As consumer magazines continue to struggle with declining ad spending, publishers are finding new ways to bring content to readers across different devices so they can create a two way connection with readers. Some recent headlines showcase this evolution in devices that will be available to advertisers in 2010.

E-Readers Extend Functionality
2009 marks the year of the e-reader. First there was Amazon’s Kindle, then Sony’s Daily Edition and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. Now Hearst is partnering with Sprint Nextel to offer a service called Skiff. Unlike its competitors, Skiff is both a device and a software platform, focused on viewing digital content from newspapers and magazines. Skiff will be compatible with netbooks, smartphones, and the next generation of e-readers. Skiff boasts strong layouts and graphics so that newspapers and magazines delivered over the air appear more like their paper equivalents. By partnering with Sprint, Skiff can be sold from Sprint stores and websites, among other distribution channels still to be announced. Hearst plans to roll out Skiff with newspapers first, followed by magazines in 2010.

From an e-reader to the larger screen of a Tablet computer, magazines are working aggressively to leverage this technology as it allows consumers to enjoy their favorite media content on portable digital devices without compromising the distinctive look and feel of each publication. The video below shows a demonstration of Sports Illustrated on a Tablet. Readers can easily check scores, see video footage and pictures from a game, or even view video advertiser content.

Publishers Creating a Digital News Stand
Publishers are quickly retaining control of Tablet content to avoid the iTunes model where Apple controls the device in which all content is broadcast. To that end, Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corporation and Time Inc. are coming together to develop open standards around how content will be distributed to various devices via a new digital storefront offering an extensive selection of reading options.

This “digital news stand” will offer a multitude of new advertising opportunities, allowing brands to interact with consumers in a highly engaged environment. The price of entry with these opportunities is slated to be cost-efficient to help create a large library with a common format. Empower MediaMarketing predicts that while out of pocket for these opportunities may be low, CPMs may be high when costs are broken down. Initial audience sizes with electronic versions will be much smaller, due to the niche targeting opportunity and new technology. The cumulative reach model that print typically provides will change with these extensions.

e-Reader Media in 2010 – There’s an App for That
Empower is speaking with each publishing group to learn more about when the storefront and electronic content will be ad-ready. As the e-reader and Tablet continue to be developed, we will see digital publishing companies like Zinio reproduce print publications on iPhones as an initial test. Current plans with Zinio include titles such as The Economist, Popular Science and Car and Driver. In total, we hope to see opportunities being shopped out to advertisers by mid to year end 2010.

:: By Courtney Ackerman, Empower MediaMarketing Magazine Director

Girl reading her Amazon Kindle, 86st Subway Station, New York uploaded by Gubatron