The Mario Blog

11.20.2019—1am    Post #15249
“‘Mobile First’ has to be more than a mantra”

That is a direct quote from the recently released WAN IFRA World Press Trends 2019 report notes steady growth in digital revenues globally.

This is the 30th edition of the World Press Report, a much anticipated yearly event from the folks at WAN IFRA in Paris.  The global organization monitors media trends worldwide and this year’s report is perhaps the best news we can provide publishers as 2019 comes to an end:

Digital news subscriber numbers worldwide have increased 208% over five years to 2018, and are expected to grow by a further 13% in 2019. 

The report merits full reading, but here are a couple of highlights that I consider significant:

“Vast potential to grow subscriber base”

The authors reference Chartbeat data drawn from 248 countries which shows that the number of guest pageviews has increased 76% over the 11 months to February 2019. 

The majority of traffic comes from mobile

This is no surprise, but always good to remember,  Isn’t this a reason for every reporter to go out and write the story for mobile first? And for designers to think beyond photos, and look for animated graphics, gifs, short videos, audio and other sensory appeal storytelling devices?  This research shows how important this is and will continue to be.

The graphic below , from the World Press Report 2019, shows the figures:

“Relevant content is key to achieving loyalty”


I would add: content that is essential, that becomes a part of the reader’s life is key to turning casual readers into subscribers. But here is how the World Press Report puts it:


Content that is relevant to readers isn’t just clicked but consumed – and rewarded with loyalty. And loyal users are the cornerstone of a successful reader revenue business. Publishers need to move from a mindset focused on producing news products to a mindset focussed on serving the needs of news users. 
World Press Trends 2019

Google and Facebook dominate the social media ecosystem

Again, no surprise. I see the same results in a dozen or so focus groups in which I have been involved with my clients the past two years, with Google attracting 67% of the market and Facebook 30%.


Read all about it here

Launch party for The Story in Zurich tonight!

From Monocle Weekend

THE INTERROGATOR / EDITION 30

https://monocle.com/minute/2019/09/21/

Mario García

Editorial consultant Mario García has advised the most important newsrooms in the world on design – and how best adapt to a digital transition. More than 700 publications, from The Wall Street Journal to the South China Morning Post, have received his strategic steer. Other than being an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of Journalism, he also runs his own consultancy firm: García Media. Nowadays his speciality is how digital devices influence narrative structure and consumption; his latest book, The Story, was written specifically to be read on a phone. Here, though, he confesses to a few analogue pleasures.

What they are saying about The Story!

The Story is here!

You can now download my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, from Apple Books at $6.99
This is Book 1 of a Trilogy! The other two books coming soon.
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-story-volume-i/id1480169411


The newspaper remains the most powerful source of storytelling on the planet. But technology threatens its very existence. To survive, the Editor must transform, adapt, and manage the newsroom in a new way. Order The Story by Mario Garcia, chief strategist for the redesign of over 700 newspapers around the world.

My chat with in Monocle Radio

Listen to my chat in Monocle Radio’s The Stack: Latest episode‘The Face’ and ‘The Story’:We welcome the return of the print version of ‘The Face’ and talk to legendary newspaper designer Mario Garcia about his latest book, ‘The Story’.
https://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/368/play/

My interview with CNN en Español

I was a guest in the program Encuentro, hosted by Guillermo Arduino daily at CNN en Español. The interview was about how we read on mobile devices and my introduction of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, to a Spanish-language audience.

Mario’s speaking engagements

November 20, 2019

Presentation of The Story in Zurich, Switzerland, at launch party (by invitattion only). Sponsored by Monocle The Stack.

March 13, 2020

Keynote presentation at the National Media College Association Spring Convention, New York City, NY>

Order print edition of The Story

You can order the print edition of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, from Amazon already here:

https://www.amazon.com/Story-I-Transformation-Mario-Garcia/dp/0578495759/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Story+by+Mario+Garcia&qid=1565262220&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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An interview of interest

http://www.itertranslations.com/blog/2019/3/11/fd60ybflpvlqrgrpdp5ida5rq0c3sp

TheMarioBlog post # 3162

The Mario Blog