Deseret Digital Media Launches BrandForge, a Native Advertising and Content Studio for Local Media Companies

SALT LAKE CITY, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Deseret Digital Media, a leading media services company owned by Deseret Management Corporation's family of radio, television, print and digital media properties, today unveiled BrandForge, a native advertising and content studio for local media companies. BrandForge (BrandForge.com) helps local media groups launch and scale native advertising projects for content marketing clients, enabling media groups to grow mobile-ready native advertising revenue without the burden of developing in-house operations.

"Following a series of successful pilot programs with a range of media organizations, we are pleased to formally announce BrandForge, the flagship of our suite of business-to-business services," said Chris Lee, President of Deseret Digital Media. "Local media companies are hungry to tap the power of mobile-ready native advertising revenue, but many lack existing resources to do so. Now, with BrandForge, publishers can successfully implement and scale native advertising services from scratch, without overhead."

Native advertising is a powerful new income source for local newspaper groups and other regional media companies in a rapidly changing industry. Because of the difficulty of building native advertising operations from the ground up, however, many traditional media companies have left revenue from this emerging category on the table. BrandForge consultants and content specialists help media clients develop their local product and pricing, train them to secure content marketing clients and then create tailored sponsored content to publish, promote and monetize on their sites. BrandForge's end-to-end system for producing highly engaging sponsored content also enables media companies to maintain a strict ethical wall between advertising and editorial staff.

"BrandForge helps other media organizations benefit from products and strategies that Deseret Digital Media has developed during years of industry experimentation and innovation. Through BrandForge, we offer the same tools, expertise and creativity we bring to bear on our own sites to our clients – whether they operate in Michigan or Mexico," said Matt Sanders, Senior Director at Deseret Digital Media and General Manager of Publisher Solutions. "The local media industry continues to encounter waves of transformation and reinvention, and, with BrandForge, we look forward to helping other media companies win business in this environment."

BrandForge was created in early 2013 to manage native advertising operations for Deseret Digital Media, its parent company and Utah's largest digital media company. BrandForge launched integrated native advertising for Deseret Digital Media's portfolio of news sites, classifieds hubs and other online media properties, including KSL.com, DeseretNews.com, associated mobile apps and the FamilyShare Network of social and web properties.

In July 2014, Deseret Digital Media began a trial program offering its native advertising services to outside partners including Schurz Communications and Pennsylvania's Observer-Reporter. Since then BrandForge has continued to expand, adding Pioneer News Group, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, WRAL, WTOP and others to its client roster. Today, BrandForge has 30 corporate clients representing more than sixty individual media organizations.

BrandForge provides the training, tools and collateral that its clients need to launch and scale new content marketing products, making it especially well-suited for media organizations trying native advertising for the first time. BrandForge content strategists are supported by its content studio, StoryLab, which employs a team of writers, graphic designers and videographers who work to provide publishers, brands and agencies with effective, powerful story campaigns using articles, listicles, viral videos, memes, infographics and other creative sharable content. In addition, BrandForge now also offers clients access to a curated feed of award-winning and engaging content from Deseret Digital Media's media properties, including DeseretNews.com, KSL.com and the FamilyShare Network in multiple languages – FamilyShare.com, Familias.com, Familia.com.br and Keluarga.com. Clients report that content from Deseret Digital Media is often among the best performing on their sites and helps them maximize their existing advertising revenue by growing audience and engagement.

ABOUT DESERET DIGITAL MEDIA

Deseret Digital Media is Utah's largest digital media company, reaching more than 20 million monthly unique visitors and more than 100 million global social follows, generating over one billion monthly ad impressions. The company operates the online properties of Utah's NBC affiliate, KSL, including KSL.com, the network's breaking news site, and KSL Marketplace, the only classifieds hub in the U.S. which locally outperforms national online classifieds competitors. Deseret Digital Media also operates DeseretNews.com and National.DeseretNews.com, the regional and national online editions of the Deseret News, Utah's first news organization and longest continuously operating business. The company also owns the FamilyShare Network, a global content platform in multiple languages offering practical advice for families, and Utah.com, the state's no. 1 travel and tourism clearinghouse. Deseret Digital Media also offers business-to-business services through BrandForge, a native advertising and content studio for local media organizations.

For further information, contact:

Oliver Conroy
Thatcher+Co.
973-396-6060 / 646-461-1080
[email protected]

SOURCE Deseret Digital Media