FIPP CEO Alastair Lewis talks industry trends and centenary celebrations on the We Like Mags podcast
FIPP CEO Alastair Lewis is the guest on the latest episode of the We Like Mags podcast, out this week. In what is a wide-ranging discussion, Lewis sits down with host Christian Kallenberg to talk about the challenges facing publishers, industry trends and the upcoming FIPP World Media Congress in Madrid.
Lewis is the latest in a long line of decision-makers from the media world to join Kallenberg – who started his own publishing consultancy We Like Mags in Berlin in 2011 and has been part of a number launches in print and digital ever since – to share professional insights.
With FIPP celebrating its 100th anniversary at the World Media Congress from 21-23 October, Lewis reflects on how the organisation has grown and moved with the times over the last century.
“We have had to adapt and we have adapted. We’ve expanded our offering, and we’ve always tried to stay as current and indeed as forward and future looking as we can,” he says.
“But I would also say that, just as in the same way as 100 years ago, the core reason and the core value proposition for FIPP is that we enable our members publishers to learn from one another, to connect and to find opportunities for business growth with a network of members all over the world.”
Turning to the jam-packed agenda of the FIPP World Media Congress, Lewis promises the biggest talking point in the media industry, the impact of AI, will be covered with the depth that it deserves.
“(AI) is a very unifying factor that perhaps we haven’t seen for a long time, probably 20 or so years ago, when obviously the internet first started to impact, was probably the last time that we had a similar global-wide approach like this,” Lewis says, stressing that the industry should consider both the positives and negatives that come with AI.
“Overall, it’s an opportunity. I’m very clear about that,” he says. “I recognise I worry about the threats. I know that there’s a lot of work that we need to do as individual companies, but also as an industry to overcome the threats.
“But I do believe that what we are going through at the moment will help to highlight the value, the greater value of human created quality content that understands specific audiences.
“I don’t think that can be entirely replaced by AI, and I therefore believe that actually a rise of a more AI driven world will only go to serve and be an opportunity for media businesses that are really good at creating user journeys and content that connect those users to your products. And I remain confident and optimistic in that way.”
Lewis also talks about the importance of knowing who your audiences is, striving for the diversification of business models and how younger generations are turning to print in a search for authenticity.
“For them, it’s a novelty. For them, it is a different experience and one which has a different value exchange than just consuming their feed of content delivered via their mobile device,” he points out.
“People who come to the Congress will see and hear examples around the world of ways in which publishers are recognising that different approach – and in some cases going to print and looking at live events and other more tangible human experiences that people are willing to pay for.
“It’s another reason for my optimism and confidence for the future. I actually believe that I have a bit more confidence in some of the younger generations that they will look for and seek out a greater diversity of experience.”
You can listen to the full We Like Mags podcast episode here.
