Group Nine Media
Bound By Optimism
As senior director of corporate branding, I brought Group Nine’s portfolio of digital-first brands to life for advertisers: Thrillist, The Dodo, NowThis, Seeker, and POPSUGAR.
Company
Group Nine Media
Brands
Thrillist, The Dodo, NowThis, Seeker & POPSUGAR
My role
Senior Director, Corporate Branding
Pizza, puppies, rocket ships,
and honest stories
The challenge
Group Nine had a portfolio of beloved but very different brands, from Thrillist to The Dodo to NowThis. It needed one story for advertisers that tied them all together, especially at a time when so much of media was amplifying consumer anxiety.
The positioning
“Bound By Optimism.” A playful, uplifting mission statement that connected everything from pizza to puppies to rocket ships to honest stories, and gave us major runway to play, surprise, and delight.
Why it worked
Optimism became counter-programming. While others leaned into anxiety, Group Nine put positivity into the world, and that set it apart in a big way.
Every B2B touchpoint
I led the strategy and creative storytelling for the portfolio across every way Group Nine showed up for advertisers.
The go-to-market story
The interactive sales experience we built to take the portfolio to market. Click around and explore.
THRILLIST · THE DODO · POPSUGAR · NOWTHIS · SEEKER
Bound by Optimism
Meet the brands
Five digital-first brands, one optimistic point of view.
NowThis
News and culture
POPSUGAR
Lifestyle, beauty, and fitness
Seeker
Science and discovery
The Dodo
Animals and the people who love them
Thrillist
Food, drink, and travel
What optimism means now
It is not starry-eyed bliss, nor blind ignorance.
It is an electric hope.
It is the belief that progress is possible.
And keeping our eyes open to finding it.
Around every corner. In every doorway.
Our audience and our youngest generations do not remain.
They race — towards an optimistic future.
And they’re turning to Group Nine to lead the way.
Optimism that touches MILLIONS
148MM+
Americans reached each month
That’s 45% of the US!
8B+
total video views and audio streams
Across all 5 brands
88%
of our content is consumed on mobile
Our audience is all about mobile-first entertainment
We reach a diverse audience.
11.5MM
People in the LGBTQIA+ community
14.8MM
African American total reach
20.8MM
Latinx total reach
31.9MM
Asian American total reach
And they seek out optimistic stories.
Meaningful acts of kindness
86% say content that shows meaningful acts of kindness makes people feel more optimistic
Overcoming life’s obstacles
76% say content that shows people overcoming life’s obstacles makes people feel more optimistic
Supporting small business
77% say content that shows people supporting small business makes people feel more optimistic
Everyday heroes
76% say content that shows everyday hero stories makes people feel more optimistic
Group Nine Optimism Milestones
Building positivity through meaningful launches, partnerships, and innovations.
Launched the Active by POPSUGAR app
Premiered the series “Ghost Kitchen”
Launched the series “In This Together”
Launched Seeker Learning
Partnered with NBCUniversal’s LX
Created a gender-inclusive tween line with Old Navy
Launched the Dodo Well brand
Teamed up with Goldbelly for Thrillist Serves
Launched NowThis Kids
Debuted its first Netflix series
Partnered with OWN on OWN The Vote
Launched a podcast with Sorel celebrating unstoppable women
Where can you find us?
Everywhere.
Streaming
• Netflix
• Hulu
• Disney+
• Roku
• Prime Video Direct
• PlutoTV
• Samsung TV+
• Xumo+
Social
• Snapchat
• YouTube
• TikTok
Audio
• iHeart
• Spotify
• TuneIn
• PRX
• iTunes
• Megaphone
Apps
• Dodo Kids Video App
• ACTIVE by POPSUGAR
O&O
• thrillist.com
• dodo.com
• popsugar.com
• nowthisnews.com
• seeker.com
• Dodo Well
• 14 newsletters, from Thrillist Local to The Up Beat
93%
of our audience takes action when they see a cause that demands attention
Positive stories inspire action.
Optimism works: Group Nine’s brand lift outperformed Kantar industry averages, from awareness to purchase intent.
of Group Nine consumers said community action was one of their top drivers for trying a new brand.
of Group Nine consumers view brands more favorably when they take measures to support their community.
We drive audiences down the purpose-driven funnel.
Establish brand
Amplify purpose at scale
Inspire action
Product sampling
Purchase
Brands bring the purpose. Group Nine brings the optimism, the storytelling, and the reach to show the world what’s possible.