Consulting
Forging the future of media through identifying the trends of today.
Engagement
Grabbing attention
Convincing and being useful
Focus on expectations
Combining Editorial and Marketing
Content
Mastering mobile-first formats
Get inspired by data
Propose an experience
Managing the editorial mix
Journalism
Win over new generations
Be useful to readers
Delivering meaning
Focus on quality
Organization
Planning
Learn to adapt continuously
Mixing skills
Ensure the relevance of each channel
Management
Giving meaning to teams
Growing teams
Getting the best out of teams
Working in project mode
Products & Services
Testing before release
Improve the user experience
Innovate, update
Upgrade Media Consulting Projects
Sermitsiaq, the publisher that turned AI into a competitive advantage
From threat to asset: How a publisher in Greenland created its own AI tool, unlocked a treasure trove of its own content, and drove subscriptions in the process.
Bondi Beach: 8 ways to handle information on social media
In the early hours following the Bondi Beach attack, all media outlets faced the same reflex: verify, show, count. Very quickly, a video’s performance no longer depended on its information, but also on the viewer’s sensitivity and, above all, on the platform broadcasting it.
Representation, relevance and community: how Spilnews is revolutionising news for young people
The Kyiv Independent was born of a newsroom rebellion, and forged in full blown war. Little wonder, perhaps, that its founders chose a very different approach to funding from the classic ads/subscriptions models. As the title, and its membership have grown, we look at the lessons to learn about sustainable revenue models in an era of zero click searches and social media.
Instagram and the #salesconnes story: how the media can seize back the spotlight when the content creators seem to take centre stage
The “sales connes” (#salesconnes) story, is a classic case where a single news moment is seized on by social media, ignites, and then has the flames fanned by content creators. Brigitte Macron, wife of the French president, was caught on camera consoling comedian Ary Abittan over the protests of feminist activists, describing them as ‘dirty bitches’. Ary Abittan has been the subject of a rape investigation, and so the story instantly flared across Instagram.
How explainers are redrawing the attention map (and what the the Reuters report doesn’t tell us)
In twelve short months, the world’s four most influential video explainers (newsfluencers) have racked up billions of views across all platforms. An impressive figure, and a stat to give pause for thought to any number of news publishers. The big numbers, however, while eye-catching, do nothing to help us understand just how that attention map is being built. So Media Scan took the time to look beyond the numbers with a TOP 5,300 of the most viewed videos, to examine what this content really reveals, and what the Reuters Institute report does not tell us.
Building community, not just putting up paywalls: The Kyiv Independent’s Membership Strategy
The Kyiv Independent was born of a newsroom rebellion, and forged in full blown war. Little wonder, perhaps, that its founders chose a very different approach to funding from the classic ads/subscriptions models. As the title, and its membership have grown, we look at the lessons to learn about sustainable revenue models in an era of zero click searches and social media.
What our consulting clients say
“How do you convince people to pay for content? This is the question that the whole profession is asking. Not easy… And yet decisive. Through its media experience, its editorial and digital expertise, Upgrade Media provides valuable support, helps build a clear vision, and proposes a method for successful “conversion through content”. The approach is worked out together, and then it’s up to the editorial, marketing and digital teams to implement it. It’s a real work of co-construction, demanding, but exciting.”
Gabriel d’Harcourt
Executive Vice President, La Voix du Nord
“When reorganisation and digital transformation go hand in hand, they are two projects in one. It’s best to surround yourself with the right people to succeed. The strategy and objectives were clear in our minds, but there was still everything to do: pave the way and allocate the right resources within a tight timeframe, change the culture while preserving our identity, implement new tools, etc. In this context, Upgrade Media’s intervention was decisive. The first was to ensure the continuity of our publications during the transition period inherent in any reorganisation: Upgrade Media’s rapid understanding of our ecosystem and the issues at stake enabled it to identify the right skills and the right people to build trust and preserve the quality of our production. The second was to work with us to simplify our technical infrastructure, in fact to overhaul it, in order to effectively develop a digital offering: Upgrade Media’s discreet but effective presence enabled us to move forward methodically with our teams and service providers. With Upgrade Media, we were able to realise our ambition, implement a digital-first approach and move forward, for our readers… and future readers.”
Pierre Coustols
Secretary General of Revue Banque
“David helped us with a strategically important change project. He is committed, really fast and competent. I can only recommend him as sparring partner.”
Christoph Zimmer
Chief Product Officer and Member of the Management Board at Tamedia
“Thank you for an exciting study tour that was perfectly tailored to our needs. We came back full of ideas and answers to our questions.”
Lionel Laparade
Rédacteur en chef – La Dépêche du Midi
“Thank you for this very successful study tour. A good mix between exchanges with these publishers with whom we share the same concerns and moments of conviviality between us opening up avenues of projects together to implement these successful examples of German publishers. A very successful tour!”
Michael Bourguignon
Managing Director – La Dépêche Interactive
“David has been invaluable in the reflection on the digital shift negotiated by my editorial team. His analytical mind, his ability to listen and his strength of synthesis enabled me to make progress in a gigantic task which requires enlightening, authorised points of view and contributions. David’s were brilliantly part of it.”
Thierry Dupiereux
Editor-in-Chief (2009 – 2018) – Les Editions de l’Avenir
“We have been working with Upgrade Media since the monetisation of content on our 5 news websites. It was the experience that convinced us at the start and we continue to do so every year because Upgrade Media supports our journalists with easy-to-implement solutions and concrete cases. David is always ready to listen and available for the staff and not only for the journalists. I appreciate the strength of his proposals and his ability to question ourselves in order to work together towards the best strategy for monetising content.”
Fanny de Larue
Deputy Director General – Groupe Le Messager
The Upgrade Media newsletter
Every month, you’ll find our newsletter, which uses a wide range of reference sources to dissect a key topic in the digital transformation of the media, as well as all the latest information on Upgrade Media’s achievements.
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