El Correo de Andalucía chooses ITER Web for its online consolidation and expansion project
“In one or two years’ time, our goal is for most of the newspaper’s costs to be covered by the digital edition,“ states Rafael Avilés.
The combination of lively colours and solid typography gives the website a unique identity
Full synergy between the local broadcaster of the group and the contents of El Diario Deportivo
the speed access has been significantly improved and the volume of contents has increased remarkably
Coinciding with the well-known and traditional Holy Week in Seville, El Correo de Andalucía has launched its new and attractive website, elcorreoweb.es, which is based on the CMS of Protecmedia ITER Web. This is another courageous and decisive step taken by the Grupo Morera y Vallejo Comunicación, which saved this newspaper - in existence for more than a century - from closure at the end of 2013 and, since then, has managed to return it to its leading position in the market.
The new website is an example of how to benefit from the convergent nature of Internet, since it includes many audiovisual contents typical of El Correo TV, a highly successful local broadcaster which forms part of the group, while also making the most of the contents of another publication, El Diario Deportivo, although each brand keeps it own identity. Rafael Avilés, journalist and coordinator of web design and edition, explains that the “the profile of the average reader of El Correo has always been that of the traditional Seville inhabitant, from the middle and working classes, very attached to the daily life of his city, particularly Holy Week. However, in the newspaper’s new phase, the aim is to broaden the audience and also to appeal to readers (both male and female) who are interested in culture and sport, as well as new ways of life made possible by the digital transformation of the media.”
The choice of ITER Web was based on the company’s clear roadmap. This involved a quest to find a solution which allowed three main objectives to be achieved: increasing visits and users in the short term, including more content and make the loading process quicker; consolidating a new audience for whom El Correo is one of its daily must-reads; and trying to win online the readers that all of the media lose in the print edition so that “in one or two years, the digital edition will cover most of the newspaper’s expenses”. The first of these objectives appears to have been achieved, since the new website has doubled the number of visits in just one month.
The style of the website is based on the philosophy of “seeking visual elements that distinguish and provide strength” advocated by Rafael Avilés, head of design, who was given an award in 2014 by the prestigious SND for his work in El Diario Deportivo. The combination of lively colours and solid typography in the publication undoubtedly gives the website a unique identity.
Avilés is happy with the speed with which the project has been implemented. As he puts it, “I must stress the involvement of Protecmedia’s technicians at all times, as well as their input in suggesting improvements and work processes. They have been part of our own team.” The way in which the newsroom has assimilated the change towards a convergent workflow has also been satisfactory. According to Avilés, “We have integrated the print-website workflow well. Now comes the most important stage, the real challenge: website-print.”
The communication division of Grupo Morera y Vallejo, which has approximately one hundred employees, is one of the 30 companies that make up the holding, which is one of the most solvent in the region of Andalusia.