GroupM Canada has signed an agreement with Torstar to commit part of its ad buying power to the company’s news outlets in an effort to support local journalism and responsible media in Canada.
The companies said in a statement that GroupM has committed “a portion” of the buying power it has on behalf of its clients, though did not specify an amount.
Lindsey Talbot, GroupM Canada’s chief investment officer, said the agreement has been in the works “for some time” and aligns with its global effort to invest in responsible journalism.
“We have been on this path for a while – both internationally and in tandem with our industry peers – so it’s great to finalize our agreement with Torstar to allow for tracking and accountability to this commitment and its purpose,” said Talbot, who added there is also value in this for GroupM clients. “Investing in an ethical media supply chain funds Canadian journalism, which serves as a foil to misinformation and protects democracy. It also returns value to our clients whose messages are viewed with greater trust in the high-quality environments of local news.”
At the Canadian level, GroupM is a member of the CMDC’s “Canadian Media Manifesto,” an effort to support local news outlets and better the entirety of the country’s media infrastructure.
Globally, parent company WPP signed on to the Media Freedom Cohort in March and committed to having GroupM create dedicated marketplaces for domains vetted as part of the Internews Ad for News inclusion list, meant to send more digital ad dollars to outlets producing quality journalism.
The Torstar agreement has several aspects, but a key one is the “issue of omission” that can inadvertently arise as brands and their agencies seek out brand safety. Many brands will set up lists excluding certain topics and keywords from their ad targeting, which can impact news sites that are providing responsible, informative coverage when those keywords aren’t taken in context.
“For many clients that omission is a lost opportunity that can be corrected through a closer relationship with the publisher,” said Brandon Grosvenor, chief revenue officer at Torstar.
GroupM CEO Kevin Johnson added that shared values were a key factor in working with Torstar specifically.
“The Star is known for its reporting and investigative work, particularly on issues that our clients care about,” Johnson said. “Additionally, with one third of their newsroom being BIPOC and initiatives like their internship program raising that number, our investment in the Toronto Star is also aligned with GroupM’s commitment to EDI inside our own organization and to investing in it across the media industry and ecosystem.”
In addition to the Toronto Star, Torstar’s city newspapers include The Hamilton Spectator, Niagara Falls Review, Peterborough Examiner and the local news outlets under the Metroland Media banner.
GroupM’s agencies include Wavemaker, Mindshare and EssenceMediacom.
