At the Revenue Europe conference held last week in Berlin, one of the key speakers was AZURE Media’s Jacqueline Loch who doubled down on the need for publishers to focus on their key strengths – delivering premium content, premium audiences, and premium high-value conversions for their commercial partners. After all, the audience is still there…

In a talk at Revenue Europe entitled, Insights from Canada and the US: Transparency, trust and how premium content drives advertising ROI, AZURE Media’s EVP Strategy & Revenue, Jacqueline Loch (pictured right), noted that even at a time of profound disruption, publishers still hold a singular advantage – domain authority, trust, and quality audiences.

She underlined her point powerfully, “The fastest growing age segment in print and digital magazine readership in Canada is the under 35s. Why? They’re looking for trusted content.”

As a recognized global leader in media innovation, and the past Chair of The Content Council (New York), we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask Jacqueline to expand upon her thoughts as part of a full interview. Here goes…

Setting the Scene

Based in Toronto, AZURE Media, has been a force in global architecture and design since 1985, earning international recognition for its coverage both in digital and print format.

It publishes AZURE and Designlines as well as running a number of events including the AZ Awards, Designlines’ Best in Design Awards, AZURE Talks, and the Human/Nature conference on sustainability in architecture and design.

Jacqueline pointedly says, “Our audience is highly engaged — they trust our brand, and that’s what drives our success.”

Diversified Revenue Streams are not the Whole Story

I asked whether she agreed that the only way for media organisations to survive is through building diversified revenue models?

Jacqueline says it’s only part of the solution. “Yes, diversification is critical — but we need to go further. We have to rethink our position as media brands and understand what makes us valuable to commercial partners.”

She emphasises that publishers need to move away from competing with mass-reach platforms. Instead, their power lies in their ability to offer high-quality, targeted audiences and to create conversion events that deliver real value to advertisers.

“The era of mass reach is over. What publishers should be doing is driving discovery and engagement among quality audiences. Our value proposition is delivering premium content, premium audiences, and premium high-value conversions.

“Publishers are uniquely positioned to turn our quality audiences into customers, a compelling proposition.”

Jacqueline emphasises that media companies need to redefine success not by the size of their audience but by the impact and engagement of their community.

AZURE’s newsletter strategy reflects this philosophy. “We’re seeing 99% successful delivery rates and 40%+ open rates from our newsletters — to real, live business decision-makers. That’s incredible engagement. And nearly 70% of our professional audience say they are influenced to purchase goods and services they see in AZURE. For any brand, that’s a powerful conversion opportunity that can’t be found on mass platforms.”

Events as Revenue Drivers: The Human/Nature Conference

Another strong example of AZURE’s editorial-led revenue strategy is its Human/Nature Conference, focused on climate change and sustainability in architecture. “The success of this event is proof of the power of content-led revenue where the subject matter and programming is based in editorial.”

She continues, “It’s smart, relevant, and on-brand, and we deliver a professional audience that brands can’t reach in any other way. Our two-day event is not just about content but meaningful engagement for both our audience and our commercial partners.”

For Jacqueline, the event demonstrates how publishers can build strong revenue streams by leveraging their editorial expertise and crafting live experiences that deliver genuine value.

“The new value proposition that we can offer is the delivery of premium content, premium audiences and premium high-value conversion events and this is true across B2C and B2B media brands.”

Revenue Models Done Right: Inspiration from Industry Leaders

Jacqueline finds inspiration in media companies that have succeeded by tying their revenue models closely to their editorial strengths. “The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Economist, and Fast Company are great examples. They’ve stayed true to their editorial DNA while diversifying intelligently,” she says. “What sets them apart is that they’re not just adding revenue streams for the sake of it; they’re centering these strategies around quality content and meaningful engagement with their audiences.”

She also believes that technology is an enabler for linking strategy to execution, especially in the quest for revenue growth. “Advertisers are looking for digital discovery, engagement, and conversion. Revenue technologies, whether it’s AI, data analytics, or ad inventory management, provide the tools to make those connections happen at scale,” she says.

She adds that these technologies will allow media brands to serve their audiences more effectively, “There is a rising number of our audiences who are digital natives and we need to be prepared to serve them.”

She concludes by repeating her earlier statement, “Canada’s largest growth segment for magazine readership print and digital is the under 35 group.

“That sounds like an opportunity to me.”

She’s right.