News Network, an online advertising platform established with the support of the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong, has just been launched.
Those who care about the development of local newspapers, as well as key political and business figures, have shown great interest, wanting to find out exactly what this new service does. Put simply, it is an online platform for the easy placing of advertisements on newspaper websites.
With the advent of the internet, major newspapers have been investing in building their own websites over the years. Their portals have grown from simply uploading content of their daily paper to offering breaking news.
One question that advertisers have been asking is whether a one-stop platform can be made available for them to place ads in major newspapers in one go.
The industry is aware of such demand. While setting up such a service is not an insurmountable challenge, it is not exactly easy either. The first requirement is to source an appropriate software The cost of such a computer program is considerable, and it needs constant updating too. So while society has been mulling over the idea, technical issues did not prove easy to resolve.
Then came the double whammy of social activism and the pandemic in the past year, which heightened concerns about fake news.
As advertisers become more discerning about the media in which to place advertisements, society chairman Keith Kam Woon-ting, who has worked at 4A advertising firms, saw that the conditions were right for a breakthrough.
So the society joined hands with a number of major newspapers to give the project a big push, successfully lining up a platform partner, thus laying the foundation for a one-stop ad placement service.
News Network connects the websites of 11 newspaper organizations of different nature and market positions - Chinese, English, paid, free, financial and mass readership, as well as those targeting the middle class. The traffic-based platform boasts the largest online newspaper viewership base, with effectiveness linked more to volume than customer service, and a modus operandi similar to multinational online media.
Meanwhile, clients who have apreference for specific newspapers or require custom-made service may continue to contact the advertising department of their desired publication directly.
News Network is thus a win-win arrangement which strengthens the competitiveness of newspaper websites while offering convenience to clients.
Siu Sai-wo is publisher of Sing Tao Daily
Keith Kam, right, with News Network spokeman Lo Wing-hung at the launch.
