Case Study: Hubert Burda Media turns 52 million anonymous readers into known customers with Acquia Lift

Acquia helping Hubert Burda Media Turn Anonymous Users into Known Customers

Hubert Burda Media, a century‑old, family‑owned German publisher with dozens of international magazine and digital brands, faced the familiar industry challenge of shrinking print and advertising revenue as audiences moved online. Leadership needed a way to stop guessing about readers’ interests and create a sustainable “third” revenue stream by turning anonymous site visitors into known, addressable customers.

Using its Thunder Drupal distribution together with Acquia Lift, Burda captures behavioral data, segments audiences, and personalizes content while employing an “identity wall” to collect email addresses and build profiles. The platform has transformed anonymous traffic into a 52‑million strong addressable audience, introduced new KPIs focused on known users and conversion, and enabled targeted newsletters, commerce, sponsorships and product offerings—empowering Burda’s brands to monetize readers directly and test new revenue models.

Hubert Burda Media

Matthias Möller

Director of Project Management, CTO