Don’t Panic! Key Lessons from the World’s Boldest Brands
#5
David Rubin Head of Audience and Brand The New York Times
BRANDINGMAG | DON’T PANIC!
A Brandingmag Publication
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Don’t Panic! is a monthly 1:1 interview series with a fearless leader to discuss the key growth challenges of their brand – and how they’ve tackled them head on.
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The Truth.
Recently, The New York Times has been in the news as much as it has reported the news. That’s no surprise. After a US election that reframed the value and trustworthiness of information, the Manhattan-based news house repositioned itself around “the search for the truth” – and caught the mood of a generation. The results are impressive: their subscriber numbers keep rising, outperforming an industry that has long been facing the “to be or not to be” question as readers query why they should pay for news in a time when most information is free. David Rubin, The New York Times’ Head of Audience and Brand, is convinced that the truth matters more than ever before. Coming from Unilever with a background in consumer goods, he has started to change the brand’s narrative. Dominik Prinz sat down with him to speak about the exciting journey The New York Times is on, how it is turning its biggest challenge into an opportunity, and how the news giant plans to grow from 3.3 million subscriptions to 10 million over the coming years.
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Q1
What is the biggest growth challenge The New York Times has faced recently?
Without doubt, the biggest challenge in the recent past has been to entice people to actually pay for news.
Without doubt, the biggest challenge in the recent past has been to entice people to actually pay for news.
That’s true for our entire industry; largely because no one has made a convincing argument to readers for such a long time. We have been as guilty of that as everyone else and, with that, we have made our own bed.
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As a consequence, we had to refocus our own story and tell it in a way that helps people understand why they should pay a premium for a New York Times subscription.
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Q2
Which bold move(s) have you made to tackle these – and how have they made the brand more competitive?
About three years ago, we made a very conscious strategic decision to be in the subscription business first. With that comes a commitment to act more like a consumer brand and to build strong one-to-one relationships with our readers.
About three years ago, we made a very conscious strategic decision to be in the consumer subscription business first.
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That means we have to be relevant and serve up content that matters to people’s personal context. And we need to deliver it with the highest quality possible. The best way to do that is through an engaging product: superior journalistic rigor, a great user experience that makes news easily consumable across devices and one’s daily journey, plus a compelling story that clearly communicates the importance and value of our work.
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Q3
Think 10 years ahead – what is the most exciting opportunity that will require another bold move from The New York Times to reach its goal of 10 million subscribers? The fundamental question here is: Why are more than 100 million people willing to pay for subscription services in the entertainment and music space – but not when it comes to news?
140 million people read our news, but only 3 million of those choose to pay for a subscription. This is a challenge today, but also offers a massive growth opportunity for us.
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When you think about it, the consumption of news is ubiquitous today, but paying for it is rare. Look at The New York Times, for example: 140 million people read our news, but only 3 million of those choose to pay for a subscription. This is a challenge today, but also offers a massive growth opportunity for us. Why? Because unlike readers of other publications who often look to have their world view confirmed, our readers actually want a news source that challenges them on their views. If we manage to better communicate how our rigorous journalism plays an important role in an individual’s journey to the truth, I believe our subscription model has the potential to join the ranks of Netflix or Spotify.
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Q4
What role do you see The New York Times playing in people’s lives – and what kind of experience are you looking to create around it?
The core value we bring to the table is helping people understand the world. How things connect. Which pieces of content really matter. Why they inform areas a reader cares about.
The core value we bring to the table is helping people understand the world.
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That has led us to expand into different areas of life, such as cooking, travel, and education. The experience we’re creating around all of these areas is very much evolving, as well. We’re designing it to be easy to consume; for example, through our mobile “Daily Briefings” that keep you up-to-date with the most important headlines. We’re also starting to serve up content in new and exciting ways; for example, through more virtual and augmented reality applications. All of this is meant to make news consumption much more engaging and immersive!
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Q5
What’s your most important advice to other brand leaders facing a critical growth challenge?
I believe it is critical to always remind oneself of the basics of marketing, constantly.
In everything you say or do, you have to always think about the user first.
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That means that in everything you say or do, you have to think about the user first. Only that will allow you to tell your own story in a way that genuinely matters to them. And that’s the truth!
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David Rubin
Dominik Prinz
David Rubin is a senior vice president and head of audience and brand for The New York Times where he is responsible for enterprise-wide brand strategy and creative, as well as audience definition, strategy, and targets. At The Times, Mr. Rubin led the development of the award-winning advertising campaign “The Truth Is Hard,” which premiered on the Oscars broadcast in February 2017.
Dominik is a regular contributor to brandingmag.com. He is also a partner at boutique management consultancy cg42 in NYC, where he leads the expansion of the firm’s customer experience and innovation practice. Dominik was previously Interbrand’s Head of Strategy and is a widely recognized thought leader on the integration of business, brand, and purpose. Have any questions? Interested in being a Don’t Panic! participant? Reach out to Dominik at
He has marketed brands in multiple categories from consumer products to digital media and across a broad spectrum of consumer segments. Highlights include the launch of Axe body spray in the US and the turnaround of Unilever USA’s hair care division. Prior to joining The Times in April 2016, Mr. Rubin was at Pinterest where he led the community, marketing, brand, and research teams and was charged with expanding the appeal of the Pinterest brand, particularly internationally.
dprinz@cg42.com
He received a Master of Business Administration degree from Wharton in 1999 and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Yale in 1993.
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