On July 7 nexxar has invited its clients and interested reporting executives to participate at a webinar. The topic was “Online First” – an approach to corporate reporting that puts the requirements of the web first. Presenter and nexxar CEO Thomas Rosenmayr gave insights on the process, encouraging the audience to find out more in a Q&A session after the webinar. The most important statements are summed up below.
Starting with a short introduction of the nexxar team, which combines “digital natives with reporting experts”, Thomas begins to explain what Online First means to nexxar:
“In a nut shell Online First is a process that meets all needs. Instead of converting content from and into various formats, a Content Management System becomes the linchpin of content creation. As soon as the content is filled into the CMS, all output formats derive from this single source.”
The fact that the emerging report formats are generated from the same content source provides several benefits:
• no extra typesetting required for the production of a print version
• amendments can be carried out quicker and easier
• CMS access with user rights can be shared with all essential stakeholders of the editing team
Therefore, the Online First approach makes reporting more efficient with various report formats resulting from one user-friendly CMS, yet each format following its own pre-defined layout. Advantages of Online First include: time saving, reduced work and less costs. But above all, Online First shifts priorities from print to web. This is the only way to gain better exposure to the huge digital audience.
In the current reporting situation most companies still follow the traditional way, meaning that design, content and the whole process is focused to perfectly fit to the print version. Take the photo shooting of the Board of Directors for example:
“In a print led process everything is set to best fit the outcome of the print report: The contrast of the picture, the crop, the positioning on a page, all has to fit for the portrait formatted paper version. In the end, this outcome might not be well suited for a landscape-shaped screen device.”
This print centric approach worked well when the web was perceived a secondary channel for communication. In the past web users were used to these kinds of compromises, but today the web has become the primary source of information. Especially for research the web has replaced printed material as first point of reference: 28.3% of all users enter the HTML report via a search hit these days.
Summing up, the recipients of corporate information already think digital. The companies as originators of the message need to put themselves in the same position.
Examples of recent Online First implementations at nexxar:
• Linde Group CR Report 2013
• Merck Group CR Update 2013
• Wacker Chemie Sustainability Report 2012