Wattpad has named Raven Performance as its media AOR, entrusting the agency with media buying and campaign execution responsibilities.

Wattpad is a social storytelling platform where users can write, publish and read original stories, novels and fan fiction, engaging with a global community through comments and feedback. It also offers advertising experiences for brands, allowing them to insert ads into stories posted by writers.

Sophie Brooks, Raven CEO and former managing director for Toronto at Tug Agency, tells Media in Canada that the agency’s strategy will encompass all paid media channels, with a strong emphasis on search, social media and programmatic advertising to connect with Gen Z audiences.

According to Wattpad, Gen Z makes up around 80% of its audience. The platform has 89 million highly active monthly users, with an average interaction time of 60 minutes per day, according to its data.

Raven is already working on several campaigns related to Wattpad’s IPs and films, as the platform has been partnering with streaming service Tubi to turn its most popular stories into movies and TV series, including the latest release, Sidelined 2: Intercepted.

“We are promoting a lot around those,” Brooks says, adding that there are no plans to hire more staff, as the workforce had been expanded prior to the remit.

“Wattpad has always been about creativity, inclusivity and giving a platform to real voices – values that we share deeply at Raven,” the company said on LinkedIn. “Together we’re focused on reaching the audiences who care most about these stories and helping Wattpad creators connect with more readers than ever.”

With offices in Toronto and Fredericton, Raven has collaborated with prominent Canadian brands like Mary Brown’s Chicken, for which the agency crafted a tailored digital marketing strategy, and Downtown St. Catharines for local marketing campaigns and managed paid media. Other clients include Good Leaf, Summerwood Products and Good Foot Delivery.