Case Studies | New Scientist
Trusted, impartial news and a source for inspiration, New Scientist created their flagship digital product to appeal to existing customers and attract new, younger audiences.
The world’s favourite weekly science and technology publication was established back in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today, its footprint expands far further than just the pages of a magazine, using digital to reach new audiences and expand their content offering.
Video and audio were a vital part of the app build – the team wanted to expand their content offering beyond the written word while keeping the existing magazine experience loved by their loyal print subscribers. The app uses various types of video cards and readers can listen to an entire edition at the tap of a button.
The New Scientist team was on a mission to grow subscriptions. With the app came a range of dynamic app-only memberships, presenting a great opportunity to broaden their subscriber base and attract new readers. This also provided them with rich intelligence that would inform all of their digital products.
Working with Pugpig meant the team could make tweaks and changes that would otherwise be challenging with their complicated technology stack. Plus, delivering the project successfully in a quick timeframe gave New Scientist the confidence to deliver similar projects in the future.
We recently surveyed a big cohort of a few thousand lapsed New Scientist subscribers. One of our questions was whether the app played a part in their renewal and 85% said yes.
Since revamping and relaunching their mobile app, New Scientist saw an impressive 10-15% jump in paid subscribers. As well as lots more engaged readers from new audiences, this was a win for subscription revenue.
The relaunch was a hit with readers who now spend an average of almost 10 minutes in the app per session. The custom video and audio hub, beautifully formatted digital editions and a fully curated live feed were real engagement drivers.
Pugpig have been a strategic partner of ours for some time. They are plugged in, innovative, and hugely supportive.
Laurence Taylor
Managing Director, New Scientist
Consumer media
The biggest name in consumer magazines moved every title across the UK, USA, Spain, France, Germany and Taiwan to Pugpig and significantly improved their digital edition portfolio.
Migration of all titles in just a few months
GQ, Vogue, Architectural Digest and Glamour amongst Pugpig Bolt apps
3 websites powered by Pugpig Site
Consumer media
The UK’s favourite motor sport racing title built a highly engaged and loyal digital subscriber audience far beyond that of their monthly print magazine. The app is seamlessly integrated with Apple News to increase visibility among new audiences too.
80% trial-to-paid conversion rate
4.8/5 App Store rating
Mix of free and premium content
Consumer media
The leading forum for serious discussion of American foreign policy joined Pugpig in 2018 with a multimedia-focused refresh in 2022. Since then, their in-app audio plays have skyrocketed by over 220% and their app store ranking has improved dramatically.
39% increase in screen views
In-app listening has more than doubled
4.9/5 rating on Google Play Store
Consumer media
The post-pandemic boom in young golfers gave Golf Digest the perfect opportunity to engage a younger audience, and they chose Pugpig Bolt to power their mobile app. It features beautiful HTML digital editions and uses our Piano and Google Tag Manager integrations to draw in new audiences with a free edition.
4.8/5 rating on App Store
Almost 10 screens per session
The most widely read golf publication in the world