Content is key in age of ‘churnalism’

Quality journalism remains vital for publishers and advertisers in digital era

AT A time when traditional methods of publishing are undergoing rapid change, digital allows new opportunities to connect with readers and consumers. However, audiences are no longer a given. Publishers and advertisers need to meticulously tailor their content to survive in a cut-throat media landscape.

Disruption in our industry is the norm

The internet is maturing and evolving at an unprecedented speed. Disruption is the norm and advertisers need to react with agility and intuition. While traditional online display advertising still makes a profit, rising challenges, including banner blindness among readers, are limiting its effectiveness. Native advertising, content marketing and/or remarketing are climbing the ranks as real options to make money from a publisher’s digital audience.

A key issue on the global digital advertising agenda is ad blocking. While the practice is still in its infancy and relatively low in South Africa, it does hold the potential to affect the ability for advertisers to achieve the laser-point “holy grail” of “right message, right person, right time” and of course, more recently, “right device”.

This has a bearing on actual acquisition costs and efficiency. As marketing is driven by cost per acquisition, ad blocking limits audience reach, regardless of the platform they are using.

We need a united front to counter ad blocking

As a global organisation, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is spearheading the digital ad industry’s reaction to the phenomenon. Last month, the Coalition for Better Ads was announced in Cologne, Germany, at the Dmexco conference. In addition to the IAB, founding members include heavyweights such as Google, Facebook, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, the 4As, the Association of National Advertisers, the World Federation of Advertisers, The Washington Post and GroupM.

Using technology being developed at the IAB’s Tech Lab, the consortium aims to monitor digital ad campaigns, scoring them on everything from creative to load time. Standards will be set using data gleaned from the system, from consumer feedback and input from marketers.

As IAB chief executive Randall Rothenberg says, it is critical that, as an industry, we create standards that ensure consumers get safe, fast, secure delivery of the sites and services they love.

To date, ad blocking has been less of a challenge in the “mobile-first” context. That does not mean that South African publishers do not need to prepare for ad blocking as they grow their digital presence and audiences. Rather, the idea that global audiences feel led to block out irrelevant advertising should shape what we choose to publish, and how we engage with readers that are becoming increasingly discerning.

Ultimately, it’s about great content

The internet cannot survive without content. In South Africa, we have reached a crossroads rich in opportunity. While the older print and press are experiencing challenges, the digital industry is hungry for excellent content. We cannot afford to lose good journalists with years of experience because one segment of the media is struggling. The IAB SA are committed to finding ways of supporting its member sectors to integrate journalists that can no longer work in the print environment, finding them a place within the digital context. We aim to turn the disruption within print into dialogue.

This speaks to the digital publishing industry’s need to deliver relevant content to their audiences in a seamless manner. This content is created by skilled teams that need to be paid competitive salaries. Hence, digital advertising needs to evolve in such a way that online teams are able to monetise their business and keep creating great content.

It’s also about getting to know your users

We recommend publishers and brands engage more intimately with their users to establish what they will and will not accept to remain loyal readers and customers.

Open up a dialogue with users so they can contribute to the boundaries of their experience of the platform and what will serve them best.

Enhance their experience by making it seamless and laserpointed in its relevance to the individual.

Humans are more than a set of data points, possessing their own idiosyncrasies and preferences. They are consumers of content, but also consumers of relevant products and services. The right advert addresses an individual need. In this sense, digital advertising should be a welcome diversion and not a rude interruption.

If we strike this balance, publishers and ultimately their advertisers will retain, or in some cases win back, the trust of their audiences.

Buys is chief executive of the Interactive Advertising Bureau SA, formerly the DMMA SA