Month: May 2020

Grazia from tomorrow on newsstands with a special #Facciamocisentire

The magazine has lauched a campaign to promote women's rights under threat from the emergency

Lots of interviews, contributions and first-hand accounts with and from influential personalities such as Emma Bonino, Giovanna Botteri, Elena Bonetti, Anna Foglietta, Rose McGowan, Annalena Benini and many more

Grazia, the magazine edited by Silvia Grilli, has developed a series of initiatives to support all those women who before, after and during the lockdown have taken on professional and family commitments and now risk being left out of the labour market. And it is to these topics that Grazia has dedicated an extraordinary issue #Facciamocisentire – on newsstands from tomorrow Thursday 21 May – and a campaign launched on social media to ensure that he current health and economic emergency does not undermine women’s rights.

“Let’s be honest: women are not angels. Though this is how we have been figuratively represented and depicted during the lockdown. Angels of the hearth, while we hold the family together, angels in hospitals where we make up 80% of health workers; angels of the supermarket, where we continue to comprise the majority of workers. And whiles these so-called ‘angels’ continued to work outside or at a distance, sacrificing themselves with children, husbands, aging parents, government-appointed task forces – made up only of men – forgot about us.  Because you can’t re-open Italy while keeping the schools closed. You can’t hold back female employment giving to women the role of assistance for the country. We mustn’t let the crisis become an excuse for depriving us of the rights that have been won with such difficulty. Let’s fight to honour our ambitions and liberate our dreams. We mustn’t continue to ask women to give up a part of themselves. From a great crisis it is possible to ensure that a greater awareness is born along with a country where there is more equality between men and women,” declared Silvia Grilli in her editorial.

In the special issue #Facciamocisentire (Let’s Make Ourselves Heard) Grazia has brought together first-hand stories and suggestions from readers on how to create a more equal school system; how to encourage girls and young women who too often withdraw from the competition for fear of making mistakes, how to bring up a female generation that sees power as something positive. And it also tries to understand how to involve Italian men in all this. Because women will win this battle only by convincing everyone that the sharing of duties and power between the sexes will be of benefit to men, women and the good of the country.

This is also what Senator Emma Bonino thinks, and she tells Grazia about how many women during the lockdown had to live with aggressive partners, but only a few asked for help and some lost their lives. The emergency, the Senator tells the magazine, risks silencing rights that were acquired only after years of battles. To avoid this, we need a cultural revolution that also involves and includes men.

International studies confirm that the gender gap in our country is widening. The Minster for Equal Opportunities, Elena Bonetti, explains how we can build a better society starting from the family, school textbooks and the labour market.

Grazia also publishes an account by journalist and writer Annalena Benini, who writes about the way in which the lockdown has unmasked a misapprehension:  women, brought up to be generous, doubled down with home and children. Men, whenever they tried, seemed like heroes. But the disparity between such efforts, the journalist explains, should open our eyes. Because women should now have the courage to present the bill.

In the pages of the special issue #Facciamocisentire there is also the voice of Rose McGowan, one of the first to accuse American film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse. She had to sell everything, including her home, to pay for her lawyers. But the courage of this actress led to a movement that has revolutionised the world. Now she has produced an album of music to help people overcome their fears, including those concerning the pandemic. “Since I put myself out there,” she explained to Grazia, “I have learned that it is during crises that we can reconfigure our existence.”

Another woman who has been much talked about as a result of being the subject of sexist insults is Giovanna Botteri, the RAI correspondent in Beijing. She tells Grazia about her experience among the courageous women of Sarajevo, among small children under bombardment in Baghdad, in the America of Obama and Trump, and in China in the time of coronavirus. And why, as she writes, she prefers to ignore the looks of disapproval and go straight to where life is flowing more energetically.

During the pandemic actress Anna Foglietta rolled up her sleeves, oversaw her three children as the played and did their homework and saved her husband who was working from home for any inconvenience and disturbance. She did it because it came naturally, then she realised how much it was taken for granted that this is what she should do. And in her diary for Grazia she explains how it is only when tasks in the home are shred that a woman can claim to be free to be herself.

Behind the name Claire Fontaine is a couple that loves to be provocative and make us reflect on equality between the sexes. Like when, in Paris, they installed feminist slogans during an important fashion show. Grazia asked them to imagine how artists could change the relationship between men and women. While also the designers featured in the Architecture Biennale 2020 try to imagine the future of homes with and after Covid-19.

The economist Veronica De Romanis explains to Grazia why our country, in order to restart, has desperate need of quotas to put the right women in command.  During the emergency women worked from home, took care of families and suffered the closure of the schools. But were excluded from the decision-making process.

The magazine also spoke to some leading female scientific researchers: “Often we just wait for others to recognise our qualities. But now we want to make ourselves heard,” they say after the inclusion of six female scientists on the government’s emergency coronavirus task force.

