{"id":652912,"date":"2013-04-17T12:43:16","date_gmt":"2013-04-17T16:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paidcontent.org\/?p=227835"},"modified":"2013-04-17T12:43:16","modified_gmt":"2013-04-17T16:43:16","slug":"the-definitive-answer-of-web-or-apps-as-the-future-of-mobile-content-it-depends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/652912","title":{"rendered":"The definitive answer of web or apps as the future of mobile content? It depends."},"content":{"rendered":"

With a vast array of content types and devices to consume them, publishers still can\u2019t easily decide between using the web or native apps for their wares. Three high profile content providers debated the topic at the paidContent Live 2013<\/a> event in New York City on Wednesday and it\u2019s clear that digital content will have a home in both native apps and online for at least a few years yet.<\/p>\n

Jason Pontin<\/a>, editor in chief and publisher of MIT Technology Review, has tried both and hated \u201cevery single moment of native apps.\u201d His publication lost money, had to let go of resources and got nothing in return, he said, and decided to close down the native apps in October of last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditional publishers figured the internet taught readers they could pay nothing. Native apps would expected to be like digital replicas but be better and would create monetization,\u201d said Pontin, but that hasn\u2019t happened for all publishers. \u201cWe\u2019re moving to HTML5,\u201d he noted, even though Pontin cautioned that the LocalStorage feature of HTML5 is the only agreed-upon function of the specification.<\/p>\n

Some content types work better on native apps, however, or are supplemented only with HTML.\u00a0Ryan Spoon<\/a>, SVP, Product Development at ESPN, says that the back of every ESPN business card reads:\u00a0\u201dServe fans anytime anywhere.\u201d That means going to where the users are and having content both in native apps and on the web.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt depends on content: what you want to build, how you want to monetize it. The web experience is being built truly mobile first; that\u2019s a shift. We think mobile and apply global. For rich experiences, however, I think it has to be native.\u201d Spoon said. He also pointed out that apps are more powerful for re-engagement thanks to in-app notifications.<\/p>\n

Nick Alt<\/a>,\u00a0VP of Mobile at Vimeo agreed: \u201cPush notification and in app messaging shows far higher engagement than email marketing for our service.\u201d With content, that\u2019s really what it\u2019s all about: engagement. If you can boost engagement and then monetize it, you\u2019ve got a potent business model.<\/p>\n

For Vimeo the goal is to \u201cbuild a better user experience and obtain a more engaged customer, particularly on mobile devices.\u201d Alt said that tablet adoption is moving at an aggressive clip, faster than smartphone usage of Vimeo ever was. Spoon agreed on the engagement point, saying \u201cOur goal is to lift engagement: both usage and users. The rest will follow. And the best usage depends on the product. Native, for example can help with ads and transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three speakers agree that ultimately, content providers have to choose the best vehicle for their content and that either \u2014 or a combination of both \u2014 is a smart strategy, at least until HTML5 standards are agreed upon by all. Pontin summed it up like this: \u201cA good compromise is an HTML5 app wrapped in native code for now. It helps you keep a common code base and in the end, open standards usually win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out the rest of our paidContent Live 2013 coverage here, and a video embed of the session follows below:<\/p>\n