Insights

In many ways it still feels like I've arrived just one or two days ago. Hubert Burda Media is a very large company, much larger than the start-ups (or any company) I have worked for in the past. Yet I am already in my third week at Burda and I have already met many key people that shape this media powerhouse. The question I get asked most frequently is: "So what exactly do you do?" I will try to explain.

Dr. Burda has a clear digital vision. As Jochen Wegner puts it so bluntly: "He [Dr. Burda] is kind of crazy about going digital". And while there are plenty of opportunities to grow online, there are also many new competitors emerging left and right that could be viewed as threats to traditional media. Part of my role is to evaluate these new opportunities, develop and shape ideas and explore technologies suited to push the company further into the online world.

In order to maximize these efforts, we are currently in the process of setting up "Burda Labs". At this stage "Burda Labs" is a working title for a small team of experts from various fields of expertise. The aim of this operation (call it skunksworks if you buy into conspiration theory) is to connect the unexpected. Now what does that mean? Honestly, I don't know. Not yet. At this stage it's way too early to predict the outcome.

But believe me, it's not like we sit around all day and produce hot air. In many ways it's similar to racing from Paris to Dakar, without a road map but with lots of sand. Right now we build a common team infratructure which will get us moving. As we progress we might decide to pave the road or to take shortcuts through deserted territories. As things get bumpy, some ideas might get left behind. And when problems emerge new ideas might be born.

Hubert Burda Media publishes more than 200 magazines. There are radio stations, online properties and technology companies. In short, there is lots and lots of exciting content. Now how can this content be (re-)used to reach new audiences? What channels are important to build future media brands? What internal knowledge is needed to push things further? And how can offline and online media benefit mutually? These are current key issues. There is lots of work ahead.