In Italy fathers are changing and are more involved than before. But male power remains dominant. Why is that? Psychiatrist Paolo Crepet tells Grazia about a country in which the army is made up of women, but the generals are all men. And explains that if we really had a meritocracy, we would need much more than ‘pink’ quotas.

The special will also go ‘viral’, trought a Digital PR campaign with the hashtag #FacciamociSentire.

The new Electa social feature #puntoeacapo

Electa is pleased to present #puntoeacapo, a collection of short digital stories –for the moment “filmed” from home – by writers, curators, creatives, editors and those working with the publisher, all sharing their different perspectives and activities. They will talk about books, exhibitions and the languages of art, from publishing to architecture, passing via museum bookshops.

The #puntoeacapo social feature of stories and accounts continuesthe Art and illustrated publishing experience through the faces and voices of curators, museum directors, archaeologists, art critics, artists, architects and designers. Born during the “lockdown” weeks, #puntoeacapo starts with Electa pondering its journey as a publisher and its role flanking museums. As we mark 75 years in publishing, we have started thinking about the Electa of today and of the future with many questions and some constants (old and new).

The first series of videos responds to a desire to revisit the#patrimonioitalia and rethink our cultural identity and past by conducting a Grand Tour through books, exhibitions, memories and emotions as we look to the future.

BoD approves results at 31 March 2020

After the first two months of activity aligned with forecasts, March was affected by the COVID-19 health emergency, marking the performance in the first quarter of the year:

  • Revenue € 135.3 million: -18.9% versus € 166.8 million in first quarter 2019 (-17.1% on a like-for-like basis)
  • Adjusted EBITDA: € -3.1 million versus € 1.7 million in first quarter 2019
  • EBIT: € -14 million versus € -7.2 million in first quarter 2019
  • Result from continuing operations: € -19.1 million versus € -7.9 million in first quarter 2019, due also to the net impact of € 5.2 million from the adjustment to market value of the Reworld Media shares held
  • NFP before IFRS 16: € -96.9 million, improving by approximately 46% versus € -179.3 million in first quarter 2019; NFP IFRS 16: € -193.9 million

BUSINESS OUTLOOK

The uncertainty of the macroeconomic and sector scenarios does not allow, as things stand, for the development of a new and reliable guidance

Today, the meeting of the Board of Directors of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A., chaired by Marina Berlusconi, reviewed and approved the Interim Management Statement at 31 March 2020 presented by CEO Ernesto Mauri.

HIGHLIGHTS OF FIRST QUARTER 2020
In 2020, after the first two months of activity aligned with Group forecasts, the performance in March was inevitably marked by the adverse effects of the health emergency brought by the spread of COVID-19.

Starting from the first ten days of March, in fact, the gradual and increasingly widespread application of restrictive measures to social and economic activities has significantly curtailed part of the activities in the businesses where the Group operates as a leader.

Specifically, as from 12 March, the application of government measures has led to the closure of the physical channel of bookstores across the Country, with immediate direct effects on the performance of the Group’s Retail business.

At the same time, Trade book sales have fallen sharply, limited as they are to the e-commerce channel alone (which in turn is restricted to the above products) and, to a much lesser extent, to the large retailers channel.

The emergency measures have concurrently led to the closure of museums, archaeological parks and bookstores across all Italian regions, with a resulting reduction in activities, therefore in revenue, of the Group companies operating in these areas.

Lastly, the Media[1] business too has recorded declines following closure of part of the newsstands in Italy and the decrease in advertising sales.

The Mondadori Group has set up and implemented a series of activities to mitigate the effects of the economic juncture, through actions to contain operating and personnel costs.

In order to reduce the impacts on the business areas, the Company has:

  • taken steps to contain and cut operating costs also by renegotiating contracts and reviewing rates;
  • promoted the use of outstanding holidays and the procedures for social safety nets;
  • resolved on the reduction of the variable remuneration of Group Management for 2020;
  • placed particular emphasis on the management of the Group’s working capital (with specific actions on customers and suppliers).

More specifically, for the different business activities:

  • in the Trade Area, the editorial programmes have been reshaped and rescheduled, with a plan to phase out “minor” titles;
  • in the Education Area, actions have been taken to curb or eliminate the costs related to the stoppage and canceling of museum and archaeological park activities;
  • in the Media Area, a strict policy has been adopted to reduce the production costs of the various titles;
  • in the Retail Area, during the lockdown period, a plan has been implemented to reduce overheads relating to the points of sale.

