Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Mobius (The power of prosumers in publishing)
Reporting period: 2021-03-01 to 2022-08-31
Book publishing is the largest cultural industry in Europe, and European publishing is a world leader.
Nevertheless, book reading, a leisure activity that requires time and concentration, is competing nowadays with an overwhelming entertainment offer brought about by digital technologies.
If the book industry is to turn the threat into an opportunity, the moment is propitious. The same digital technologies that are enabling consumer behaviour and change of habits might be the key to captivate, again, the readers.
The industry needs to revisit its traditional value chains and business models, and to establish effective cooperation with prosumers, to reaffirm its place as a fundamental economic and cultural agent in the digital age.
Möbius proposition adheres to the creative economy spirit, which is grounded on the certainty that people can increase the value of ideas by force of creative imagination.
Möbius envisions an enriched publishing ecosystem in which the full potential of prosumers is unleashed. Prosumers are the lifeblood of a user-driven process in which books and enriched book experiences can comfortably sit at the end of the “storytelling value chain”.
Möbius will contribute to a renewed and invigorated European publishing sector by providing them with methods and tools to leverage the potential of prosumers in innovation processes and thus guaranteeing user-centric and user-driven perspectives in the design and delivery of new enriched media experiences.
Möbius consortium will empower the European publishing sector for effectively mainstreaming user-centric and user-driven perspectives in the design and delivery of enriched media experiences, and enable them to:
● Capitalize on production and consumption behaviours of both open and publisher-managed prosumer bases for informing publishing decisions and triggering innovation processes.
● Extend trend- and talent scouting opportunities to informal networks and communities of authors and influencers.
● Maximize visibility and publicity strategies through cooperation with influencers operating in online communities of interest, and the creation of cross-media immersive and interactive book experiences.
● Increase likeliness of market uptake of content and technology-driven innovations.
● Create business opportunities by evaluating new prosumer business models.
● Strengthen the European media ecosystem by paving the way for cross-sector scalability.
Möbius overall objectives are:
1. Create a framework for user-driven innovation in the European publishing sector
2. Deploy and validate methods and tools for extracting actionable knowledge from both publisher-managed and open prosumer bases
3. Co-create and demonstrate the Möbius book with prosumer groups
4. Explore and assess the market potential and feasibility of the prosumer business model for the publishing industries
5. Ensure long-term sustainability and cross-sectoral upscaling of Möbius innovations
Nevertheless, book reading, a leisure activity that requires time and concentration, is competing nowadays with an overwhelming entertainment offer brought about by digital technologies.
If the book industry is to turn the threat into an opportunity, the moment is propitious. The same digital technologies that are enabling consumer behaviour and change of habits might be the key to captivate, again, the readers.
The industry needs to revisit its traditional value chains and business models, and to establish effective cooperation with prosumers, to reaffirm its place as a fundamental economic and cultural agent in the digital age.
Möbius proposition adheres to the creative economy spirit, which is grounded on the certainty that people can increase the value of ideas by force of creative imagination.
Möbius envisions an enriched publishing ecosystem in which the full potential of prosumers is unleashed. Prosumers are the lifeblood of a user-driven process in which books and enriched book experiences can comfortably sit at the end of the “storytelling value chain”.
Möbius will contribute to a renewed and invigorated European publishing sector by providing them with methods and tools to leverage the potential of prosumers in innovation processes and thus guaranteeing user-centric and user-driven perspectives in the design and delivery of new enriched media experiences.
Möbius consortium will empower the European publishing sector for effectively mainstreaming user-centric and user-driven perspectives in the design and delivery of enriched media experiences, and enable them to:
● Capitalize on production and consumption behaviours of both open and publisher-managed prosumer bases for informing publishing decisions and triggering innovation processes.
● Extend trend- and talent scouting opportunities to informal networks and communities of authors and influencers.
● Maximize visibility and publicity strategies through cooperation with influencers operating in online communities of interest, and the creation of cross-media immersive and interactive book experiences.
● Increase likeliness of market uptake of content and technology-driven innovations.
● Create business opportunities by evaluating new prosumer business models.
● Strengthen the European media ecosystem by paving the way for cross-sector scalability.
Möbius overall objectives are:
1. Create a framework for user-driven innovation in the European publishing sector
2. Deploy and validate methods and tools for extracting actionable knowledge from both publisher-managed and open prosumer bases
3. Co-create and demonstrate the Möbius book with prosumer groups
4. Explore and assess the market potential and feasibility of the prosumer business model for the publishing industries
5. Ensure long-term sustainability and cross-sectoral upscaling of Möbius innovations
Möbius project is based on the direct engagement of the users to drive and inform the technical and theoretical development. In addition, the involvement of users is the cornerstone of our living lab approach, specifying the close collaboration with different stakeholders throughout the project lifetime.
The target stakeholders participated in the collection of user requirements during the preparatory phase. These requirements were then used by the partners involved in the technical development to consider for further technical implementation. After that, the different user categories have been included in an iterative workflow to provide feedback and input on the intermediate concepts and prototypes to be integrated in further implementation during the first and second pilot phase. The users are also key part of the impact assessment, as most of the indicators are assessed by them.
