Regional Media Houses form alliance

THE GLEANER has partnered with The Trinidad Express and Trend Media – developers of Loop News – in a push to promote and protect the indigenous Caribbean media industry.

Three of the most influential media entities in the region, the companies are piloting the initiative aimed at promoting and protecting the indigenous Caribbean digital news industry for consumers and to promote best-in-class standards for their advertising partners.

Publisher alliances are able to deliver the high standard of quality brands and agencies expect when investing in marketing regardless of the changes in the advertising landscape.

“ 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,” Christopher Barnes, chief operating officer of The RJRGLEANER Communications Group, of which The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited is a subsidiary, said in hailing the initiative.

“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,” he added.

Mark Corrigan, general manager of Trend Media, noted that publisher alliances were being pitched globally to help advertisers capitalise on the increase in digital content consumption.

“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,” he said.

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 fuelled by first-party data, will ensure best-in-class results for our advertiser partners.”

Douglas Wilson, general manager of The Trinidad Express, is also upbeat about 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,” he said.

The Caribbean Publisher Alliance is powered by tech partners SMART and Mediarithmics to provide a safe and innovative way for advertisers to reach specific premium audiences with relevant messaging.

“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 first-party data to develop innovative brand-safe offerings with scaled reach and high user engagement that respect consumer privacy,” said Ingrid Couasnon, executive vice-president for Europe at SMART.

Phil Raby, general manager – international of Mediarithmics, commented: “We are excited about providing our market-leading next-Gen CDP (customer data platform) … .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.”

(Gleaner)