PERFORMANCE AT 31 MARCH 2020
In light of the extraordinary emergency situation that materialized in March, the Mondadori Group performed as follows in first quarter 2020:

  • consolidated revenue amounted to € 135.3 million, down by 18.9% versus € 166.8 million in the same period of 2019 (-17.1% on a like-for-like basis, net of the change in the scope of consolidation from the disposal of the five titles in December 2019). The downturn is attributable mainly to the effects of COVID-19;
  • adjusted EBITDA in the period under review amounted to € -3.1 million, down by € -4.8 million versus € 1.7 million in 1° quarter 2019. The decline is due mainly to the effects of COVID-19, obviously also considering the first positive effects of the actions taken;
  • EBITDA amounted to € -4.2 million, down versus € 1.1 million in the first quarter of the prior year;
  • EBIT amounted to € -14 million, down versus € -7.2 million at 31 March 2019, due to the dynamics of the above components and to higher amortization, depreciation and write-downs, which rose to € 9.8 million from € 8.4 million in 1° quarter 2019.
  • the consolidated result before tax amounted to € -23.8 million versus € -9.2 million in first quarter 2019;
  • the result from continuing operations amounted to € -19.1 million versus € -7.9 million in first quarter 2019, due to the net impact of € 5.2 million from the adjustment to market value of the Reworld Media shares held;
  • the Group’s net result amounted to € -19.1 million versus € -3.5 million in 1° quarter 2019 (which had also included the temporarily positive result of € 4.9 million from discontinued operations, in addition to the above net impact of € 5.2 million relating to Reworld Media shares);
  • the net financial position before IFRS 16 stood at € -96.9 million, improving sharply by approximately 46% versus € -179.3 million at 31 March 2019, as a result of the disposal of Mondadori France (€ 62.8 million) and of the cash generation from ordinary operations in the context of continuing operations in the last 12 months, equal to € 45.8 million versus € 48.5 million at 31 December 2019;
  • the IFRS 16 net financial position stood at € -193.9 million and includes the IFRS 16 impact of € -97 million.

The Group’s financial situation and medium-term prospects, despite the significant stress put on the entire global economic system in this specific historical juncture, allow it to maintain a positive attitude towards future developments, albeit in a partly and inevitably affected economic scenario for 2020.

At 31 March 2020, Group employees in the context of continuing operations totaled 1,942 units, down by 8% versus 2,111 units at March 2019 (excluding the employees of Mondadori France at 31 March 2019), as a result of the disposal of the five titles and efficiency gains in the individual business areas.

Update on COVID-19 measures
Since 23 February 2020, the Group has taken immediate action to implement all the preventive measures required to protect the health of its employees and associates, in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Health and in conjunction with the company health officer, and to reduce the impact of the health emergency on the performance of the business areas.
Additionally, the Group is constantly monitoring the situation and providing updates on developments, also in order to guarantee the entire company population real-time access to information that is essential for the safe performance of work activities.

For such reason, the Mondadori Group has:

  • set up a cross-functional Crisis Committee with workers’ representatives to indicate the urgent measures needed and coordinate actions taking account of the specific nature of each company area;
  • from the onset further encouraged smart working, enabling almost all workers to do so, with a physical presence only of staff tasked with monitoring the sites;
  • published and made available to the entire company population a Company Anti-Contagion Protocol, containing the principles and rules adopted and to adopt;
  • fitted itself with the necessary personal and corporate protective equipment, distributed sanitizers to the company population, and installed spray dispensers inside the premises;
  • arranged for workplace sanitation in coordination with the company health officer, the relevant authorities, the Safety Managers and the Workers’ Trade Union Representatives;
  • carried out training on how to behave in order to perform remote activities safely, through online workshops and webinars;
  • introduced new services for employees and associates, including a website that is permanently accessible with all the necessary information, a dedicated email address to submit specific questions and requests, and psychological counselling desks both online and within the company;
  • assessed the adequacy of the measures taken to comply with the principles of privacy

Disclosure on this activity has been provided to the corporate control bodies and Internal Committees, also in order to receive guidance on the strategies to adopt, both in the initial phase of the health emergency and in preparing the gradual return of workers to the sites.

BUSINESS OUTLOOK
Given the poor visibility of the possible range of scenarios produced by the effects of COVID-19, macroeconomic and sector estimates predict downturns in the Group’s relevant markets that are clearly unmeasurable at this time.
For this reason, as things stand, the elements that contribute to the development of forecasts for the year remain highly uncertain: in particular, how the pandemic evolves and how demand reacts amid the potential materialization of a severe recession.

This highly unstable backdrop does not allow for the development of a new and reliable guidance.

In order to alleviate the effects of the current economic juncture, the Group has implemented measures to reduce costs and select investments and has prepared for recovery, providing adequate safety standards consistent with regulatory guidance.

The Group has also started an analysis of the organization models and processes to make the most of the current experiences and use them to gain ongoing benefits in terms of efficiency of a number of adopted and planned solutions (e.g. digitization, computerization and smart working most of all).

