Publisher Spotlight: Ziff Media Group

Tell us a little bit about Ziff Media Group.

Ziff Media Group is a portfolio of leading digital properties in tech, culture, and shopping. Our brands—including RetailMeNot, Offers.com, Mashable, PCMag, BlackFriday.com, BestBlackFriday.com, AskMen and TechBargains—build trust with our readers and fans through inspired and influential storytelling.

Our extensive solution set reaches consumers wherever they are in their path to purchase, from discovery and awareness, consideration and intent, to purchase and post-purchase.

Our solutions include Branded Content, Display, Social Media, Online, In-Store & Mobile e-commerce solutions, Audience Targeting, & Brand+/Search Solutions.

What sets you apart from publishers in your category?

The Ziff Media Group audience is highly valuable because they are looking for our guidance to make the choice that’s right for them. Our Primed Consumer audience doesn’t get caught up in the messy middle, they come to us with a purpose or a mission that they know we can help them efficiently achieve. Whether it’s educating themselves on the latest innovations and trends in tech or finding the best deals to maximize their dollars. With an average household income of $103K, they have disposable income but are protective of where their money goes. So they trust that our expert advice will guide them to the right product and they take action. 1 of 3 of our readers clicking through to merchant landing pages across all of our sites drives a little more than 48MM sales transactions a year.

Merchants benefit from working with the ZMG portfolio because we are able to provide access to this valuable, action-orientated audience at scale. The ZMG portfolio generates 334M global monthly visits, and it’s because of those visits that we’re able to capture over 9B consumer data signals DAILY to keep us intimately connected to our audience and able to deliver that exposure to our partners.

Another ZMG differentiator is that we have a dedicated Network & Agency Team that supports our network and agency relationships. Celia Quist, Development Director, and Courtney Bambauch, Sr. Account Director & Network & Agency Development Lead, work closely with the Rakuten team to support merchants and deepen the relationship between both parties.

How do you help advertisers add value and drive incrementality?

The full scope of our portfolio allows brands to maximize their reach and engage a hyper-qualified audience at scale – with minimal duplication to ensure incrementality. Each site within our portfolio provides its own specialized POV to not only influence both enthusiasts and in-market primed consumer mindset but also to support them wherever they sit across their own personal path to purchase. Across our four hero sites—RetailMeNot.com, Mashable.com, Offers.com & PCMag.com—there is only a 7% audience overlap. Check out our case studies to see results from partners who leverage multiple sites within the portfolio.

What excites you about the affiliate marketing industry and where it’s headed? What new innovations will we see from you this year?

This year we are excited to focus on new enhancements across our portfolio to improve user experience which includes:

• Personalized experiences: Leveraging Ziff Media Group’s scale and first-party data to drive more personalized experiences.
• Engagement: Product enhancements to best engage consumers, ultimately driving conversion rates and AOV—and then rewarding their retention and referrals. These include new experiences like Deal Finder mobile and interactive shopping experiences.
• Editorial expansion: Harnessing the power of the ZMG publishing brands—and meeting consumers where they want to shop—to bring long-form editorial into the savings journey through “Research and Buy with ZMG” and new influencer programs.

Why did you choose to partner with Rakuten Advertising?

We partner with Rakuten Advertising because of their extensive experience in the affiliate space and global recognition. Through our relationship with Rakuten Advertising, we have the ability to partner with top brands across multiple industries and verticals to develop strong strategic partnerships.

In addition, Rakuten Advertising has a dedicated publisher team who work closely with our Network & Agency Team to manage our programs and assist us with strategically growing our business. We meet with our team regularly where they share insights and recommendations that drive our strategy and allow us to discover new opportunities.