• Digital Solutions Group has launched Broadbrand, a way for local advertisers to reach local audiences and support local publications.
• Broadbrand will aggregate vetted publishers from across South Africa to give advertisers trusted voices where advertising can be placed.
• This could help offset some of the damage advertising heavyweights have caused to the local news space.

Competing with Meta and Google in terms of advertising is impossible, at least for small, regional advertising platforms and publishers. As a smaller publication, we know all too well how the reach of Google and Meta can mean fewer or no ad monies coming your way.

Now, a local digital advertising initiative hopes to change that. Broadbrand, from the Digital Solutions Group (DSG), aims to be a credible local alternative to global advertising platforms.

“Our focus is on creating a healthier, more collaborative and diverse digital media ecosystem,” explains chief executive officer at Broadband, Vincent Maher. “Broadbrand delivers an advertising model that recognises the value of local journalism, broadens opportunities for smaller publishers, and gives advertisers transparent, high-quality reach.”

The advertising platform says it will aggregate inventory from vetted publishers across South Africa including vernacular and regional outlets. This inventory will then be offered up to buyers in programmatic, private deals. This allows for high-quality targeted advertising to brand safe audiences while publishers get their fair share of value. In future Broadbrand will offer a full programmatic exchange and will also incorporate AI into the platform.

“Our goal is to make it easy for national brands to invest in local journalism. By bringing independent publishers into a single, accountable marketplace, we give advertisers the scale and performance they expect while channelling spend toward newsrooms that create jobs, broaden media diversity and strengthen our democracy,” says Maher.

Unfortunately, Broadbrand is entering a space that is dominated by foreign corporations who seem to have little to no regard for what effect they have on local publications. Recently, Google told the Competition Commission that it cannot be solely to blame for the lack of financial support experienced by local publications. This is despite the company making it harder to news publications, especially local publications, to have their content seen by people.

This means fewer views, which means advertisers are less inclined to invest their advertising spend in these publications. Adding more fuel to the trash fire, advertisers then direct their money to Google in hopes of getting greater reach given Google’s size and influence.

We’re curious to see whether Broadbrand will have the impact it hopes it will, or if it simply becomes yet another blockage that prevents publications from sourcing their own advertising at a cost that meets their needs.

We appreciate that Broadbrand is at least trying to change the status quo but this just feels like Meta and Google’s model, only focused on South Africa instead of the whole world. At the end of the day, Broadband still needs to get paid and local publications truly need every cent they can get to remain operational.

We agree with Broadbrand that something needs to change in the local media landscape but frankly, a system owned and overseen by one entity still doesn’t seem like the best solution. We’re happy to be proven wrong though.

[Image – Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay]