Bauer’s Programmatic-First Approach To Digital

Until a few years ago, Bauer Media sat on the digital advertising sidelines.

Since Bauer Media earned most of its revenue from newsstand sales of well-known brands, such as InTouch Weekly, J-14 and Life & Style, it didn’t want to give content away for free online.

“The strategy until a few years ago was to do nothing,” said Bauer Xcel Media President Christian Baesler, who joined in 2012 with the task of growing its long-neglected digital division.

Back in 2012, websites for its 15 magazines attracted just 400,000 unique visitors a month. With a small audience to monetize, Bauer Media decided to use third-party relationships to increase advertising, including ad networks and programmatic. It tested everyone, including partners like OpenX, Undertone, Google AdX and Rubicon, eventually amassing nearly 50 demand sources.