LADbible Group’s 2023 Digital Upfront: What we learnt

“We believe we should be the go-to media partner for any brand looking to activate or engage with young adults”, explained Tim Pearson, Chief Revenue Officer at LADbible Group. “Our view is that if you need to engage with Gen Z or millennials, LADbible Group should be the first media partner that everybody in the industry calls because we are an authentic and credible youth brand.” From that followed an afternoon jam-packed with impressive stats, incredible insights into how LADbible devises effective content for their partners and advice about creating viral content.

1. Advertisers can harness incredible engagement

Pearson kicked off the afternoon with some amazing stats that demonstrate LADbible’s impressive social media engagement: LADbible Group has 410 million followers across its brand portfolio, reaches 70% of Gen Z and 60% of millennials in the UK each month, and enjoys 4.5 billion video views each month on Facebook alone.

“As a business, we have a seat at the table when it comes to youth culture -  we create culture, we amplify it”, he said. The group is the most engaged publisher on Facebook of all time, and the No.1 publisher on TikTok, but as Pearson says, this doesn't just happen by chance. “It’s a science and an art”.

2. Authentic branded content is a must

Creating branded content, particularly for digital-savvy youth audiences, can prove a challenge. How do you navigate the world of paid partnerships across your channels without spamming your audience with unwanted content? Jack Cowin, Director of Client Solutions and Jess Wrigley, Head of Client Solutions, were on hand to advise.

Speaking about the LADcreator Network - which brings together brands and creators - Wrigley said: “We tap into these social-first experts because they’ve got a brilliant ability to be able to natively place products in our content and speak to their super-engaged community as well.” The key here is natively placing products; whether it be for Tampax or Guinness, LADbible intuitively understands what its audience enjoys and seeks to bring them valuable content that incorporates the product and is then amplified further by the scale of the Group. The result is entertaining and informative content which also drives awareness, engagement and ultimately sales for their partners. Win-win.

3. Starting out & going viral

Rounding out the afternoon was a Q&A session with award-winning Actor & Writer Asim Chaudhry, who reflected on the origins of his hit BBC mockumentary sitcom ‘People Just Do Nothing’. From an unconventional route into comedy via YouTube, to creating an Instagram for his TV persona, Chaudhry explained how he’s continuously leveraged the power of social media in his career.

But Chaudry also pointed out the perils of social media when it comes to brands who try to force a viral moment: “I think there's always an urge to work with someone who’s going viral”, he said. “It's good to go for that person who’s popping, but people can tell when you’re just jumping on that bandwagon - especially if it's not done in an organic way.”

It seems smart at first, but viral sensations come and go and throwing money after viral sensations gets you a short-term boost, not long-term engagement, he explained.  Chaudhry concluded: “Sometimes it's about being smart and looking around at existing talent, maybe they just need a little push in that direction because you know they’ve got that consistency.”

Find out more about this year’s Digital Upfronts here.