This past week:

Digital & Media, Marketing, Media
  • Conde Nast modified its leadership structure by naming a new president, Robert Sauerberg, former group president for consumer marketing, while the former president, Charles H. Townsend, stayed within the company, assuming the CEO function.

The move comes while Conde Nast announced it will adopt “a new business model”, revolving around digital connections with consumers, using emerging technology and better serving advertisers, moving beyond the magazine.

Conde Nast is the publisher of some very known magazines,  including Vogue, Glamour and The New Yorker and was frequently criticized for relying too heavily on print-ad-page sales and being exposed to digital competition for both consumers and advertisers.

  • ‘Inception’ passed the $100 million mark in US a week after launch, while Christopher Nolan’s movie, a Warners/Legendary production, is playing in 3,792 theaters in North America.
  • CNN launched a free international news app for iPhone and iPod Touch, a revolutionary step, as described by its VP for mobile, Louis Gump. The app allows users to follow news from CNN and provides a section dedicated to the iReport platform. CNN launched a US-only, paid news app in 2009 but the international version is free for users outside US.
  • MTV was appreciated by the U.S. activist group GLAAD for its shows “The Real World” and “America’s Best Dance Crew”, the TV becoming the first TV network to win an “excellent” rating for its portrayal of gay, lesbian and transgender people on television, according to Reuters.
  • Time magazine launched a free Android App, in order to expand its reach among smartphone users. Time Android App is free and following similar apps for the iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry, offering users access to the magazine’s photography, lists, quotes, videos and other editorial content.