PERFORMANCE OF BUSINESS AREAS

  • BOOKS

In Italy until February, the trade book market had decreased by -1.1% versus the same period of 2019; in March, the decline grew to -29.3%, reaching -9.6%[2] at the end of the first quarter.

This abnormal downturn in demand over the last month of the quarter is linked to the COVID-19 emergency and the related health measures, which led, among other things, to the total closure of independent bookstores and book chains from the second ten days of March.

Despite the sharp increase of the e-commerce channel, the only channel actually operating in the second half of March, sell-out figures obviously witnessed a slump.

Against this backdrop, the Mondadori Group retained its leadership position, with a total market share of 23.4% in the trade area and 4 titles appearing in the top ten bestselling books in terms of value in the first three months of the year: La misura del tempo by Gianrico Carofiglio (Einaudi); Le fantafiabe di Luì e Sofi by Me contro Te (Mondadori Electa); In cucina con voi! by Benedetta Rossi (Mondadori Electa); Una gran voglia di vivere by Fabio Volo (Mondadori).

In the first three months of 2020, the Area’s revenue amounted to € 58.2 million, down by 17.1% versus
€ 70.2 million in first quarter 2019. Specifically:

  • in the Trade Area, revenue amounted to € 39.1 million (€ 48.2 million in 2019), down by 19.1%, due to the abovementioned effects of the COVID-19 health emergency. The closure of the Bookstores and Chains channels in the second half of March made it clearly impossible to supply a significant part of the market (approximately 65% of the total). Despite the increases recorded in the e-commerce channel, the impact on revenue was heavy.

The Group set aside the planned launch of new titles, rescheduling them by pushing back the planned publications. The editorial programmes remain, however, basically confirmed, albeit with a different timing and the phase out of a number of minor titles.

  • in the Educational segment, marked in the first quarter by the seasonal nature of the school textbooks business (with most of revenue generated from June to October), revenue amounted to € 16.7 million on a like-for-like basis, down by -10.2% versus € 18.6 million in the same period of 2019. The downturn in revenue, amounted approximately to € 2 million, is due largely to the museum business, which was impacted by the adverse effects of the COVID-19 health emergency, with urgent measures that led to the gradual closure from the beginning of March of the museums, archaeological parks and bookstores in which Electa operates.

Revenue from the sale of e‐books and audiobooks increased by +26% versus the same period of 2019, accounting for almost 10% of total revenue for the period (6% in 2019). The audiobook component accounted for approximately 13% of total digital revenue, up from 7% in 2019.

These increases in revenue are attributable to the situation generated by COVID-19 and the previously mentioned constraints on the distribution and marketing of physical books.

In the first quarter of the year, adjusted EBITDA amounted to € -4.5 million versus € -0.2 million in 2019.

EBITDA amounted to € -5.2 million versus € -0.3 million in 2019.

In the period under review, the Area recorded an EBIT of € -8.3 million versus € -2.8 million in 2019.

  • RETAIL

In first quarter 2020, the book market (which accounts for over 80% of revenue[3] in the Retail Area) suffered, as mentioned, a decline (-9.6%[4]) versus the same period of the prior year, due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Specifically, the quarter was negatively impacted by the urgent measures to contain the COVID-19 contagion, which led to the closure of physical bookstores throughout the country from 12 March 2020.

Against this backdrop, the market share of Mondadori Retail stood at 10.9%, operating in the final part of the quarter through the online channel alone.

In the first three months of the year, revenue in the Retail Area amounted to € 31.1 million, down by 24.8% versus € 41.3 million in the same period of the prior year, due to the abovementioned government COVID-19 measures. Specifically, considering March alone, sales were -65.8% lower than in 2019; the online channel bucked the trend (+13.5%) and grew by approximately +130% in March.

In the first quarter of the year, adjusted EBITDA amounted to € -1.2 million versus € -0.5 million in the same period of 2019, due to the mentioned drop in revenue.

At 29 February, the business unit’s adjusted EBITDA improved by € +0.3 million versus the same period of the prior year, thanks to careful cost management and the deep organizational and process review implemented in the second half of 2019.

At the end of the quarter, EBITDA amounted to € -1.3 million (versus € -0.6 million in the first three months of 2019).

In the period under review, the Area recorded an EBIT of € -3.8 million (versus € -3.2 million in first quarter 2019).

In the first two months of 2020, the Group’s relevant markets, still unscathed by the COVID-19 emergency, showed the following trends[6]:

  • in terms of advertising, a growth in digital channels (+4.8%) and a decline in magazines (-12.2%);
  • in terms of circulation, a drop in magazines of -8.8%.

Against this backdrop, the Group retained its leadership position with a 23.3% market share in terms of value[7].

