Fairfax’s Allure Media to focus on native video content as JV with Kin Community gets underway
Fairfax Media’s digital division, Allure Media, and women’s lifestyle publisher Kin Community, will embark on a two-week advertiser and agency roadshow after cementing a joint venture to bring the US operation to Australia.
Kin Community Australia was officially launched in Sydney last night after being flagged by both parties in July.
Allure, which participated in a US$13.5m round of funding for Kin Community, has become its official local media representative and will now set about selling the proposition to marketers and agencies in Sydney and Melbourne.
Kin Community, which launched in 2007, delivers short-form lifestyle video content created partly by its in-house production unit but predominantly by 140 content creators from around the world, including a small number in Australia.
It focuses on food, home and DIY with the videos aimed at 18-34-year-old women who are going through a life phase branded “making your own home”.
Kin Community said its attracts 600m video views each month with Youtube and Facebook its principal platforms.
While video pre-rolls will be among the options for marketers, a key focus will be convincing them to integrate brands into the content.
Kin Community chief executive Michael Wayne told Mumbrella: “Media, and by that I mean pre-rolls, and brand integrations are part of our revenue mix, but we tend not to sell a lot of pure media campaigns. Branded content, or integrations – whatever you want to call it – is the primary driver of revenue for the business.”
Allure Media chief executive Jason Scott said pre-rolls have a role to play as part as a wider campaign, but predicted pre-roll only models are unlikely to have a long term future.
“There’s been a pretty massive move forward for the skippable ad which is putting the power back in the hands of the consumer,” Scott said. “You need to make sure experiences are on consumer’s terms and one they have control over.
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“I see value in not interrupting people. I see value in talking to them in a way that says you give a shit about their time.”
Providing “great storytelling” and adding value by educating and entertaining customers is the way forward, he said.
“That is where businesses like Kin Community are right at the centre of that authentic engagement with consumers,” Scott said.
“If we can get that right, it’s a really compelling environment for an advertiser to go and talk to a consumer.”
He predicted the content is likely to appeal to food, retail and craft industries in particular.
Scott added that the addition of Kin Community further strengthens Allure Media’s foothold in the women’s lifestyle sector, where it already has a presence with Popsugar, MyDomain, Who What Wear and Byrdie.
“We now have a really deep vertical and have a portfolio of options that offers a clear value proposition to advertisers,” he said.
Along with the advertiser and agency roadshows, the search will also begin for additional local content creators, with Wayne saying the Kin Community model was built on working with “fewer, bigger and better content creators”.
He added the partnership with Allure Media will be mutually beneficial.
“Allure has deep experience working with brands around digital media, they have deep roots and an understanding of the Australian market and audience,” he said.
“What we bring to the table is working with online video and content creators across social platforms. That is going to be a new facet to Allure’s business.
“We understand women aged 18 to 34 and their video consumption habits better than anyone in the world.”
topics
Advertising
Allure Media
branded content
Fairfax
Fairfax Media
Jason Scott
Kin Community
Marketing
Michael Wayne
online marketing
video content
video marketing
