Hearst Launches New App Lab: A Digital 'Think Tank'

NEW YORK – Hearst Corporation unveiled a new "App Lab" Thursday that the publishing company hopes will showcase its digital editions for advertisers and serve as an idea incubator for magazine staffers creating content specifically for tablets and smartphones.

As print revenue drops, major publishers are increasingly looking at the growing tablet market to sell subscriptions and are developing advertising that utilizes the digital platform’s strengths. Hearst, along with rivals Conde Nast and Time Inc., have all struck deals with Apple in recent months to sell iPad subscriptions. Although some publishers, such as Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, remain skeptical that the tablet will immediately impact magazine industry, others aren't slowing down. Hearst, which has already published over 100 apps, plans on launching a dozen more by the end of this year.

And now the company has an in-house lab to experiment in. The Hearst App Lab doesn’t offer the sweeping views one might expect from the 41st floor of the publishing company’s Manhattan tower. That’s intentional, according to Avi Zimak, advertising director for tablet media at Hearst Magazines. At Thursday’s opening, Zimak told reporters that Hearst was “purposeful and deliberate in keeping the lab a little bit low-key.”

“You'll notice that there are no windows inside this lab,” he continued, “the reason being that this is meant to be a think tank, a place for innovation, and it's also a space that we want to continue to evolve as the tablet medium continues evolving, so we can make those changes as the space evolves.”

So what can you do in a digital 'think tank?'

Zimak and Chris Wilkes, Heart Magazines’ vice president of digital editions, showed off some of the Lab’s features, including a large digital video wall that can display digital editions of popular Hearst magazines -- Cosmopolitan, Esquire and O, The Oprah Magazine. Hearst staffers can use the touch screen to make notes on the pages and also research trends across social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The Lab also includes all the major tablet models for staff use.

“We can't put an iPad at every desk,” Wilkes said. “We can't put a Galaxy tab then right next to it, and a Zoom right next to that, and as you know, the multitude of devices keeps growing -- and so this is an area where we've stocked it with enough resources for everyone to come in here and be very, very productive together.”

But the Lab isn’t just for editorial. Hearst plans to work with advertisers on tablet-specific campaigns. For instance, Wilkes demonstrated the Lab’s stereo sound while showing a recent Infinity ad in O that includes video, a slideshow and 360-degree view of the car’s interior.

"We see this app lab as a space for innovation, a space where good smart content can shine," Zimak said. "I look forward to inviting advertisers, consumers, and partners in to help us continue to innovate as the tablet landscape continues to grow."

Comments

[dharmadhatuzoo]

07:50 AM on 06/10/2011

Anything that ensures the continued existence of Cosmopolitan is a bad thing.

[Help USA Taxpayer]

04:28 AM on 06/10/2011

I used to love glass soda bottles but plastic won out unfortunately magazines and newspapers will be replaced just like my beloved glass bottle/jar with bloggers and sights like Huffington Post.

[FlaviaDeLuce]

10:31 PM on 06/09/2011

If 'paper' reading disappears then books will be the LAST thing to go.. I personally don't like reading mags on the table or Nook Clr, paper is better.

[NHBill]

04:43 PM on 06/10/2011

enjoy it while you can.
making paper is an environmental nightmare.

[kocean1]

08:12 PM on 06/09/2011

Publishing is well on it's way out. Good for Hurst that they are trying to evolve as quickly as they can and a partnership with Apple is a great step. I'm sure many publishers are scratching their heads on how to make their publications profitable.

[kcwookie]

07:56 PM on 06/09/2011

There will always be books. Books will be an art form and continue to be relished. Pulp and other types of publishing will die, but look at it this way, how many of us read or write on scrolls?

[johnjohn4321]

07:53 PM on 06/09/2011

I will be very sad when books, magazines, and newspapers are gone.

[Daws]

07:51 PM on 06/09/2011

I love reading magazines on the iPad. I just love that I easily carry a variety of reading material on one device. My only complaints are:

1) Some of these magazine files are HUGE. The current issue of GQ was slightly over half a gigabyte. I wouldn't mind them having options for those of us who like to hold onto back issues for awhile. Like have the normal, big file and then have one that's just basically a pdf scan minus the animations and sounds added. A smaller file.

2) I hate that I have multiple apps for my magazines. I think the upcoming Newsrack (?) in iOS 5 may solve that though and consolidate all my magazines.

[gjwarnock]

07:34 PM on 06/09/2011

Codeine, Viagra, Aspirin Tablets

Might work!

[Rubyfoo]

07:32 PM on 06/09/2011

Tablets won't save the industry, but if they take enough oxycodone tablets, it won't hurt so much.

[DanBeach]

07:30 PM on 06/09/2011

Yeah I think in the end paper mills will become a lot smaller

[BryanEdwards]

07:23 PM on 06/09/2011

I think more covers of Jessica Alba will save the magazine industry

[johnjohn4321]

07:52 PM on 06/09/2011

Agreed, always a great looking woman.

[David Spivak]

07:08 PM on 06/09/2011

As Publisher of Focus Magazine, when I saw a copy of Focus for the first time on the Apple iPad, I was amazed. No more distribution worries, no more print delays, no more fuel surcharges. I've sold thousands of digital copies of Focus Magazine to photographers through Zinio and my own App. And to be honest? I still give the same information about collecting fine art photography written by curators and collectors, I still have some of the most amazing photographs taken by photographers from all over the world and now I get to sell the magazine for $5 instead of $15 to cover my print charges. Everyone wins and it's better for the environment. When Apple's newsstand comes out, I'll be on that as well. The success to being a magazine publisher is offering content you cannot find elsewhere. And that is precisely what I offer.

[queenmarcy]

12:51 AM on 06/10/2011

Excellent comments. I'm a 68 yr. old grandma and like you I can see the future quite clearly. I recently discovered that I could download free books using Amazon's Kindle for my Windows laptop PC. While perusing their "library" I found many of the magazines I currently subscribe to via mail are available electronically, and I'm considering changing, primarily for the ecological reasons you point out. I foresee a near future where school children carry a tablet computer to and from class that not only takes the place of their cumbersome textbooks, it serves as a telephone via Skype, and a wireless connection to the internet. Our beloved books will become collectors items, things to show our great grandchildren just like we show them records and cassette tapes today.

[emmeaki]

06:18 PM on 06/09/2011

Print revenue is dropping? How about better writing? Magazines like Cosmo and Glamour are only one step above teen magazines now. I read these magazines as a teen (20 years ago) and they wrote about things that pertained to adults, like career advice, etc.Cosmo even had novel excerpts. Now it's mostly just superficial drivel. It's hard to find one article that is more than a page long. They are also celebrity obsessed. I remember when there were no-name models on the cover and not the latest celebrity "it"girls. I believe that people would buy more magazines if there was something worth reading.

[onasphere]

06:09 PM on 06/09/2011

One huge and obvious advantage is that the "cover" could be tailored to the particular reader based on their interests. Jessica Alba works fine for me, but not for everyone.

[terroh8er]

06:06 PM on 06/09/2011

Why pay for something when you can get the same thing for free online? Subscription models don't work. Google has all the information you need and from a variety of sources.