Nine launching cooking vertical 9Kitchen as part of strategy to align digital and TV content
Nine Entertainment Co is set to launch new online brand 9Kitchen next week as it ditched the Ninemsn name for a new Nine.com.au masterbrand, as it seeks to broaden its verticals across key sectors.
Chamberlain: rebrand cements our place in Nine family
Speaking at the Nine.com.au launch, ahead of the website changeover next week, editor Emma Chamberlain said: “Our next (push) takes us to the noisiest and perhaps most beloved room in the Australian home the kitchen. Australia is becoming a more food savvy nation with cooking shows inspiring more than two thirds of us to cook at home.
“Recent research has also shown that grocery retailing is primed to grow by $10.6bn and $2bn of that will be spent online.”
Nine chief digital officer Alex Parsons said the launch of the broadcaster’s new online food franchise 9Kitchen and the rebranding of “digital pioneer” Ninemsn marked a new era for a company that was one of the first online publishers in Australia.
“(Ninemsn) is best described as Australia’s digital pioneer. It is a destination that has played a pivotal role in the hearts and minds of Australian consumers for close to 20 years,” said Parsons.
“For advertisers this (change) means a stronger and smarter storytelling ecosystem to better connect with consumers. The back half of 2016 will see us focus on growing our presence as the leading outlet for news in Australia.”
Parsons also noted the work that had gone into launching Nine.com.au and new verticals in key areas such as health, interiors, travel and food.
Following the 2015 launch of websites 9Honey, 9Coach and 9Pickle and with the launch of 9Kitchen next week, Parsons said Nine’s suite of verticals is almost complete: “This is pretty much (it). You will see our core under the umbrella of Nine Entertainment – all the brands pitched under that with a nice, clear ecosystem for consumers.
“This next great chapter is set to be the most exciting yet as we set about creating a more powerful media network that provides consumers with the widest breath of content when and how they want it.”
Late last year Nine announced a major rebrand of its key properties with the likes of multi-channels Gem and Go! being rebranded as 9Gem and 9Go!.
Emma Chamberlain, editor of Nine.com.au, said Nine will also drop the butterfly branding that had traditionally been associated with ninemsn to bring its digital offering into the “Nine family”.
“For us today it’s not about a logo change on a page,” said Chamberlain. “We are not just saying goodbye to the butterfly but the launch of Nine.com.au really cements our place in the Nine family,” she said.
“At its most basic level (the rebrand) brings our digital and TV content producers closer together. It opens up a new world of possibility when it comes to connecting content to consumers, united under one brand that they know and trust.”
Nine also unveiled a new virtual reality strategy and demonstrated a number of new mobile ad products innovation including the super skin, side push, top and tail and cinema to better target the 6m Australians who access Nine’s sites on smartphones each month.
