“When the Web came along, we weren’t seduced into acting. Everyone was telling us to rush into the digital era. But we were intentionally slow” – Chris Stibbs, CEO of The Economist

 

In 2009 – the worst year for the print industry in 50 years – The Economist’s subscription revenue increased by 6 per cent, and its operating profit increased by more than 25 percent. For the period 2000-2015, The Economist’s print circulation more than doubled, and operating profit nearly tripled, even as print advertising declined recently.

 

How did The Economist prosper, despite an Internet strategy that appeared for a while as slow, complacent, and disinterested as scores of other magazines that failed?