Identification, Personalization & Scalable Revenue for Tribune Publishing

As publishers shift from print to digital subscriptions and seek to take advantage of multiple revenue streams, one overarching goal is to maximize revenue without inundating their users with ads. For many, that means turning to personalization rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Tribune Publishing already had a team of top data scientists producing valuable insights, but they wanted additional data that was both real-time and actionable. They wanted a way to bring customer data to life and to make it persist across devices, browsers, and sessions to help build a better UX and push readers down the conversion funnel.

Tribune Publishing turned to Wunderkind to help them identify more of their onsite visitors, segment them into cohorts, and turn unidentified traffic into dedicated subscribers.

Wunderkind helps Tribune Publishing determine which campaigns (high CPM ads, newsletter opt-ins, or paid subscription messaging) to show to specific users based on current and historical behaviors. This behaviorally-based framework drastically improves UX while maximizing value per session. High-propensity readers are converted into paid subscribers at a higher rate, medium intent users are turned into loyalists, and “one-and-done” traffic is monetized through a new ads channel. Wunderkind reaches high-intent readers who don’t convert onsite (and would be otherwise anonymous to Tribune) with personalized emails that drive them back to site to convert. Working in tandem with Tribune Publishing’s in-house teams, Wunderkind is able to test campaigns, pricing, language, copy, and more to see what messaging and imagery will push site visitors to take the next most productive action driving revenue, subscription starts, and lower CPAs.

By partnering with Wunderkind, Tribune Publishing has been able to drive more subscriptions, grow the newsletter list, and increase its ad monetization, all while maintaining a premium user experience. Wunderkind dynamically prioritizes Tribune’s three primary KPIs based on their monthly goals across 8 properties, including the Chicago Tribune and NY Daily News. With Wunderkind’s full service offering of strategy, design, quality assurance, and analytics, Tribune’s team is free to tackle other initiatives.