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How Time Out is leveraging branded content opportunities in North America

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By Minda Smiley, Reporter

August 22, 2016 | 5 min read

Time Out North America has spent the past year and a half beefing up its branded content arm, one of the fastest growing revenue streams for the publisher, as it looks to position itself as a key partner for brands looking to reach its young, city-centric audience.

Credit: Time Out

Credit: Time Out

Since joining Time Out North America early last year as executive vice president, Justin Etheridge – who co-founded Time Out Australia and previously served as its CEO – has been working to ramp up branded content efforts in the US by investing in talent and seeking out brands that naturally align with the interests of its readers.

“I think something that has changed for Time Out in the US is that we’re much more proactive about reaching out to brands now,” Etheridge said. “If we can conceive of an idea that works for us, for them and for the readers, if you tick those three boxes, then you’re typically onto a great piece of branded content.”

Etheridge said there are two reasons why he believes Time Out is a “great vehicle for branded content” - one being the publisher’s team of people with “very strong editorial backgrounds” who create content for brands, the other being the fact that its audience is typically actively looking for something to do in one of the many cities that the publisher covers.

“No one comes to Time Out for celebrity gossip,” he said. “You come to Time Out because you want to do something, right? You’ve got money to spend, you’re looking for an experience.”

Last summer, Time Out ran one of its biggest branded content campaigns to date in partnership with Booking.com. Called ‘#WingIt,’ the campaign encouraged people to seize the moment and book a spontaneous trip using Booking.com’s app. Online, the campaign featured Buzzfeed-style articles such as ’10 travel tips every vacationer should know’ as well as Instagram, Facebook and blog posts from six social influencers who were sent on last-minute trips to cities around the US by Time Out and Booking.com.

The campaign was also featured in Time Out New York’s print magazine, which in April of last year moved to a free weekly distribution model. Aside from a Booking.com magazine cover wrap, the hotel-finding site leveraged Time Out’s “Escape from NY” editorial series over the course of the campaign by providing readers with three hotels at different price points in whichever city was being featured that week.

According to Time Out, “the program saw tremendous success for the client, with 3rd party research proving that consumers’ intent to use Booking.com to plan their next trip increased 57 per cent among users exposed this campaign.”

While Etheridge said that Time Out’s branded content in North America has become a significant revenue stream in its own right, he said that it has also played a key role in helping the publisher deepen its relationships with brands who have gone on to partner with Time Out for things like event sponsorships and display advertising.

For example, Hallmark recently came to Time Out looking for a digital branded content program as well as custom guides in print. Yet the campaign soon turned into a “full partnership,” with Hallmark signing on to sponsor and activate at Time Out’s upcoming 21st birthday party. According to the publisher, the final result will include a targeted cross-city digital display campaign, custom guide content across six city sites, and custom print inserts of birthday-themed guides in both Time Out New York and Time Out Chicago.

Moving forward, Etheridge said Time Out North America plans to boost both the quantity and quality of its branded content while making video a top priority for the publisher.

“We’re creating new roles specifically around video production,” he said. “We’re seeing our partners looking for video to be woven into the Time Out offering. The readers are looking for us to meet that challenge as well.”

Last month, Time Out North America joined the Branded Content Marketing Association’s (BCMA) US chapter, a move that Etheridge said was a "no-brainer decision" since it helps cement the publisher's position as one of the top players within the space.

“Certainly, Time Out is on a journey itself,” he said. “We’re delighted with the results we’re seeing, both from a revenue point of view and because of the performance of the campaigns themselves. We see this as a critical part of the business going forward.”

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