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This feature is sponsored by WoodWing.

WoodWing empowers publishing ecosystems by uniting technology with deep industry expertise. For 25+ years, we’ve helped teams create, manage, and deliver content across print and digital channels with greater efficiency and consistency. Our portfolio spans multi-channel production, digital assets, quality, knowledge, and information management. Founded in 2000, we operate globally from our headquarters in the Netherlands.  

Learn more about WoodWing’s AI innovations on their website:

Media Briefs: WoodWing’s Jeroen Goemans on using AI for measurable workflow upgrades

Most publishers know they should be doing more with AI, but the gap between strategy decks and the reality of nightly, weekly or even monthly publishing deadlines is huge. In this episode, we hear from Jeroen Goemans, MD for EMEA at content management solutions provider WoodWing, about how AI can be used to deliver ‘everyday’ efficiencies.

This is the latest in our Media Briefs series of short, sharp sponsored episodes with a senior executive, from a vendor working with publishers to make their businesses better.

After 25 years working with content-heavy brands, Woodwing’s publishing clients have already automated huge chunks of their production process, but they are already seeing real ROI from AI integrations in the company’s established content and asset management platforms.

Founded in The Netherlands in 2000, WoodWing started out in print automation, but quickly moved into multi-channel publishing. With two core products – WoodWing Studio and WoodWing Assets – the company provides the ‘backbone’ of content production for 1,500 clients across 60 countries.

“Our roots are very much in making production smoother, faster, more collaborative,” says Jeroen Goemans, WoodWing’s MD for EMEA.

The team at WoodWing has seen a lot of change over its 25 years, both in the technology used to create and manage content and in the platforms used for distribution. Jeroen says: “20 years ago, it was all about file-folder based systems and email workflows.”

WoodWing’s initial focus was on print efficiency, but around 2005, it began providing editorial-workflow solutions. It then took on multi-channel publishing, supporting publishers with the iPad launch. “In January 2010, when Steve Jobs announced the iPad, our tech guys were already working on software to publish our content on the iPad,” says Jeroen.

He recalls WoodWing’s founders visiting Steve Jobs in California just a couple of weeks after the iPad launch. “It was a terrific time, especially because all those years before we were only talking about efficiency and cost savings. Now we could talk about how to publish content to other channels. That was a totally different story.”

AI innovation

Coming back to the present day, Jeroen sees some parallels between the ‘golden age’ of app development and the rise of AI. “Some things are similar, that’s for sure,” he says, explaining that the client conversations the WoodWing team is having at the moment are not only with production managers, but also with people responsible for innovation. “That is really interesting, because we are on the same side of the table thinking about how we can help, and how we can support them in evolving their business in this area.”

Many publishers struggle to know how to bring AI into their content creation, management and distribution processes. Jeroen says there are as many questions as there are answers in conversations he has about AI. “The AI landscape is loud and constantly changing. A lot of the tools look cool, but they do not connect with actual newsroom workflows.” 

However, having those conversations is crucial to understand how AI can help support people in their everyday jobs. “We have to talk, experience, learn,” he says. “Our clients are looking to the future, to see how AI can help them, then how we can create solutions which will really help over the next couple of years.”

In that context, WoodWing has taken a very practical perspective on AI innovation, focusing on solving the problems publishers face every day. Acknowledging that while AI is powerful, it is not magic, Jeroen says WoodWing’s approach to AI is to keep things simple.

Immediate value

WoodWing’s AI focus is on low-risk use cases that bring immediate value. “We embed AI directly into the tools teams already use so they don’t need to switch to other platforms or reinvent their processes,” explains Jeroen.

He highlights AI innovations that have become well established over the last few years. In its digital asset management system, AI auto-tagging, image recognition, factor search and image optimisation have become ‘basic’ features.

On the workflow side, Woodwing has been focusing on more repetitive, time-pressured parts of the production process. For example, its co-pilot AI assistant eases pressure on editors by creating summaries and headlines. “Writing an article and creating headlines are two totally different skills, so it is really nice to have an AI friend who can support you with this.” 

Other AI enhancements support content teams with translation and tone of voice adjustments that can create new business opportunities. “You can package your content in different ways for a different target audience or maybe a different country. Also creating channel specific variants,” Jeroen explains.

In print production, AI copy fit helps editors deal with overset copy. “We did some research and discovered that AI counting words and characters is not really a good solution,” says Jeroen. “We found a better solution for this so that you can still tighten or expand text while keeping the tone and the meaning.”

One of WoodWing’s newest AI developments helps automate layout. “With our algorithm, a newspaper or magazine can generate near-finished pages in seconds,” Jeroen says, explaining that the company has been working on the feature for almost a year. “The technology is there now and the first customers are already working with it.”

AI enthusiasm

Where staff were once reticent about accepting AI into their regular workflows, worrying that ‘maybe this will replace my job’, they are now enthusiastic about how AI can help in their day-to-day work. Jeroen says: “Once they see how it works, most teams see it can support them in the content creation process. AI does not replace editorial judgement. Editors still approve the text. Designers still own the layout.”

Jeroen says publishers often come to him with a lot of ideas about how AI could benefit their business, but they don’t always match up with the technology they have in place. “Most of the time, what we do is a two- or three-day workshop to review existing processes to see where the bottlenecks are in existing workflows and how AI can help.”

He acknowledges that it can be difficult to plan for the next two or three years, because the technology is developing so quickly, but he says it’s important to start with smaller solutions.

“Let people see that it will really support them in their day-to-day job, and create a plan together. My advice is to just start; see what the biggest bottlenecks are today and try to solve them. We can help you in this journey and tell you about our experiences.”

This feature is sponsored by WoodWing.

WoodWing empowers publishing ecosystems by uniting technology with deep industry expertise. For 25+ years, we’ve helped teams create, manage, and deliver content across print and digital channels with greater efficiency and consistency. Our portfolio spans multi-channel production, digital assets, quality, knowledge, and information management. Founded in 2000, we operate globally from our headquarters in the Netherlands.  

Learn more about WoodWing’s AI innovations on their website.