‘We want to make social a better place’: Ex-LADbible leaders launch new digital publisher to combat negativity online
A new digital publisher has entered the Australian market with an optimistic proposition and focus on “good news”, founded by three former LADbible Group leaders, Mumbrella can reveal.
Launched by Joseph Summers, Rachel Henry and Max Sherry, the new publisher, Common, will focus on uplifting stories, inspirational moments, combating the prevalent negativity encountered on social media platforms.
The trio worked closely together at LADbible, with Summers’ most recent role being vice president of APAC, USA and IRE, Henry as head of client solutions for Australia, and Sherry as senior journalist.
Speaking exclusively to Mumbrella, Summers, who will serve as chief executive officer, described Common as a “publisher that creates and curates content about everyday people, for everyday people” by celebrating the best of humanity and sharing extraordinary stories.
“A key goal for us is that we want to make social a better place,” he explained. “One of empowerment, education, and happiness rather than negativity and sensationalism.
“As of late, we feel that social media has really lost its way – we all know that doom scrolling through social feeds can leave us feeling despondent and unsatisfied, and we think it’s important to recalibrate people’s relationships with social, and use the platforms for good.”
(L-R): Summers, Henry and Sherry
According to Meta, TikTok and YouTube insights, Common already reaches a monthly audience of 36 million across its digital channels, of which 2.5 million are Australian.
“We actually thought our positive and uplifting content meant that we’d have to take a hit on engagement, but amazingly we’ve found that people are actually crying out for it,” Summers continued.
“Especially on Instagram, our engagement is 10 times higher than other Australian publishers, we’re achieving tens of thousands of engagements per post. And the comment section is just filled with kindness – which is a rare thing on social.”
Sherry described the insights as “proof in the pudding” that people want good news, and negativity should be on the way out.
“It’s paying dividends, and our audience are loving it,” the creative director told Mumbrella. “We’re celebrating humans at their best, which should be paramount.”
Common’s content will also be educational and knowledge-based, and hopes to truly add value to people’s lives, according to Sherry.
“There’s more to it than just the positivity, uplifting stuff…. Ask yourself: ‘Are you going to feel that you’ve wasted an hour on social media, or are you going to feel better off for consuming that piece of content?’ Whether that’s your mental state, whether it’s making you laugh, think, whether you feel like it empowers you in some way… that’s the whole point, and there’s many ways to create that positive experience.”
Central to Common’s editorial strategy is its network of creator shows and podcasts. Described as being “the Netflix of social”, the House of Common will act as a hub for original content and podcasts, spanning video, audio and live events.
Shows that have already signed up as partners including Two Broke Chicks, Dylan Alcott’s ListenABLE, Big Small Talk, Fairbairn Podcast, and more. Common will also have two of its own productions – Movies & Mud Masks, and Common Voices.
“Just like how Netflix operates, we plan for House of Common to quickly become famous for its own original shows,” Henry, chief operating officer, told Mumbrella.
“But also to be the home of established shows and really accelerate their capabilities, help them reach millions of people, and draw their audiences to one another.”
With a unique stance of sharing IP ownership with the creators, Summers described the partnerships as truly equal: “We want to work alongside these creators as equals, it’s a true partnership, 50/50 split on that IP.”
The website features a ‘latest episodes’ section for its network of shows
Common will onboard commercial partners with the creator shows and podcasts, with an ambition of connecting brands to audiences in a deeper, more meaningful way.
Henry continued: “Right now it’s about really familiarising ourselves with this content and the sheer loyalty of their audiences, and find brands that want to take this opportunity to remain relevant and with their finger on the pulse of young media consumption habits.”
The publisher’s main commitments are supporting the local industry – by collaborating with Australian production companies, creators, and sharing Australian stories – and actually doing good through social campaigns.
“With Common being Australia based, we are committed to localised content and hope to reach over a third of all Aussies by the end of 2024,” Sherry explained.
“As part of our in-country commitment, we plan on connecting like-minded brands and partners with our audience in a meaningful way.
“In addition, Common promises to be at the forefront of driving awareness to social causes which are important to Australians. We don’t want to just talk about good stuff, we want to actually do good stuff.
“That will involve listening to our audience, figuring out what kind of change they want in the world, and actioning that. We are so excited to build out a few social campaigns once we’re up and running, because we want to actually make change ourselves.”
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693K likes • 703K followers from a website no one has ever heard of?
Have they simply bought pre-existing meme pages and touted them as their own?
Just me or is the business model very unclear from both this interview and the Common website? Don’t get it. If it’s a podcast/creator network, selling ads and partnerships on behalf of talent for rev split just say that!
How are they going to combat the ‘negativity’ on social media, when they only show on social media? Bizzare.