Interview: How AI and big-data are changing the future of content management

MediaMatters organized Hollands Finest and asked the ten best media tech companies in the Netherlands to share their media vision. George Freriks interviewed the directors of Smartocto and Prepr, two emerging tech companies that specialize in leveraging data to improve the impact of content.

Do you prefer reading? Here's a summary of the interview.

Q: "That's a nice video. The video says headless CMS. Can you tell us more about what a Headless CMS is?".

A: "A headless CMS means that you have a presentation layer with certain touchpoints, for example, a website or an application. This layer is separated from the layer where you manage the content and data. With a headless CMS, you bring your content and data in one place and publish it on multiple channels, all from one place. That's a headless CMS, but Prepr goes a step further. We think the future of content management is data-driven. Publishing content is not the biggest challenge; it is about building an audience around your brand with content. So we help our customers to maximize the impact of their content. That means more traffic to their websites, better retention, the audience spends more time on your channels, and have more interactions. We provide for a headless CMS but also the tools to help them to maximize the impact of their content".

Q: "The reason why I asked is that I am not that familiar with content management systems. For me, CMSs are about organizing content and content distribution, but you say there is an add on where you also measure the audience's reach and data of the audience".

A: "Yes, our CMS is multiplatform so that it could be used for a website, app, landing page, or podcast. But publishing alone is not enough. When you publish content, the whole game of optimizing the impact starts. Like Smartocto also does for editorial teams, we provide the tools to maximize the impact of the content. It is a battle out there. There is so much content there. It is quite a struggle to get the attention of your audience nowadays. So we have the technology to thrive data-driven tools to help you maximize the impact of your content".

Q: "So basically, these two companies (Prepr and Smartocto) fit good."

A: "Yes, of course, we know each other. This is an illustration of the fact that we have to align capacities and aligning visions. We know that data-inspired working or data-driven working is the way to go now".

Q: "What is your look at 'algorithm-based audience building'?"

A: Of course, we believe in algorithm-based audience building. We think personalization is critical. Of course, there is much content out there, but it's all about which content is relevant for the user. Some examples are Facebook & Twitter, where your timeline is different from mine. Medium is another example (the blog platform). The way they personalize every email every day and give you personalized, relevant content by using algorithms and data. Another example is Spotify Wrapped from last week. The way they use data to deliver a personalized experience. "Content is king, but data is key."

Q: "There is an international audience here, we talked about building audiences. Where are you guys on an international level?".

A: We have a Global CDN and worldwide cached API, so technically, we can deliver worldwide. But businesswise we are focusing now on the European market, and after that, we will go abroad".