Raptive’s Rapture: The publisher network Raptive, which represents and helps monetize over 6,500 independent websites, passed a heady milestone earlier this week, having paid out more than $4 billion to its partner sites. Together, Raptive reaches 224 million users per month, making it one of the largest digital media companies in the world, as well as an invaluable voice for the massive long-tail of digital content creators. Too many conversations about digital media focus on an exceedingly small number of publishers, when in fact content creators like the ones that make up Raptive are as vital to the digital ecosystem as small businesses are to the broader economy.
The Economist’s Dilemma: Friend of the newsletter Maxwell Tani had an insightful piece on Sunday about the challenges, relatively speaking, facing The Economist. The publisher famously does not byline any of its stories, choosing instead to attribute all of its reporting to the monolithic Economist brand. This strategy, which has served the publisher since its launch in 1843, now puts it directly at odds with some of the influential trends reshaping the digital media landscape—namely, the atomization of media outlets into a collection of journalist-creators. I would argue that The Economist, more so than most publishers, has such a distinct brand, and even such a specific, overt ideology, that it alone might be able to persist in this approach. How the publisher navigates these next few years, however, will be a fascinating litmus test for the durability of editorial institutions.
Social Media Week Returns: In just a few weeks, ADWEEK will once again be hosting Social Media Week, by far the coolest event in our portfolio and one whose insights can legitimately help make or break your brand. I will be on-site, moderating panels and trying not to look washed, and would love to see you there. So join ADWEEK, on April 14 – 16 in New York, to tap into the cutting-edge tactics powering social for the top brands, media outlets, agencies, and creators in the world. Click here to learn more.
Pulled Quotes
“Impartial reporting is out; jestergooning is in.”
Substack cofounder Hamish McKenzie, promoting his forthcoming book
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“If what you do involves anything related to the human capacity for reason, reflection, insight, creativity, or thought, you will be meat for the coltan mines.”
Harper’s Magazine writer Sam Kriss, on who succeeds in a world of technological parity
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“‘Dad,’ Alice often says at dinner, ‘get off your phone.’”
Bloomberg’s Max Chafkin, on Gen Alpha’s surprising disinterest in screens
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“The only reason we’re still talking to these people is we need them and we need them now. The problem for these guys is they are that good.”
An anonymous Defense official, on why the Pentagon can’t quit Anthropic
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