6 Media & Events Takeaways - Q1 2024

By: Mark Holdreith

Last week, while in London, I had the opportunity meet with leaders of UK media and events businesses. Here are 6 takeaways from our meetings:  

1. Branding is Gaining Attention:

   • There seems to be a growing focus on top of funnel branding. Branding and its value to marketers may be having a resurgence.

2. Founders Should Meet with Other Entrepreneurs and Tech Enablers

   • Be on the lookout for new ways of thinking. Evaluate new technology and how its implementation can further transform your media brands.

3. Don’t Resist AI; Ride the Wave:

   • Many media companies are anxiously awaiting the outcome of prominent AI v. Media lawsuits, such as New York Times v. OpenAI. These media companies may be wasting valuable time. Much like the rise of search engines, AI won’t kill the media game it will just change the rules. Invest in your own proprietary AI trained on your own content and explore ways to integrate AI offerings – like chatbots - into your site.

4. First Party Data + Buyer Intent Tracking

   • If you’re relaxed about first party data: you can no longer afford to be. The death of third-party cookies leaves media operators with no choice but to collect first party data. Attributing buyer intent to specific accounts is a goal yet to be realized by most publishers.

5. Your Audience Comes First

   • In addition to strong financials, growth potential, and other factors, a media company needs an engaged and loyal audience to leverage its trustworthy market position and drive valuation.

6. Media is More Than One Medium

   • Media companies - and especially event operators - now more than ever need to engage their audience in multiple mediums simultaneously. Written content + social media content + video + community events + innovative new offerings like AI search + educational courses; all create a – sort of – “surround sound” for your audience. By providing the content your audience finds most useful through numerous mediums, you can increase engagement and your brand’s value.

Mark and Colin Holdreith in London - February, 2024