Backed by a modest investment of HK$2 million (US$256,000), the project is being led by Apple Daily editorial writer Simon Lee, who pointed out that the site could interest advertisers who are looking for more targeted niches than a mainstream newspaper can offer.
“We are aiming to develop this new tool with highly-targeted profiling of users,” said Lee. “As we know where our readers live and work, we can provide additional information to our advertisers.
“For example, if a mall in a particular district has a promotional activity and function, in the past, they may take a whole page ad in a mass newspaper — which is like throwing a stone in the ocean and hoping it will hit the target, which causes a lot of wastage. Moreover, for traditional ads in newspapers, advertisers have found it difficult to measure effectiveness. It is not scientific to measure it by estimation.”
The site will charge advertisers according to a model based on click rates and page impressions.
Next Media’s attempts to target the long tail of internet users, comes after a well-publicised boycott of Apple Daily by many of Hong Kong’s leading blue chip companies for its anti-China editorial stance.
The site will launch this month, with different news feeds for different local districts in Hong Kong.
