Sydney, Australia – News Corp Australia has signed a new multi-year agreement with technology platform Outbrain to elevate audiences’ online news experience across the news publisher’s digital properties.

News Corp Australia will leverage Outbrain’s Smartlogic, an AI-powered recommendation technology, to improve the online content discovery experience and how audiences explore and consume media across their digital platforms.

Outbrain’s advanced publisher suite, including its monetisation, audience development, and total revenue optimisation technology, will be integrated into News Corp Australia’s expansive online portfolio to enhance the content recommendation experience on high-traffic sites like news.com.au and taste.com.au.

Through this collaboration, advertisers can also gain new opportunities to reach a more diverse and engaged audience with Outbrain’s network for content discovery.

Combining News Corp Australia’s premium publisher content with Outbrain’s expertise in predicting engagement, the agreement aims to deliver enriched digital experiences to audiences that also drive sustainable, year-round revenue growth.

The collaboration builds on Outbrain’s market-leading network of publishers in Australia, which includes major Nine Entertainment properties, Daily Mail Australia, and Australian Community Media, further solidifying its position in the Australian market.

Eve Solomon, vice president and managing director of publisher business development at Outbrain, commented, “This collaboration with News Corp Australia is a monumental milestone for Outbrain. It epitomises our commitment to innovating and growing alongside leading media houses.”

“We are thrilled about the opportunities this opens up for advertisers aiming to reach premium audiences. Our advanced predictive technology, combined with News Corp Australia’s extensive online footprint, will usher in a new chapter of digital excellence and audience engagement, creating meaningful experiences for readers and advertisers in the Australian market,” she added.

Also speaking on the deal, Paul Blackburn, director for commercial data video and product at News Corp Australia, explained, “Outbrain’s sophisticated technology, experience, and focus on audience engagement complement our vision for growth and innovation. We are delighted to be working with them and eager to see the positive impact it will have on our digital platforms.”

Sydney, Australia – One of the oldest state newspaper publications in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), as well as another state news outlet owned by media company Nine, The Age, has launched a new brand platform – ‘Minds Wide Open’.  

The new major brand and subscriber campaign comes after a year of record subscriber uptake in 2020 for both the news publications as the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked greater interest and dependence on news and information. 

SMH The  Age
Outside banner from the campaign

The campaign is focused on the mastheads’ brand purpose – to foster independent thinking and open understanding, hence the platform ‘Minds Wide Open’. 

The ad, which was developed with advertising agency BMF, is presented as an ‘open letter’ to close-minded individuals. It starts with ‘Dear close minds’, and then goes on listing out the different forms of oppression and injustice that a close mind ought to contribute to its development, such as sexism, racism, and polarization, and then ‘warning’ such individuals the consequences of having a biased judgment.

SMH and The Age are both owned by media company Nine, with the latter reporting on the latest news in Melbourne, Victoria. Both were first established in the 1800s and are still serving as their original broadsheet format and are also currently managing each of their own digital platforms. The campaign by BMF was made to highlight the role both mastheads play in sparking public debate and discussion in Australia and features their award-winning photojournalism. The brand platform seeks to champion the benefits for Australians of tuning into different perspectives and having access to balanced news in a category of bias.

SMH The Age
One of the campaign’s outdoor ads on a bus

The ad was directed by Patrick Clair, winner of two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Main Title Design for his work on ‘True Detective’ and ‘The Man in the High Castle’. Kristen Turner, Nine’s head of consumer subscriptions, said the campaign draws on extensive customer insights and speaks to the incredible journalism they produce and the unique role SMH and The Age play within the political and social discourse

“2020 was a year of significant growth for our brands. In 2021, we need to assert our role in provoking the conversations Australia needs to progress, beyond the relentless news cycle. Both to create and retain tomorrow’s subscribers,” said Turner. 

Christina Aventi, BMF’s chief strategy officer, commented, “As Aussies, we value being open as a culture, but our ability to understand differences has been fading due to filter bubbles and echo chambers. The Herald and The Age offer balance over bias, reporting from the center, not a side to inspire debate over division.”

David Roberts, BMF’s creative director, also said, “Every day, Sydney Morning Herald and Age journos pry open the truth and are unflinching in the face of threats. We hope this campaign does justice to their grit and resolve.” 

The campaign will run across television, BVOD, cinema, and digital, as well as social, outdoor, and print.