Bauer Custom Media rebrands to better reflect multi-channel content marketing environment
Bauer Media’s custom publishing division has been rebranded as BauerWorks with the company restructuring to adopt an agency-style model.
BauerWorks executive general manager Niall Murphy told Mumbrella the rebrand was “really playing catchup to how our business has evolved over the last 12 months”.
“We’re just changing the branding around the business to better reflect the multi-channel content marketing solutions we’re already providing for our leading clients,” he said.
“Every single one of our clients now has a multi-channel strategy in place now. We’ve not only changed the capability we have within our team but the way we structure ourselves now and trying to take on more of an agency style.”
BauerWorks sits independently of Bauer’s consumer divisions and primarily focuses on clients’ owned media channels. The new agency-style model offers commercial partners the services of full in-house strategy, creative and client management team with the potential to amplify content further through Bauer Media branded channels in partnership with the company’s digital network Bauer Xcel Media.
In terms of the division looking to mimic the structure of an agency, Murphy said it is around the way they “interact with clients and also how we organise ourselves internally”.
“It’s really around positioning the business to grow and take advantage of opportunities,” he said.
“It is all around a signal of intent as a result of evolving this business to be a true multi-channeled content marketing agency. To that end we’ve also been making investments in our business in Melbourne.”
The company has appointed former Hardie Grant Media content director Mark Scruby as group account director.
It has also built an internet content strategy team and an internal studio.
“What we’re trying to do is make better use of capabilities in the business,” said Murphy.
When asked if the group was looking to compete more with content marketing agencies such as King Content or even creative and PR agencies, Murphy admitted “there’s been a lot of blurring of the lines”.
“What we’re trying to do is focus on the right offering we take to market. Our business has been based on having long-term relationships with our clients and continuously creating content for their channels,” he said.
“A lot of PR agencies, creative agencies and even the likes of King Content are probably more short-term orientated, not to be disparaging.
“Creative agencies are focused on the campaign, PR agencies tend to be talent led in terms of their approach while we tend to be audience and content led in terms of what we’re trying to do.”
On the name change itself Murphy said: “The ‘works’ element captures the fact that we work in a place that is all about creativity and also reflects the industriousness of our team. It’s also about being results orientated.
“People are more and more focused on being able to prove the results of their marketing investment, particularly in their own media channel.”
Miranda Ward
Nothing like a few wild assertions to start the day.
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Probably a fair call re King. That business was built with the sole goal or a large exit driving the thing.
Now the exit has happened it has to move from that goal to one of efficiency and growth without the energy of a team looking for a huge payday at the end.
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Well done to Niall for this initiative.
It’s certainly the right strategy and a model all the publishers should have adopted 5 years ago.
They may be too late but time will tell
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