Three of the most influential media entities in the Caribbean – Trend Media (developers of Loop News), The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited (“The Gleaner”) and The Trinidad Express Newspapers – announced today that they are piloting a Caribbean Publisher Alliance.
The purpose of the Caribbean Publisher Alliance is to promote and protect the indigenous Caribbean digital news industry for consumers, and to promote best in class standards for its advertising partners. Regardless of the changes happening in the advertising landscape, brands and agencies still deserve a high standard of quality when investing their marketing budgets, and publisher alliances are able to deliver on that.
Mark Corrigan, General Manager of Trend Media commented: “The global increase in digital content consumption, coupled with an increase in digital ad spend, is a major reason for the creation of many publisher alliances. With certain companies dominating the global digital media landscape, publisher alliances create an alternative option for advertisers in local markets. It is also vital that there is greater transparency for publishers regarding the yield generated from ad sales, which is not always the case.
Eileen Ruddy, Chief Business Development Officer at Trend Media further added: “As we join together with The Gleaner and The Trinidad Express Newspapers, we will be able to provide advertisers with access to a wide range of premium digital solutions and premium standards. This, all fueled by 1st party data, will ensure best in class results for our advertiser partners.”
Having a centralised advertising space provides a greater level of control, making it easier for agencies and brands to purchase ads across a wide range of platforms specifically targeted at their desired audience. Not only is this good business, but it is also beneficial to everyone involved.
Christopher Barnes, Chief Operating Officer of The RJR GLEANER Communications Group, of which The Gleaner is a subsidiary, remarked: “The Gleaner is pleased to be embarking on another aspect of its digital transformation journey which holds potential for further diversification of revenue sources for its market leading online offerings.”
“This partnership with other publishers and tech partners, once successful, would add to the traditional sources of direct placements and the affiliate advertising available through big tech. The Gleaner looks forward to the benefits to be derived from this new partnership.”
Douglas Wilson, General Manager of The Trinidad Express Newspaper commented: “We are excited to partner in the Caribbean Publisher Alliance. In the last 10 years Publisher Alliances have slowly formed in Asia, Europe and North America as a means of maximising publishers’ revenues and booking volumes – rather than defaulting to major international players such as Google and Facebook – by increasing scale.”
“As an additional benefit, it will keep money in the local monetary system instead of foreign exchange leaving the country and region. We are committed to putting in the work and energy to ensure this initiative delivers the value to clients and of course, all partners.”
Publisher alliances can also offer a level of brand safety that can otherwise be difficult to guarantee. With the proliferation of “fake news” and the variety of content on popular social media platforms, it can be challenging to ensure that brands are represented alongside the right kind of content. Having a safe or clean digital environment for advertisers, across multiple reputable media platforms, gives publishers a premium advantage.
Premium Brand Environment
The Caribbean Publisher Alliance is powered by SMART and Mediarithmics, two heavyweight tech partners who provide a safe and innovative way for advertisers to reach specific premium audiences with relevant messaging.
Ingrid Couasnon, EVP Europe at Smart, remarked: “We’re pleased to accompany Trend Media, The Gleaner, and The Trinidad Express Newspapers on this new adventure and to provide the Caribbean Publisher Alliance with our integrated ad serving and SSP offering. In a media landscape dominated by tech giants, we believe it is more important than ever for open web publishers to come together and leverage independent tech alternatives.”
“By building an ecosystem that is collaborative and transparent by design, the Caribbean Publisher Alliance will be able to facilitate access to their premium inventory and 1st party data, to develop innovative brand-safe offerings with scaled reach and high user engagement that respect consumer privacy.”
Phil Raby, General Manager International of Mediarithmics commented: “We are excited about providing our market leading next-Gen CDP (Customer Data Platform) to assist Trend Media in creating this alliance in the Caribbean, alongside leading players such as The Gleaner and The Trinidad Express Newspapers.”
“We believe the creation of safe and secure alliances amongst leading publishers is the direction the market is moving, generating maximum value from owned data assets and providing an innovative and alternative advertising solution to brands — to overcome the dominance of the walled gardens. Using this technology, advertisers can rest assured that their budget is being spent effectively across premium placements, and that their digital advertising campaigns, tailored to specific audiences, will achieve their business objectives.”
In the coming months the Caribbean Publisher Alliance will be rolling out a series of webinars, which will provide more information for potential advertisers and media partners.
wpDiscuz
