Tiso Blackstar and Gumtree SA announce ground-breaking partnership for classified advertising
Johannesburg, 1 August 2019: Tiso Blackstar and Gumtree South Africa – two of the country’s largest online publishers with nearly 10-million unique browsers (UB’s) between them – have announced a partnership that will expose new online audiences to Gumtree’s classified advertising, and generate additional revenue for Tiso Blackstar.
Gumtree is the biggest online provider of classified advertising in South Africa. Tiso Blackstar publishes some of the country’s most successful and prestigious brands including the Sunday Times, Business Day, Financial Mail, Sowetan, Daily Dispatch andHerald, with their online sites representing a combined South African viewership in the region of 6.5-million UB’s per month.
“We are really excited about this partnership, combining the trust and credibility of our market-leading media brands, premium audiences and large numbers of online shoppers, with the utility of accessing Gumtree’s incredible database of classifieds,” says Lisa MacLeod, Head of Digital at Tiso Blackstar.
Claire Cobbledick, General Manager of Gumtree South Africa, says: “This is a great opportunity to access new shoppers and audiences, as well as to bring a previously lost revenue opportunity back to publishers. Both Gumtree and Tiso Blackstar are using data to better understand our audiences and optimise the experience for them, and the preliminary results are great.”
The deal sees the inclusion of Gumtree widgets and navigation links on the TimesLIVE and SowetanLIVE sites, pre-filtered for relevance on editorial sections and articles. It will also include native executions, and contextual offers that leverage off and maximise large social audiences.
“There is a real opportunity in providing editorial context to classifieds, as research shows a greater propensity to buy when a reader is in a trusted environment,” says Andrew Trench, Group Editorial Director at Tiso Blackstar. “Add in the power of our combined audience data, and this takes it to a new level.”
Tiso Blackstar offers deep editorial verticals around business, personal finance, lifestyle, food, motoring, entertainment, sport and fashion, to deliver benefit for native advertising and bespoke client campaigns.
“We have already taken the idea to Gumtree’s owner e-Bay, and they are excited about the possibility of collaborating with publisher audiences to the benefit of both parties. It really brings a new perspective to both our businesses,” says Cobbledick.
The partnership will be expanded as more data is collected.
-ends-
About Tiso Blackstar Group
Tiso Blackstar Group is a global company with its roots in Africa, operating market-leading media, broadcast and retail marketing properties. The group has strong exposure to the rapidly growing digital, broadcast and mobile markets, with a leading position in South Africa and a broad footprint across Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria. The company is South Africa’s largest national English publishing group, the second largest digital publisher, owns the largest music and independent film catalogues on the African continent and operates unique TV channels. The Hirt & Carter group is the biggest marketing solutions company for the retail sector in Africa. We are also the proud custodians of iconic brands that include the Sunday Times, Sowetan, Business Day, Financial Mail, The Herald, Gallo Music and Uniprint. The Tiso Blackstar Group business model is underpinned by a unique network of assets, dedication to excellence and a strong entrepreneurial focus. We are committed to providing quality content and services to our varied audiences and customers and value to our investors. Tiso Blackstar prides itself as a level 1 B-BBEE contributor. www.tisoblackstar.com
Issued by: Samantha Pugh, Pugh Public Relations & Corporate Communications
e: sam@pughpr.co.za c: 071 874 5460
On behalf of: Lisa MacLeod, Head of Digital at Tiso Blackstar Group