The market, especially advertising, inevitably suffered in March from the ripple effects of the COVID-19 health emergency.

In first quarter 2020, the Media Area recorded revenue of € 50.6 million, down by 19.6% versus
€ 63 million in 2019 (-14.8% net of the disposal of the five titles). In the first two months of the year, the drop in revenue in the Media Area on a like-for-like basis was in line with the guidance and the performance of the relevant market, amounting to approximately -10%.[8]

Specifically, in the period under review, the Area performed as follows:

  • circulation revenue was down by 23%, a performance affected both by the disposal of the five titles and by the COVID-19 impact; net of these discontinuities, the estimated decline was around -10%.
  • advertising revenue decreased by 24% in total and -20% on a like-for-like basis. Approximately 60% of the drop is attributable to COVID-19 and can be estimated at € 1.8 million, including the decline in revenue from proximity marketing solutions (AdKaora) virtually halted by the lockdown.

Digital revenue as a percentage of total advertising revenue was approximately 48% (up from 42% in 2019).

  • distribution activities and other revenue fell by 10% versus the prior year (-9.9% net of discontinuities in 2019).

The Mondadori Group retained its position as the leading multimedia publisher in Italy: on the web, with an 84% reach and approximately 33 million unique users in March[9]; in social media, with an aggregate fan base of 32 million[10]; in magazines, with 16 million readers per month.

Adjusted EBITDA amounted to € 2 million in the first quarter of the year, down slightly versus 1° quarter 2019 (€ 2.6 million), due to the effective measures to contain operating costs.

EBITDA amounted to € 1.8 million versus € 2.3 million in 2019.

In the period under review, the Area recorded an EBIT of € -0.1 million versus € 1 million.

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CO-OPTED
The Board of Directors, which met today, resolved to co-opt Alessandro Franzosi as executive director, in view of the position to hold as Chief Financial Officer of the Mondadori Group as from 4 June, as announced on 23 March.

The new executive director was co-opted following the resignation of Oddone Pozzi from the role of director, effective as from 22 April.

Additionally, as from June 4, Alessandro Franzosi will concurrently hold the position of Financial Reporting Manager, pursuant to Article 24 of the Bylaws and Article 154 bis of Legislative Decree 568/1998. The appointment will be effective until expiry of the term of office of the Board of Directors or until a different resolution is passed.

Based on the information available to the Company, to date Alessandro Franzosi holds no shares of the Company.

His professional profile is available on the website www.gruppomondadori.it, Governance section.

The documentation relating to the presentation of the results at 31 March 2020, is made available through the authorized storage mechanism 1Info (www.1info.it) and in the Investors section of the Company’s website www.gruppomondadori.it.

The Interim Management Statement at 31 March 2020 will be made available on the authorized storage mechanism (www.1Info.it) and in the Investors section of the Company’s website www.gruppomondadori.it by today’s date.

PUBLICATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE SHAREHOLDERS’ MEETING
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A. informs that the minutes of the Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on 22 April 2020 are available on the authorized storage mechanism (www.1info.it) and in the Governance section of the Company’s website www.gruppomondadori.it.

The Financial Reporting Manager – Oddone Pozzi – hereby declares, pursuant to Article 154 bis, paragraph 2, of the Consolidated Finance Law, that the accounting information contained herein corresponds to the Company’s records, books and accounting entries.

Annexes (in the complete pdf):

  • Consolidated balance sheet;
  • Consolidated income statement;
  • Group cash flow;
  • Glossary of terms and alternative performance measures used.

[1] As from 1 January 2020, the activities referring to Mondadori Group magazines and websites, as well as the equity investments in the Magazines Italy Area, were transferred to the wholly-owned subsidiary Mondadori Media S.p.A.

[2] GFK, March 2020 (figures in terms of market value). As a result of the COVID-19 health emergency and closure of the physical channel of Bookstores and Chains, GFK has temporarily suspended the presentation of sell-out figures by channel.  The relating breakdown is, therefore, unavailable at this time.

[3] Product revenue excluding Club revenue

[4]GFK (in terms of value)

[5] As from 1 January 2020, all the activities referring to Mondadori Group magazines and websites, as well as the investments in the Magazines Italy Area, were transferred to Mondadori Media S.p.A. (100% owned by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore S.p.A.).

[6]Nielsen, cumulative figures at February 2020

[7] Internal source: Press-di, figures at February 2020 (newsstands + subscriptions channel) in terms of value

[8] Management Reporting

[9] Comscore (March 2020)

[10] Storyclash (March 2020)

Also this year the maturità is with Studenti.it

Available online podcasts for graduating students with audio tips to revise literature and history and prepare for the exam

Italian high school students will this year face quite different final year exams starting from 17 June. The health emergency means there will be extraordinary rules for the much-anticipated exams: the traditional written tests will not take place and all students will face an oral exam in a new format, in front of a commission on internal members, while respecting the social distancing rules foreseen by the MIUR.

