Change drivers in the operating environment

Changes in consumer behaviour, the fragmentation of the advertising market, intensifying competition and technological development have changed media consumption and marketing at a very rapid rate. Alma Media faces different forces of change in the company’s operating environment.

Economy

• The impacts of high inflation and market interest rates on consumer purchasing power
• Long-term structural challenges in the Finnish economy

Changing consumer behavior

• Permanent change in consumer behaviour caused by the digital transformation
• High expectations of a convenient and secure digital experience and e-commerce
• Corporate sustainability plays a key role

Structural change in digital marketing and sales

• Digital platforms taking on a growing role throughout the sales and marketing ecosystem
• Growth in technical providers’ share of the digital advertising market
• New forms of digital advertising, such as content marketing, videos and visual search, increasingly effective in marketing

Technology and data

• Increasing significance of AI, technology and automation in businesses and processes
• Data ownership and data-driven development as key drivers of business success
• Cyber security and data protection increasingly important due to consumer expectations, regulatory requirements and the deteriorating global security situation

Regulation

• The EU’s expanding data regulations creating strict requirements for business activities involving the use of data
• Continuous monitoring, reporting and other actions as required by the development of EU regulation
• The effect of the growing popularity of digital services on the amount of data used

Competition

• The role of international technology giants strengthening, especially in digital advertising and marketplaces
• Marketplaces face intensified local competition

Housing

• Growing popularity of rental housing
• The digitalisation of the housing ecosystem and the increasing use of electronic transactions
• Marketplaces evolving from listing services to platforms for housing transactions and services
• In construction and housing, reducing the carbon footprint and sustainable development continuing increase in significance
• Inflation and market interest rates having a negative impact on the housing transaction volume and consumer confidence

Cars and mobility

• Digitalisation-related changes in mobility and the automotive trade
• Changes in propulsion in the automotive trade
• The growing significance of the sharing economy in the mobility sector
• Marketplaces evolving to offer a wider selection of services

Media

• Paying for content becoming more common
• Focus on reliable, fact-based information
• Intensifying competition in the advertising market and for consumers’ time and money
• News media production becoming more data- and automation-driven

Recruitment

• A growing shortage of skilled professionals
• Global competition for talent
• Increasing workforce mobility
• Employers’ increasing effort to reach passive jobseekers
• The use of freelancers and leased employees on the rise

Political tensions

• Russia’s war of aggression and its economic impacting our operating countries
• Uncertainty about political and economic development and difficulties in forecasting