Business

“Online” Is Outdated: Online Publishers Rebrand as Digital Content Next

Citing changes in its membership and in the overall content landscape, the Online Publishers Association this month revealed a rebranding intended to reflect the current state of the digital world.

In the dynamic world of online publishing, the terms change often—so often that the words “online” and “publishing” have both gone out of style.

So says Digital Content Next, the trade group that until recently was known as the Online Publishers Association. The group, which represents the industry to advertisers, journalists, regulators, and the public, counts a who’s who of web-content providers as members, with both The New York Times and Vox occupying places at the table.

“Online publishing” became too limiting a term for an industry that’s increasingly moving beyond desktop computers and web browsers, according to the organization’s leaders.

“The entire landscape has changed, and the word ‘online’ doesn’t feel as relevant as it did 13 years ago, with digital integrated into every corner of our lives,” CEO Jason Kint said in a statement. “We have a responsibility to be forward-thinking in how we help our members and the industry overall imagine their future and to provide them the guidance and shared intelligence to make the bold decisions required to lead and innovate in our industry.”

Kint, who took on the lead role in May after serving as senior vice president and general manager of CBS Interactive’s Sports division, has overseen a lot of big changes since he started—including the rebranding and redesign of the group’s online platform, led by the ad agency Plenty.

And more is on the way: In an interview with EContent, Kint said the association will revamp its programming and research efforts in the coming year “to not just represent the current state of business but to influence the future of digital content.”

“With this reset, we will be working to push the industry forward to its next level of development,” Martin Nisenholtz, founder of the Online Publishers Association, said in a statement.

(Digital Content Next screenshot)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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