And once again, supporting Italian students as they prepare the maturità will be Studenti.it, the Mondadori Group brand, leader in Italy in the digital area in the world of Education with over 4.3 million users per month according to Audiweb and a Facebook page with around 500,000 fans, and which, for more than 20 years, has been helping high school students to get through this important exam.

In recent months Studenti.it has continued to support students who have been kept away from school. With a wide offer of content on its web site and on social media, this has allowed students to have material available for distance learning and to continue their preparation for the final year exam, known in Italy as the maturità. Fundamental teaching resources in this time of virtual lessons, as is confirmed by an online survey made by the brand on a sample of some 3 thousand young people at the end of March. According to both the interviewees and teachers, all of the material available online and on the most common audio and video platforms and useful tools to facilitate distance learning.

Podcasts: new tools for students
The offer of resources and material on Studenti.it has been expanded with a new, practical and easy to use teaching tool: Te Lo Spiega Studenti.it, (Let Studenti.it explain) the brand’s exclusive podcasts for final year students. Every week, four tips focusing on the syllabus of Italian and History, to help students form all streams to revise ahead of the oral exam or an assignment with the main points of a topic or mini biographies of leading figures who have left their mark on history. In just five minutes you can revise an author like Cesare Pavese, a work like Il fu Mattia Pascal or a literary movement, such as the Decadent Movement. But you can also learn what was discovered by Marie Curie, who Charles Darwin was or what happened on 9 November 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down. To these can be added those dedicated to the guides for preparing the maturità, where, for example, students can listen again to how to analyse a text or the techniques for improving your memory of what you are studying.
The technology partner of Studenti.it in the creation of this new content is Spreaker, Italy’s leading platform for the creation, distribution and monetisation of podcasts, conceived for beginner and professional podcasters, and for publishers and companies who want to include podcasts as a tool in their communication strategy.
The Te Lo Spiega Studenti.it podcasts have already been reached 100,000 downloads per month 100 across all of the most popular platforms used by kids and are among the content recommended by Spotify and Google. A result that confirms that listening to audio series is now a fast-growing trend, even among the younger generations: in fact, according to Spreaker the average monthly listener figures for podcasts in Italy  has grown by 50% between December 2019 and March 2020, and podcasts linked to “Education” are always the most popular.

Growing numbers
With its material in support of the world of school, from background materials produced by teachers to conceptual maps, summaries of dissertations and exam guides to podcasts, Studenti.it was able to respond immediately to the need for distance learning in recent months and provide support for students facing the final exam.  The figures for April demonstrate this success and once again confirm the brand’s success, with an increase in traffic of 50% compared with the same period last year. In this period of virtual lessons it has been the teachers themselves that have suggested to their students the resources of Studenti.it and the boom in traffic shows that users recognise the reliability and authoritativeness of the available content.
Studenti.it has also again confirmed its position as leader in search engines for the most important keywords related to the maturità including, maturità 2020, maturità oral exam, paths to maturità and dissertations.

The community on social media
But the Studenti.it team is also supporting final year students on social media, providing information and news about the new form of the exam and helping them to measure up and find solutions to problems related to organisation and teaching. The Facebook page has reached almost 500,000 fans with a group dedicated to the Maturità 2020, to which has been added a new group on Telegram.
To support students in the weeks immediately before the exam and in June during the exam period, the team has developed a format called TG Maturità. This is a programme of live Facebook events to give examinees updates and news about the exams and replies to their most frequent questions. There will also be contributions from a number of guests who will help the candidates with last-minute doubts so that they can calmly face their exam preparation.

The success of the YouTube channel
There has also been a great success for the Youtube channel which has doubled the number of views, thanks to the development of new formats, which join the more traditional video notes. From StudentTalk to StudentTea and tutorials for the oral exam: a series of videos offering useful suggestions and advice for students beyond the didactic content. And then, of course, there is also the participation of authentic stars of digital education, such as Elia Bombardelli with her lessons in mathematics.

After the exams
Studenti.it accompanies students also after the exams, supporting them as they decide on their next steps, with content and targeted tests to orientate their choices and the creation of ad hoc Facebook groups such as Orientamento Università and Test medicina a numero chiuso, which to date have 27,000 and 40,000 members respectively. This is where students can exchange ideas on the best choices for their future, as well as a place to find information about universities, entry tests and receive the latest news on other issues of interest.

 

Mondadori Education launches new initiatives to support teachers

New free tools to help teachers to remotely assess their pupils

As the end of a more complex school year than ever comes closer, teachers at all levels and in all schools, are facing another big challenge: how to assess and grade students at a distance. A key moment in the teaching-learning process. Always a complex activity, in the current situation it is particularly difficult.

