In 1999, the world’s oldest publisher turned to the newest global medium: The Internet. By creating a modern strategy to package timeless material, Oxford created a Web 2.0 vision to sell more books.
When I met with the publishers at the US offices of Oxford University Press in New York City, I remember being awed at their commitment to modern marketing. “We’re funding these efforts over 24 months before the new book comes out so we can create new relationships,” one editor told me.
While my marketing team swung into action with the “modern traditional” methods of outreach; contacting professors to learn how they would use the new book and target institutions that would benefit from social networking about the upcoming publication, creating a complete feedback loop and ready-to-buy market on publish date.
Although the eBook industry is even now in its infancy, Oxford’s Reference & Bibles Division worked with us to create the first-ever website solely for a book, complete with daily excerpts mailed to thousands of buyers.
This landmark event laid the groundwork for the online Oxford English Dictionary, hailed by The New York Times as, “the greatest work in dictionary making ever undertaken.”
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