Issue 2 - November 2008
XML Authoring - Interview with Michael Boses
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TCW: Now that we've got a working definition of dynamic publishing, what is the Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution?
MB: Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution fits hand-in-glove with this paradigm. It is software from Quark and third parties that lets you combine component-based authoring, flexible page layout, and automated publishing to deliver accurate, relevant, and attractive communications across multiple types of media, including print, the Web, and mobile devices. The results are better customer communication, operational efficiencies, and improved publishing processes.
TCW: What types of organisations would benefit from adopting a dynamic-publishing solution? Can you give us a few brief examples?
MB: Broadly speaking, Scott, any organisation that communicates with its customers or is required by law to provide the customer regulated information can benefit from dynamic publishing. For example, today's news organisations are redefining themselves as media companies; most daily (printed) newspapers also serve breaking news, video clips, and other news on their Web sites. By adopting a dynamic-publishing approach, these organisations can create content for articles that are pushed to the Web and then reused in their print editions, without having duplicate staff rewrite the news served in the other medium — whether it be print or online. You can see how reusing news can streamline the newsroom to get information to the right media at the right time.
Let me offer you another example, which is in the area of marketing. Modern manufacturing processes have made the creation of new products relatively fast, yet companies have not adapted their marketing approaches to support the quick introduction of new products. So time-to-market is negatively impacted by the inability of our marketing groups to produce marketing materials to support the introduction of new products. Using a dynamic-publishing approach, marketing groups can create structured content and store it in a central repository. Through an automated process, they can pull and combine content to produce various types of materials, such as Web content, collateral, direct mail, and more. Imagine if the content used to create a pharmaceutical label could quickly be repurposed in an advertisement, or when product features, names, or taglines change, a marketing team can update the content in the central repository and then push the changes to the pieces that require updating. Dynamic publishing greatly speeds up the marketing process and helps ensure brand consistency.
TCW: I've always said that Martha Stewart's publishing empire is the perfect candidate for adopting a dynamic-publishing paradigm. The real value of this approach for Stewart would be the ability to personalise the content and laser target the information that is provided to her subscribers. Being able to deliver personalised content not only benefits the subscriber but would also allow Stewart to sell very targeted advertising that would undoubtedly outperform the "let's just show everyone the same ads" approach that has dominated publishing for decades. How could the Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution help Martha Stewart?
MB: The benefits you just mentioned make dynamic publishing a "no brainer." But the question that Martha Stewart or any other organisation has to answer is, "How do we get there?" At In.vision, we solved the problem of how users could easily create narrative XML content — but that was only half of the problem. Creating a pipeline that allows that content to flow from the individual authors to the consumer, including all of the dynamic assembly, compelling presentation, and personalisation that you alluded to, is incredibly difficult. Organisations have spent years and millions of dollars trying to piece together a solution from a multitude of software vendors — and the results are not always what they hoped for.
But that is typical of any new technology: The earliest adopters validate the need for a technology, and eventually single-source solutions emerge. Quark, as a market leader, offers Martha Stewart or any other organisation the ability to acquire dynamic publishing from a market leader. The Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution provides all of the things that an organisation looks for: speed to market, reduced cost of ownership, and long-term stability.
TCW: It's clear that organisations that create content assets — not just text documents — can benefit from adopting dynamic publishing. That makes a lot of sense. But although admitting you have a content problem is the first step toward finding a solution, I have found there are many other important things to consider when making the move toward dynamic publishing. How important are standards — especially content standards — in a dynamic-publishing environment, and which ones are playing a critical role today?
