The publishing industry’s burgeoning interest in a multi-platform approach is undeniable. Cementing its popularity in the local market was Allure Media’s recent acquisition of American multichannel lifestyle site Kin Community. Recently Allure CEO Jason Scott spoke to AdNews about what the company is planning for the site’s Southern Hemisphere debut.
The Fairfax-owned publisher purchased the home-focused site for its (currently) 170 million-strong social media audience and 600 million YouTube views. The Australian version will arrive in September, with Scott integrating the format of the original site, utilising Australian media personalities with video at the forefront. He says: “Kin Community is at the centre of the increasingly on-demand world of social and video. One of the things we like about this business is it embraces the power of video and how video content is consumed which has changed dramatically.”
In the process of recruiting staff and a managing director, Scott is aware the local version must remain as Australian as possible. He explains: “We will be applying Kin’s best practices but both businesses realise to operate in the Australian market, we need Australian talent.”
Native advertising will also remain of utmost importance to the site: “If you look at what Kin does at its core, it creates native integration with brands and custom content areas. Native advertising is a huge part of what the business is about but it also produces content that people will like.” This is in replacement of more traditional advertising options, with Scott commenting: “The pre-roll ad format is not an ongoing sustainable model. I don’t hear consumers saying they really enjoy watching pre-rolls.”