In fact, in distance learning, the grading process takes on a different aspect compared with what happens in the classroom. The moments for learning assessment (for example, individual or group activities, digital presentations prepared by pupils with feedback from teachers, the level of participation in lessons) go hand in hand and often replace traditional grading methods (tests and oral exams). The new context has heightened the need for support for the more fragile students and requires inclusive teaching tools and strategies.

Valid support for teachers about to engage in this delicate process is available from Mondadori Education that provides specific content, materials and tools for the certification of skills and the assessment of levels of learning, also remotely: a variety of tests on a range of topics and subjects, maps useful for revision, digital services for each subject and all levels, from primary to first and second level secondary schools. All, even in this emergency period, freely downloadable from the publisher’s web site.

The support path that the publisher offers to teachers will continue in the coming weeks also with a programme dedicated to preparation for the final year exams, as it will be structured this year and, from September, with a practical project for recovery activities in preparation for the new school year.

Of special relevance, regarding assessments, in the HUB Test platform, that is both intuitive and easy to use e semplice and allows teachers to easily manage tests: on the one hand with the possibility of accessing a complete and varied database, and, on the other, to create new personalised tests that can be easily shared with the class.

 

And then there are activities that focus on teacher training via webinars, with free participation, organised by experts from the publishing house, with explanations and ideas on how to assess, as well as the techniques for assessing both synchronous and asynchronous activities.

On the basis of what has already been done since the beginning of March, as an immediate response to the emergency, to make freely available the entire range digital content for distance learning – over 40 gigabytes of content and more than 12,000 gigabytes of video, audio, customisable maps, playlists, and facilitated texts for inclusion –  the commitment of Mondadori Education continues with the proposal of a complete path to support teachers in the three crucial phases of their work: revision and testing, final year state exams and September recovery programmes.

“The emergency that we have faced, and continue to live with,” underlined Aaron Buttarelli, editorial director of Mondadori Education, “has all of a sudden obliged Italian schools to reconsider, in a very short period of time and often without adequate tools, the entire teaching-learning process. We have always been on the side of teachers and students in the pursuit of innovation and the digitalisation of schools, with a range of services for day-to-day teaching which has now taken on enormous relevance. Including the evolution of the textbook, which is no longer a static printed support but thanks to digital has become both live and dynamic, for more personalised learning, with language and formats able to inform and stimulate interest in learning.”

A commitment that is rewarded by the success among teachers and demonstrated by the data traffic metrics on the platform which has recorded a user base of some 1.5 million active users,  to which have been added, in the last two months,  more than 400,000 new registered users, with an increase of 30 times in the use of  Virtual Classes, more than 15 times for Tests and 6 times for the use of reading Apps and traffic on the site that has grown by 8 times on a daily basis.

The HUB Test offer, is part of the services offered by HUB Scuola, Italy’s most extensive database for digital teaching, and which features a number of other tools, including: the Virtual Class, an environment for the management of teaching activities and courses, exchanging comments, setting assignments and homework and monitoring progress; reading Apps to use digital books; HUB Campus for more detail on different subjects; and the HUB Scuola channel on YouTube with over 1,700 videos, organised in playlists.

Grazia a special Issue on newsstands: ‘Che mondo sarà’

Leading figures outline future scenarios
From Bill and Melinda Gates to Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the Rector of Bocconi University to Cristina Comencini, Giuseppe Culicchia, Letizia Muratori, Vandana Shiva and many more

Across the world, the pandemic has faced us with a new normal, comprised of social distancing, and new rules to protect ourselves and others. But what will the coming months be like as we await the discovery of a vaccine? Grazia, the magazine edited by Silvia Grilli, tries to offer its readers some answers with the help of a range of authoritative voices.

Starting with two of the world’s leading funders of research, Bill and Melinda Gates, who have donated an unprecedented sum to finding a vaccine against Covid-19 and become a global point of reference. But the couple is looking further ahead, and the philanthropists explain Grazia when we will overcome the emergency and which of the innovations of this period will help to protect us from future epidemics.

But Grazia is also fashion, so the designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana talk about the future that awaits Made in Italy and for which they are ready.

A new vision of the future of our school system comes from Gianmario Verona, economist and Rector of Milan’s Bocconi University who outlines how the pandemic has modernised Italian universities which are now planning the next step forward.

The Mondadori Group magazine has also collected opinions on the future of the arts and cinema. Film director Cristina Comencini tells Grazia that only when we can go back to cinemas, after months of watching films and series on TV, will we understand how much we have missed the big screen, Because, as she explains, sharing stories with others will have a new meaning. Above all if they are stories about how we have been reborn after the pandemic.

