Ad Network Focuses on Socially Conscious Millennials
By Tobi Elkin
Cause marketing isn't a new phenomenon. In fact, it's taken center stage as a way through which brands can build authentic relationships with their customers and target customers. Now, along comes an ad network, RipeDaily Media, that's targeting socially conscious millennials.
Aren't most millennials socially conscious? Or at least they like to think they are.
Millennials are helping drive cause marketing as 89% decide what to buy and where to shop based on a brand's social responsibility, according to a 2015 Cone Communications Study.
Trouble is, many millennials don't trust traditional advertising. The challenge is, what are the authentic venues to showcase socially responsible campaigns?
An ad network called RipeDaily Media believes it has come up with a solution by creating a cause-related ad network to focus on socially conscious millennials.
Partnering with a select group of publishers, the company says its network reaches an audience of more than 11.2 million monthly visitors.
- 52% of those visitors are ages 18 to 35 (not 34, which is the typical cut-off for the millennial demographic).
- 67% are college-educated.
- This group has active social media followings on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin and are receptive to cause-related marketing, and to trusted content delivered via website, mobile web, apps, and social media.
RipeDaily aims to gather cause-related sites in order to raise social consciousness about issues that matter to millennials. RipeDaily has gathered sites that focus on topics like climate change, animal welfare, the intersection between business and the environment, and living and eating sustainably. Each site in RipeDaily's network delivers content in a unique way. It said the common denominator is the passion and the activism of the audience.
Forming an ad network that focuses specifically on cause-related passion points for millennials is a smart move. It's slightly different than typical audience targeting for this demographic that focuses on interests and hobbies.
In order to ensure that the marketer's message fits authentically within the content of the sites, RipeDaily works with both the clients and the publishers to develop campaigns that engage the audience with a focus on native advertising and sponsored content. Smart move.
"Based on more than 15 years of working with many large brands and their agencies, I have seen firsthand how cause marketing has become an integral part of many clients' overall strategy," stated Donnovan Andrews, CEO of Overture, and board advisor for RipeDaily. "The RipeDaily Ad Network is a perfect environment to connect socially responsible brands with an aggregated audience of socially and environmentally conscious consumers."
The RipeDaily ad network consists of One Green Planet, Grist, Triple Pundit, Global Animal, Earth911, and Mongabay.
How many other ad networks are out there that actually aim to do the same thing? It's unclear.
Los Angeles-based RipeDaily is a rather new company, formed in August 2016. The company name was derived from four elements found in all socially conscious living: responsibility, involvement, passion, and engagement.
Source
"Ad Network Focuses on Socially Conscious Millennials." MediaPost, 2/10/17.