Data retrieved from different fanfiction platforms were used to study collective behaviour patterns in prosumer communities, and to define models and metrics to characterize user generated content, authors and users according to their popularity, controversy, centrality, emotions and language, among other aspects. Models and metrics were developed to meet the needs and requests from publishers and relevant stakeholders, integrating their input and feedback received in workshops, interviews and surveys carried out to this end.
A first prototype of interactive dashboards (the Prosumer Intelligence Toolkit (PIT) MVP) was developed to allow end users explore the data and browse relevant content generated by the communities.
Furthermore, Möbius is developing two different types of software applications which are part of the Möbius book: 1) the Möbius Creators Toolkit for helping professional users in the publishing industry to create and manage content in the new format, and 2) the Möbius Player, capable of reading and displaying this information to the end- users and allowing them to control the different interactive aspects.
Both applications are aimed at the end-users, with the Creator empowering the prosumer, and the Player allowing readers to engage with a new immersive reading format.
Finally, Möbius has been mapping the current business models and revenue streams most common within the publishing industry. A first draft on revenue sharing models between prosumers was written. These potential business model scenarios require to take into account the relevant regulatory frameworks. The consortium is further exploring new business models that have a good fit with the Möbius goals.
The target stakeholders participated in the collection of user requirements during the preparatory phase. These requirements were then used by the partners involved in the technical development to consider for further technical implementation. After that, the different user categories have been included in an iterative workflow to provide feedback and input on the intermediate concepts and prototypes to be integrated in further implementation during the first and second pilot phase. The users are also key part of the impact assessment, as most of the indicators are assessed by them.
Data retrieved from different fanfiction platforms were used to study collective behaviour patterns in prosumer communities, and to define models and metrics to characterize user generated content, authors and users according to their popularity, controversy, centrality, emotions and language, among other aspects. Models and metrics were developed to meet the needs and requests from publishers and relevant stakeholders, integrating their input and feedback received in workshops, interviews and surveys carried out to this end.
A first prototype of interactive dashboards (the Prosumer Intelligence Toolkit (PIT) MVP) was developed to allow end users explore the data and browse relevant content generated by the communities.
Furthermore, Möbius is developing two different types of software applications which are part of the Möbius book: 1) the Möbius Creators Toolkit for helping professional users in the publishing industry to create and manage content in the new format, and 2) the Möbius Player, capable of reading and displaying this information to the end- users and allowing them to control the different interactive aspects.
Both applications are aimed at the end-users, with the Creator empowering the prosumer, and the Player allowing readers to engage with a new immersive reading format.
Finally, Möbius has been mapping the current business models and revenue streams most common within the publishing industry. A first draft on revenue sharing models between prosumers was written. These potential business model scenarios require to take into account the relevant regulatory frameworks. The consortium is further exploring new business models that have a good fit with the Möbius goals.
Möbius key innovations lie in a three-fold strategy for addressing user-driven and enriched experiences in a comprehensive and cross-sectoral perspective:
1. A new prosumer intelligence framework and technology-enabled methods and tools based on data analytics will provide the foundations for establishing effective cooperation with both publisher-managed and open communities of prosumers at all stages of the value chain.
2. A set of robust prosumer business models for the publishing industry will assess the feasibility and market potential of possible cooperation arrangements with prosumers.
3. The Möbius book experience, a new concept enabling cross-media, interactive and immersive book experiences in the format for the digital publications, the EPUB standard. It will lever interactive and immersive cross-media technologies to support social interactions, both physical and virtual.
Impacts in the publishing and the cultural and creative industry ecosystem:
● New contents through the prosumer intelligence toolkit: Unprecedented scaling up of consumer intelligence, booth in reach and scope, for informing editorial decisions.
● New business opportunities through the prosumer business models: Foster a fair and sustainable publishing ecosystem in which prosumers add value into the publishing value chains.
● New products and services through the use of co-creation approaches: Reducing the risk and increasing likeliness of uptake of innovations, and cross-media and immersive experiences.
● New audiences through the Möbius book experience: New ways of delivering appealing contents and making it visible for engaging targeted audiences.
1. A new prosumer intelligence framework and technology-enabled methods and tools based on data analytics will provide the foundations for establishing effective cooperation with both publisher-managed and open communities of prosumers at all stages of the value chain.
2. A set of robust prosumer business models for the publishing industry will assess the feasibility and market potential of possible cooperation arrangements with prosumers.
3. The Möbius book experience, a new concept enabling cross-media, interactive and immersive book experiences in the format for the digital publications, the EPUB standard. It will lever interactive and immersive cross-media technologies to support social interactions, both physical and virtual.
Impacts in the publishing and the cultural and creative industry ecosystem:
● New contents through the prosumer intelligence toolkit: Unprecedented scaling up of consumer intelligence, booth in reach and scope, for informing editorial decisions.
● New business opportunities through the prosumer business models: Foster a fair and sustainable publishing ecosystem in which prosumers add value into the publishing value chains.
● New products and services through the use of co-creation approaches: Reducing the risk and increasing likeliness of uptake of innovations, and cross-media and immersive experiences.
● New audiences through the Möbius book experience: New ways of delivering appealing contents and making it visible for engaging targeted audiences.