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Just when you've found your strategy ....
... the next shock hits.
NORDIC MEDIA PROGRAMME:
– We can't stay in our separate silos any longer
The media industry is changing so fast that you don't stand a chance if you don't keep up. For Sales Director Anna Bengtsson at Stampen Media, the Nordic Media Programme was where she topped up her expertise. She quickly turned that knowledge into a new strategy back home.
By: Ove Sjøstrøm Photo: Ólafur Gestsson and Sara Drougge
«What I needed was to understand more of the business as a whole and how we create value together,» she says.
The Nordic Media Programme (NMP) at NHH Executive is a six-month leadership programme for experienced media leaders from across the Nordic region.
«At Stampen, we work a lot across departments. That's why it was decisive for my choice that the Nordic Media Programme brought together publishers, CEOs, sales and marketing directors and editors-in-chief. The full breadth of the business model was represented in the programme.»
Anna Bengtsson has almost twenty years of experience in the media industry. She is the sales director at Stampen Media in Gothenburg, the media group behind Göteborgs-Posten and 15 local and regional newspapers on Sweden's west coast. When it came time to choose further education, she was after the big picture.
Competitors are good colleagues
For Bengtsson, the value came down to two things. The first is the professional side.
«So incredibly much is happening in the media industry all the time. If you don't stay up to date, you're quickly left behind.»
The second is just as important.
«When you meet like-minded people on a programme like this, the exchange of experiences becomes incredibly valuable. And when you combine that with professional input, you get discussions you can take straight back to your own job.»
She keeps returning to the point about breaking down the barriers between departments.
«We can't stay in our separate silos any longer. Readers, advertising and the market are all in the same boat.»
NMP: «When you meet like-minded people on a programme like this, the exchange of experiences becomes incredibly valuable.»
You have to earn your place
One of the themes in the programme is how user behaviour is changing. Bengtsson recognised herself in that.
«Users place far higher demands on us now than before. There used to be three channels: TV, newspapers and radio. Now there are countless ways to take in information. You have to earn your place.»
NMP: Anna Bengtsson is the sales director at Stampen Media in Gothenburg, the media group behind Göteborgs-Posten and 15 local and regional newspapers on Sweden's west coast.
The challenge, she believes, is to combine the public-service mission with what readers actually want.
«On Facebook, you're only served what you feel like reading. You miss out on what you ought to read, the things that make you curious, the things you didn't know you needed to know.»
«We had good discussions about exactly this: How do we get people to read more news because it's valuable to them? And not just to scroll for a few minutes before going to bed.»
Shock after shock for the business model
That the media industry is under pressure is something programme director and media researcher Tellef S. Raabe at NHH Executive has no doubt about. He has taken over responsibility for NMP, which has more than 30 years of history as a development arena for Nordic media leaders.
«It's still about strategy development, but in a time when things are moving extremely fast. You keep getting shocks thrown at you that affect your business strategies,» says Raabe.
NMP: Programme director and media researcher Tellef S. Raabe at NHH Executive.
He reels off examples from the past year.
«Whether it's VAT demands, think of VG, which risks a tax bill of half a billion kroner, or how you should set up your products to avoid the same hit,» he says, before continuing:
«Or the advertising market. The Norwegian Consumer Council has filed a complaint against Schibsted over data harvesting. What happens to the advertising economy if Schibsted loses that case?»
On top of this comes the threat from artificial intelligence (AI).
«Why would anyone bother going to VG or DN to catch up if personal assistants serve up free news summaries? It's a real concern that many in the industry share.»
What machines can't copy
Stampen Media is answering part of the challenge with a brand-new initiative.
«We're launching GP Member, a community where readers get access to a little extra. We want the reader to be a participant, not just a recipient. It's about user behaviour, the human advantage and the hunt for new revenue,»she says, and elaborates:
«It's also an answer to generic AI content: that you're actually talking to and dealing with, real people.»
NMP: Participants develop personal leadership clarity through structured reflection and feedback.
A dedicated part of the programme was about leadership. Bengtsson thought she knew herself well, but was surprised.
«We had many good discussions about how you can use your qualities better. It's not that one personality type is a better leader than another, but about how you use what you have. I had a few aha moments: 'Oh, that's why I do what I do.'»
«Can you recommend the Nordic Media Programme?»
«Yes, absolutely. You get professional input combined with good conversations with people in the same position as you. It's that combination that's worth its weight in gold.»
