Vox Media Relaunches Group Nine’s Performance Marketing Solution Following Acquisition, Expands to TikTok

Vox Media has relaunched Group Nine’s performance marketing solution following the acquisition of the company, which was completed in February 2022. The product, called VM Connect, allows brands to deploy direct-response campaigns across social platforms where Vox Media’s editorial brands have grown audiences of over 350 million followers, across a range of categories including food and travel, lifestyle, technology, and more. The capability is available today for brands to leverage across Vox Media’s editorial brands’ social accounts on Instagram and Facebook and for the first time ever, on TikTok starting this month.

According to an eMarketer report from May 2021, purchases made through social media posts are expected to more than double between 2021 and 2025 with 36% of all internet users in the U.S. buying something on a social media platform in 2021. With the behavior at an all-time high, brands can leverage VM Connect to tap into the affinity and trust Vox Media’s editorial brands have built with its audiences.

“We’ve built really strong relationships with many brands as part of our affiliate marketing business, growing our commerce operations across the Strategist, the Verge and other Vox Media’s brands, who have an unrivaled authority and deeply rooted trust in many categories,” Camilla Cho, SVP of eCommerce at Vox Media, who oversees affiliate and performance marketing for the company. “Our partners consistently ask how they can do more with us, to amplify more of what we are doing. With VM Connect, we can help brands break through even more, in new spaces where our brands have growing and loyal audiences.”

The solution, formerly known as G9 Direct, was first launched in October 2020 launching initially with brands including Casper, Fi and by HumanKind. A campaign last year with Discovery+, in partnership with Thrillist, The Dodo, POPSUGAR, and NowThis helped the streaming brand successfully reach younger customers while driving a high volume of subscribers,

The product complements Vox Media’s affiliate marketing business within Vox Media’s ecommerce business, including New York Magazine’s shopping recommendation site, the Strategist. In recent months, Vox Media has invested in its commerce operation across the Verge, the Cut and POPSUGAR. VM Connect leverages the data from Vox Media’s first-party data solution, Forte, to drive outcomes for brands informed by a range of signals including contextual, engagement and purchase data from a growing commerce business and the national advertising marketplace, Concert

Vox Media plans to work with brands where it has existing direct affiliate relationships, as an option for brand partners who want to extend their reach in a targeted way and further leverage existing editorial coverage. Vox Media will also use the solution to drive conversions of its own products, including Eater Wine Club and New York Magazine subscriptions, as well as upcoming events, including a recent campaign as part of the Strategist’s Two-Day (Actually Good) Sale.

Brands leveraging VM Connect will work with a full-service creative and media team who will support with A/B Testing, competitive analysis, audience research & analysis, creative consulting and landing page recommendations, campaign optimization and strategic planning and education.