Other leading names include Giuseppe Culicchia who, for Grazia, a tomorrow of many unknowns and a certainty: that we will continue to look in books for what we miss in reality, because he is convinced that with the practice we’ve gained from the restrictions it will be as if we are in a maze in which each one of us will have to find our way and accept a new kind of normality.

Also Letizia Muratori says that our experience of home isolation has been like living in an eternal present and as the restrictions are lifted, the writer tells Grazia, we will have to discover how to live in a smaller and more protected reality, in which there will be Perspex panels and looking into the eyes of others will be a different experience.

Behind a world turned upside down and the spread of the coronavirus there is male domination. This is the view of the Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva, who, in order to build a different future, asks for a handover of power: from men, accustomed to the unrestrained exploitation of nature, to a female balance that takes account of every aspect of creation.

This special issue of Grazia also features contributions from the influencer Marta Pozzan, music producer David Guetta, manager Luca Finardi as well as the managers of a number of international schools in Italy who are examining the positive experiences of their sister schools around the world.

Grazia, the leading 100% Italian fashion brand, available around the world in 20 international editions and a voice for style and news, is on the frontline with a series of extraordinary issues that deal with big topics and the #facciamocisentire (#LetsMakeOurselvesHeard) campaign in favour of gender equality in a moment in which it is under threat. In fact, the magazine is strongly supporting the women who during the health and economic crisis are more than eve on the frontline and risk being forgotten, when they really need to be heard.

 

New record digital audience for the Mondadori Group

A result driven in particular by GialloZafferano which has recorded almost 23 million unique users per month and by Donna Moderna and Mypersonaltrainer, unchallenged leaders in their respective segments

The Mondadori Group confirms its position as Italy’s leading digital publisher: Comscore data for March shows that the Group’s brands are in first place, with a total audience of almost 33 million unique users per month. The reach rises to 84% of the online population, with a peak of 91% among women, corresponding to almost 18 women across Italy.

The figures show that it is not only news that has been rewarded in this period of emergency, but also content related to the passions and interests of Italians, and for which the brands of the Mondadori Group are a point of reference, both in print and in digital.

This success is also confirmed by continuously growing results of social networks. In the months of March and April the combined fanbase of Mondadori’s media brands grew more than 1.7 million people overall, with more than 700,000 new fans on Facebook, over 500,000 new followers on Instagram and 200,000 users on Youtube. Today, the combination of all the communities of the Group’s brands across the various social media platforms totals some 33 million people.

This breakthrough has been achieved, in particular, thanks to the results of certain brands who are now established as authentic protagonists in the lives of Italians and leaders in the vertical segments of food, women and wellness.
A leading role that is confirmed by Comscore data and also supported by the results of the Scenario Media 2020 research, recently elaborated by Mondadori Lab on 3,000 representative Italian users. The rich and varied offer of content in the magazines, live events on social media and other web initiatives and projects, has enables the Mondadori Group to remain lose to its readers and users and be rewarded with significantly rising numbers. In fact, these are results that, once again, underscore the strong links between the brands and their communities and a capacity to continue to put people and their interest at the centre.

The biggest success has been achieved by GialloZafferano which has recorded an absolute all-time record in terms of audience of 22.9 million unique users per month and a 59% reach di (Source: Comscore March 2020), a 40% increase in monthly users compared with the previous record in December 2019.
This outstanding result by GialloZafferano is also confirmed in the weekly data of Audiweb which, in March recorded an average of over 12.5 million weekly unique users, an increase of 100% compared with the pre-lockdown period. Plus, on the day before Easter, GialloZafferano recorded another new daily record, with over 4.5 million daily unique users.
According to the Food Media Brand analysis, produced by Mondadori Lab, GialloZafferano is the undisputed leader among media brands on the media web, TV and print, in the kitchen and the hearts of Italians. In fact, more than one in two people consider it an unmissable point of reference in the kitchen. Moreover, for more than 90% of interviewees it is the top brand for assisted knowledge, reaching 55% in top of mind recognition, being cited spontaneously first among cooking brands by more than one in two of the sample. All of these metrics show that GialloZafferano is the leading brand, further confirmation of its role as the point of reference.

Another important result has been recorded by Donna Moderna which, thanks to a winning mix of stories, live events on social media and practical advice, is once again the brand leader in the women’s segment, with 14.4 million unique users per month (Source: Comscore March 2020). In addition, the Scenario Media survey shows that for 47% of the sample Donna Moderna is the top of mind brand in the women’s segment and the number one brand for assisted knowledge both in print (94%) and online (78%). Donna Moderna is described as useful, complete and a product that the sample trusts and which is able to meet their needs

In the health and wellness segment, Mypersonaltrainer is shown to be a point of reference for Italians in terms of health and wellness, reaching an audience of 14.4 unique users per month (Source: Comscore March 2020).