In the magazine business, buying and selling ads across
international editions has always presented its challenges. Most ad buying is
done locally, and magazines often aren't set up to execute cross-title buys.
Then there's the difficulty of coordinating across time zones. It's enough of a
hassle, in fact, that most advertisers don’t even attempt cross-country buys.
Yet demand for such deals is on the rise as brands try to reach consumers
globally while cutting their expenses. With the launch of a new division, Totally Global Media,
Hearst is hoping to solve many of those problems and bring efficiency to buying
and ad production, at least on the digital side. TGM, as it's being called,
will give brands a way to advertise across all Hearst Magazines' digital brands
worldwide, as well as licensees and related companies (such as Groupe Marie
Claire, which already partners with Hearst on French Cosmopolitan but will now
offer access to its entire women’s and men’s digital networks through TGM). The
division, with offices in New York and London, will reach 200 million monthly
unique visitors. "Before now, if an advertiser wanted to buy across
every edition of Cosmo, there was no way to do it," said Gina Garrubbo,
svp of Hearst Magazines International and now the svp of TGM. "There is a
need [for this type of service] in the marketplace and a number of clients who
want to buy multi-country from one source."
