Ads are vital to online news, but so are the readers who reluctantly deal with them
Welcome to the future! People now consume journalism from a variety of digital platforms, which means consuming a variety of ads from multiple venues. To combat overwhelming consumers, media companies have begun to diversify their advertising strategies. Tim Shore, founder and publisher of blogTO, says a lot has changed since he started his company in 2004. “The main way to generate revenue running a website at that time was banner ads,” he says. Over time, different ways to monetize the banner ad inventory emerged, such as going through third parties like Google, thus eliminating the need for publications to have direct relationships with advertisers.
But as the digital space continued to evolve, newer advertising strategies came into play, like the branded editorial. “Branded editorial is just the digital version of an advertorial,” says Shore, referencing certain sections in magazines and newspapers in which advertisements are designed to look like journalistic content. As social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram (pre Bill C-18, that is) continue to be extensions of a publication’s presence, branded editorial has expanded to short-form videos and posts. With it comes a new array of challenges. Skincare, fashion, gaming, wellness, travel, finance—social media platforms teem with individual content creators whose main goal is to influence others. The influencer marketing industry is predicted to reach an estimated value of $24 billion by the end of 2024, and a number of Canadian brands for years have been increasing their investment in it as part of their marketing strategy. “We do compete with influencers, at a certain level,” Shore says. “If a restaurant has an influencer event and it’s driving a ton of response, maybe it doesn’t need to advertise with blogTO. Maybe it doesn’t need to advertise with any other media, either, because it’s gotten what it needs from an influencer event.”
In an increasingly competitive advertising climate, publications often have to weigh the costs of working with a brand whose values don’t align with theirs against potentially turning away a source of revenue. “Although it’s clearly marked as paid, we don’t want any content on our website that we can’t stand behind,” says Shore. “We are in a fortunate position where we can say no to advertisers, but also more just philosophically and ethically, we choose to say no.”
Shore acknowledges that while blogTO has been successful, many publications that are struggling might find it harder to turn away a source of revenue from an advertiser, even if it may not align with the publication’s audience. While this points in the direction of advertising no longer being a reliable source of revenue, Shore believes that what blogTO and other media companies are offering to advertisers is different—more long-lasting than the type of response an influencer campaign might generate.
Shore may be right. Many brands are returning to more traditional advertising even as the digital market soars. As consumers grow weary of the digital advertising onslaught cluttering their online spaces, traditional advertising has been making an unlikely comeback. More than 900 million people worldwide were using ad-blocking software to avoid seeing advertisements online in a selected quarter of 2023, but are less opposed to TV, radio, and print advertising. Although digital trends ebb and flow, along with audience attitudes, advertising continues to be an integral part of creating revenue for media industries.
About the author
Shaki Sutharsan is a Tamil-Canadian journalist and writer currently completing her studies at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Along with working with the Review of Journalism as co-Head of Research, she is an online editor for TMU’s independent student newspaper The Eyeopener. She previously worked with CBC News and Toronto-based hyperlocal news outlet The Green Line. Follow her on X @shakisuth.
