Bonnier Title, Hearst Launch Tech Efforts

As anyone who’s gone gadget-shopping lately knows, the array of technologies can be daunting.But Popular Science is trying to address that issue. The Bonnier Corp. title is creating a venue for shoppers to try out and learn about various consumer technologies that are new or coming to the market.Pop Sci Live, as it’ll be called, will start out as a one-day, paid café-style event at a New York City hotel Sept. 30 (venue TBD). If it goes well, the magazine hopes to roll it out to half a dozen other major markets in 2011.The event is an extension of Pop Sci’s Emerging Media Lab, a new-media tutorial that the magazine’s ad sales staff has been putting on for media agencies. “We know there are people who want to learn more about technology for personal and professional reasons,” said Gregg Hano, vp, group publisher at Bonnier with oversight for Pop Sci. “We’re going to invite them to come in and spend a little time with me and deputy editor Jake Ward, going through new technology and other things coming out right now or prototypes and trends that are starting to emerge.”The products will be selected by Ward and will likely include 3-D TVs, digital SLR cameras, smartphones and tablets. Hano said there might even be prototypes of as-yet launched gadgets, all of which attendees will be able to try out.For Pop Sci, which like other publications is trying to mine other revenue sources in an uncertain ad climate, the event is a way to mine more money from consumers. Hano said given the select nature of the audience, Pop Sci would set a premium price for tickets, in the neighborhood of $100. He’s also hoping to sell sponsorships.Bonnier isn’t the only publisher trying to address the explosion of technology and its meaning for consumers and advertisers.On Aug. 19, Hearst Magazines announced the opening of “The App Lab” at its New York City headquarters where advertisers and ad agency reps can learn about emerging media and view its apps. Launching in September, the lab will present educational sessions and roundtables on topics like new ad formats and emerging mobile content. The company, which publishes titles like Cosmopolitan and Esquire, plans to open a physical space at Hearst Tower in early 2011 to display its tablet and smartphone apps (it’s launched 11 so far).“As we continue to roll out new apps and content to expand our brands across this constantly evolving digital landscape, it makes sense to create a Hearst initiative to inspire, share, learn, and most importantly develop,” said David Carey, Hearst Magazines’ newly named president. “The App Lab is a digital think tank to bring together innovators, both inside Hearst and across the media and technology industries, in order to create the smartest content, ad models and platforms that resonate with consumers today.”

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Bonnier Title, Hearst Launch Tech Efforts

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