Reformatorisch Dagblad

Digital house for 50 year old newspaper

Website

2020

Starting out as a publisher of Christian newspapers and magazines, Erdee Media Groep is now a multimedia publishing concern that reaches its audience through multiple channels.

Having started the development of a new digital platform for the Reformatorisch Dagblad, which celebrated its 50th year in 2021, Erdee Media Groep was looking for an external adviser. Are we moving in the right direction? Is our choice of CMS the right one?

Strategy

Complex framework

A digital platform for a newspaper is highly complex. Of course, the editorial staff have to be able to do their work as well as possible.

In addition, various technical solutions are needed: for advertisements, linkage to the editing system for the paper edition, paywalls, log-in options for subscribers, analytics software. An extremely complex
combination.

Approach

Changing direction completely

Thanks to the editorial experience, the expertise and knowledge of the developers at Erdee Media Groep, a Smartshore Ability development team was able to get off to a flying start, taking a thorough look
at everything: the plans, the requirements, the designs, the intended architecture, code that had already been written.
The ensuing recommendation was clear: the plans and strategy were sound, but the solution chosen was not. A change of direction was needed.

Result

Digital platform based on headless CMS

After that first advice, Erdee Media Groep asked Smartshore Ability to help realize the new platform. Within a year, a new platform based on the headless CMS Strapi, created by a mixed team from Smartshore | Ability and developers of Erdee Media Groep.