The Economist

The Challenge

Managing Data & Drawing Insight 

The goal of The Economist is simple: connect the right people, with the right content, at the right time - all over the world. But this would prove challenging in a vast digital landscape, and given the rapid nature of social and newsmedia. After all, more than half of their audience connects with their content in digital format, and the online world can be complex to navigate.

The team at The Economist needed to gain audience insights, start and drive relevant conversations and meet the rampant demands of a 24-hour rolling media, without compromising on quality.

Also, a publication like the Economist is revered for credibility, thoughtful insight and relevance, which means that gaining understanding and offering value is just as important as meeting a deadline. While the team generated new and interesting data every day, they lacked the extra layer of insight that would quickly and accurately connect the separate data dots into a more meaningful story, and help their readership grow. 

Solution

Turning Data into Audience Insights

The abundance of data was mined down to specific audiences, helping The Economist identify their readers and giving them an intricate understanding of how those readers behaved and responded.

"We have worked closely with the team to create really targeted outreach lists and targeted databases so that we understand not only the overall brand impact that we are having but if we are having that impact amongst our target customers. So really trying to drive detail and [understand] where we will have the most impact because that's where we will move the needle for the business". - Lauren Hackett, SVP, Global Communications.

Aligning Readers with Engaging Content

A key goal for The Economist is to align the right customer with the right content on a global scale. Therefore, a crucial task for the communications team is to listen to its communities and understand where their interests lie. According to the communications team, Meltwater "were really fantastic about working collaboratively to develop a format and a structure that would give [them] a monthly snapshot of how our brand was doing as a global brand, but also in various territories around the world." This provides the Economist with actionable data points on trending discussion points, influential figures and daily coverage updates - meaning key decisions in content planning and distribution are guided by this actionable data. 

Summary

Meltwater Helps The Economist to...

Cater to over 1.4 million subscribers

The Economist can now specifically cater to its readership, which is one of the largest in the world, offering independent journalism to curious minds.

Understand the true brand impact of their work

Using tools such as the Meltwater Explore and Social Echo, The Economist can clearly identify where and with who their brand is making an impact - guiding next steps in the communications strategy, measuring subscriptions and proving ROI.

Gain powerful marketing, media and audience insights

The global communications team needs to be able to monitor the core markets (the UK & the US) seamlessly. Therefore, access to location-based analytics means they can isolate data points and understand both markets as separate entities. Efficient reporting also means easy access to powerful insights.