrary, was somewhat satisfactory. As a result, the paper produced a 4pm four-page PDF version, for people to read coming back from work. For its younger targets, it created a free job classified supplement. Other innovations included an online news aggregator, “News Clicker,” the NewsCruncher, a program designed for MSN messenger and to answer young people’s questions about news, as well as a webcasting channel, VK.TV.

Even more interesting though was how the Volkskrant sold this convergence process and its value to advertisers and media consultants. It used a three-tier approach: ‘pamper’ advertisers through lunches and social events, ‘inspire’ ad agencies through sponsored tours, and ‘educate’ media agencies through a masterful annual event.

The most fascinating aspect of this plan was the amount of resources Volkskrant put into it. Such as renting the royal bus to organize one-hour business lunches with media executives and advertisers or rewarding select participants with digital cameras. The annual event was hosted by a TV personality, and proposed ‘challenges’ for the participants, including writing an online article about a personality’s press conference (also hired just for the event) or doing a multimedia report on a city fire (accompanied by fully rigged explosions and flames). Participants also scored points by answering questionnaires relating to the newspaper.

By the end of the event, not only had most of the participants stayed until the final party, they all had increased knowledge of the Volkskrant’s activities and intents.

As Kok says though, the most important part of the process was that most – if not all – participants left the events with the impression that De Volkskrant was an innovative and dynamic newspaper.

Needless to say a newspaper needs deep pockets to put this into place. But the fact that the Volkskrant was willing to put such effort in the strateg shows how essential it is for newspapers nowadays to convince their business partners that they are going in the right direction editorially.

Source: Editors Weblog, Pieter Kok, publisher of De Volkskrant