4 TRADE NEWS INDIA SPECIAL EDITION JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
The Quint trials interactive ads
Mobile-first news publisher The Quint has targeted
interactive advertisement as a potential new stream
of revenue this year, hoping to improve its engagement
metrics fivefold.
The Indian-based organisation has been creative on messaging
platforms, using chatbots to increase traffic to its
site, giving the consumer a new way to access stories and
receive regular news updates. With close to one million
monthly active users between all messaging platforms,
including Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, Tushar
Banerjee, head of product, The Quint, says the publisher
has big plans for using these avenues as a new revenue
stream.
There was a time when The Quint were working with
streaming services to promote trailers via interstitials.
However, amidst mixed results and Google clampdowns,
Banerjee is looking to other interactive incentive-driven
options, such as polls and quizzes on the website, to address
concerns with engagement of advertisement.
Indonesia publishers follow counterparts in South
East Asia to form a private marketplace
PubMatic has partnered with Indonesian
publishers to create a
private marketplace (PMP) to provide
advertisers with media advertising
at scale.
Publishers such as Kapanlagi Youniverse,
Kompas Gramedia, IDNTIMES,
Tempo, Viva and KASKUS Networks
have signed up to be a part of this
PMP and will work to provide advertisers
with access to high-impact inventory
that was previously available
primarily via long-tail channels, with
the help of PubMatic.
The Indonesian publishers are
one of the many publishers in South
East Asia that have formed a PMP in
2018, with Singapore Media Exchange
and Malaysia Premium Publishers
Marketplace the other two
new PMPs.
The rich-media units are available
across both mobile and desktop and
will include interscrollers, expandables
and skins along with publisherspecific
formats such as the Kompas
L-shaped unit.
“As a powerhouse within Southeast
Asia, Indonesia’s large population,
burgeoning middle class and rapid
mobile adoption have seen the country
become a huge growth opportunity
for brands,” said Jason Barnes,
the chief revenue officer for APAC at
PubMatic.
Mindshare Indonesia has already
come onboard as an agency partner
in the PMP, using its Ultra trading
unit, created specifically for Unilever
in 2016, to run several campaigns for
the brand. (by thedrum)
India: Times Internet’s
chief people officer on
how the company
achieved gender pay
equality
In the ‘Global Gender Gap Report’ released
by the World Economic Forum
(WEF) last year, India was ranked a
lowly 108 out of 144 countries on the
gender equality scale.
However, Times Internet recently announced
that it achieved overall gender
pay equality, post an independent pay equity
audit across the entire organization
by Aon. The results showed that there is
no gap between female and male employees
with respect to pay, rewards, and
promotions at the company.
The Drum spoke with Rattan Chugh,
chief people officer, Times Internet to find
out why is equal pay so important within
organisations. He says: “Equal pay is one
of the most important signifiers of equal
opportunity. Every individual has the right
to be treated fairly without discrimination
on the grounds of one’s gender, race, religion,
age or other demographic variables.
That also implies individuals should be
paid and rewarded equally and fairly,
purely on basis of their performance and
not their gender.
The report by Aon further highlights
that the overall gender pay gap across
India is 24% today. To drive gender pay
equality, Times Internet started by first reviewing
its compensation practices to
eliminate any existing gender bias and
discrepancies.
The company switched to an online
performance appraisal system, resulting in
an open, fair and transparent process for
all employees. It has also initiated diversity
training workshops to help employees
identify and eliminate conscious and unconscious
gender biases.
As to why other brands and companies
are so hesitant to follow the same,
Chugh says: “I think most brands and
companies believe in equal pay, but perhaps
in the larger scheme of things this
aspect doesn’t get the focus that it requires.
“It does take time and persistent effort
to create an environment where
equal pay happens naturally, rather than
through tactical measures. Equality is important
to build brand credibility especially
in the eyes of millennials for whom
this matter a lot. It is important if one
wants to attract the best talent.”
Times Internet further carries out activities
on a regular basis that are branded
as #Altogether. It also conducts workshops
to sensitive its people on various
aspects of diversity and inclusion.
(by thedrum)
After more than a century, Malaysia’s oldest
tabloid The Malay Mail ceases print operations
Malaysia’s oldest tabloid The Malay Mail
turned off the presses for the last time
after being in print for 122 years.
In a world before the internet, the English-language
newspaper was popularly sought for its English football
scores, but also covered local news and community issues
across the country.
Known by its tagline ‘The Paper That Cares’, the afternoon
paper once thrived on classified advertisements. But
like many of its counterparts, the Malay Mail has been hit
by dramatic declines in circulation and ad revenue.
Without revealing exact figures, editor-in-chief Wong
Sai Wan describes its current figures as “a pale shadow of
the print numbers of 100,000 in the 1980s.” Today, the
newspaper’s typical print run is about 20,000.
“I am heartbroken but I am striving on to keep the
Malay Mail’s legacy alive digitally,” says the veteran newspaperman.
Wong says the online version racks up more than
five million unique page views per month. According
to management, this statistic partly justified the need to
go digital.
In a recent meeting, Wong told the publication’s
165 employees that “the old way of doing the newspaper
business of advertising subsidising the circulation, editorial
and printing costs is no longer viable.”
During that session, he also said that 80% of the online
traffic came via mobile. The brand’s social media
reach is also strong, with more than 300,000 followers on
Facebook and Instagram.
One-third of all staff reportedly could be affected by the
move, with the company giving them the option to leave
or retrain to take on new roles.
Transforming the business model
Wong has said in the past that he was not keen on simply
cutting costs, but on finding a new business model to
fund their operations. The Malay Mail costs RM2.70
(65 cents) to print but sells at a loss of RM1 (24 cents) per
edition.
With the expense of content production and newsgathering
weighing on the company, Lau says, management
was moving to diversify its business portfolio.
“We will not be limited by content creation alone but
will look at all options that will tie up with our strategy of
building a high value digital media group,” says managing
editor Leslie Lau. “It’s a tough and competitive market in
Malaysia, but am confident about the Malay Mail’s future,
having grown to be among the top five news websites in
the country.” (by thesplicenewsroom)
Editor-in-chief
Datuk Wong
Sai Wan with
the final print
edition of the
Malay Mail.
Photo: Malay
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