Pedestrian launches news tattoos, a marketplace to sell your ex-partner’s stuff and the F.I.R.E Festival
2020 will see the youth publishing group Pedestrian, owned by Nine, unveil more cross-platform initiatives across its brands, a series of new events and a tattoo-focused news program.
News Ink will be a weekly news program where a host explains a news story to a Pedestrian reader. At the same time, the reader will be inked with a tattoo to reflect the story. By the end of the year, the reader will have 52 news-based tattoos.
Vanessa Lawrence, Pedestrian Group publisher, said the new announcements are a reflection of the content demanded by the group’s readers.
“We have a better grasp of what makes the audiences of our six distinct sites tick than ever before thanks to insights and really, really vocal readers who tell us what they do and don’t want,” said Lawrence.
The Pedestrian Group’s titles include Pedestrian TV, Gizmodo, Business Insider, Popsugar, Kotaku and Lifehacker.
“The content you’ll see from us in the coming six months and beyond is reflective not only of what we know will resonate but ideas that will create the best integration opportunities for our awesome partners.”
Pedestrian TV (PTV) will launch Econom-Ex – an initiative where a reader can submit a video of themselves via the hashtag ‘shitmyexsays’ for the chance to win $5,000 to cover the cost of their breakup. The campaign will also run across Openair Cinemas, where an outdoor dating romcom movie night will allow people to bring their ex and swap them with another. The Econom-Ex campaign will also feature a marketplace where people can sell the stuff their ex-partner left behind.
PTV will also launch Pop On, Pop Off, a pop culture bus tour of Melbourne ending in a pop-up cinema event at St Kilda Beach. Last on the list is a new weekly news programme, News Ink, which will feature a host explaining a news story to a reader while they receive a tattoo designed to reflect the same story. PTV readers will be able to vote on the tattoo in the News Ink Facebook Group.
Matt Rowley, CEO of Pedestrian Group, said: “Fun Fronts are always a highlight in our diary because they give us the chance to prove how much appetite the industry has for a spicy idea. This round is no exception and is made even more exciting by the fact that we’re able to demonstrate the power and differences in the Pedestrian Group audiences, in-depth, for the first time.”
Business Insider is launching a two-day ticketed event – F.I.R.E Festival – dedicated to ‘financial independence, retire early’, or, chasing a debt-free lifestyle with an aim to retire by 35. The title will also launch a video and podcast series called You Made Millions How?
The Mother Load is a new initiative coming to Popsugar, offering support and help for the next generation of mums. There will also be an online mother’s group on Facebook – Breasties, and the launch of You Can Fit With Us, which will see Popsugar partner with Openair Cinemas on a series of ticketed nighttime health and fitness events.
Gaming site Kotaku is celebrating female game developers with Develop-her, encouraging readers to nominate rising stars to be profiled before a panel chooses one nominee to win a grant. There will also be a series of talks with local and international developers, aimed at the next-gen of game-makers.
2020 will also see a first for Kotaku, the launch of Byte Club, which will enable clients to gamify their brand into an eight-bit arcade-style game.
Kotaku will work with developers to create mods for existing games or create games from scratch to embed within native content and other parts of the Kotaku ecosystem. Kotaku wants to create new and exciting associations between brands and one of the largest and hungriest demographics in Australia: gamers.
Tech site Gizmodo will celebrate 20 emerging leaders through its 2020 Visionaries program, ending with the 2020 Academy, while Lifehacker will launch the hunt for Australia’s Next Top Lifehacker.
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What is this nightmarish newscape we’ve stumbled into? Just stomp me into the ground. I’m done.
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This is all actually kinda of gross. Does anybody really want tattoo news or to do weird shit at cheesy branded cinemas with their exes? How does “retire at 35” truly relate to our real lives or the issues that young people want to stay informed on. We don’t need corporate news entities and brands to throw stunts and meet-ups and mothers groups for us..we can do that ourselves thanks…we’d actually just like websites to put out quality news and insight
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Hope F.I.R.E Festival has more success than Fyre Festival
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If Vanessa thinks that tatts are the way to go, perhaps she will think about how the wrinklies will get rid of them 40 years hence!
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So this is what happens when old people start running websites for young people. Somebody please make it stop.
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this. It’s almost like Pedestrian is now being run by a middle aged Fairfax sales suit.
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Not a fan of the spice?
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A satire piece? If not, then I’m sitting back to watch this line-up become comedy gold with my toast of iSnack2.0.
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Is this real? I’ve never heard of so many sh*t ideas packaged up together… surely this is some big, hilarious Vice prank and I’m the sucker who took the bait. Otherwise I’m quitting the industry. Forever.
Why are you tattooing people? Who would want to go on a bus tour then the cinema to swap their partner, then… why though… stop!
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Seriously wtf. In order for Pedestrian to succeed Nine need to continue providing financial backing, and stay the hell away from the editorial before they run it into the ground.
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This is a piss-take – has to be.
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Oh Dear. It’s not April 1 yet is it?
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Whomst actually comes up with these horrible ideas? Who wants old news tattooed on their body? Is it a real tattoo? Why am I reading this?
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Whoever came up with these ideas should enter them into Cannes.
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You guys starting up Punk’d without me??
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Maybe the jealous sods at the likes of Junkee and Vice should try a little harder to disguise their comments on stories such as this one – talk about sour grapes!! Ideas are, as always, very Pedestrian and very sellable. I work in a big agency and word on the street is that a lot of these ideas are already sold.
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