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Antwerp – The previously announced national advertising management agency of Telenet/SBS, Mediahuis, Proximus Skynet and Pebble Media starts on 1 April under the telling name Ads & Data. With its extensive portfolio of major local and international media brands and a high-quality data selection, advertisers will be able to efficiently hone their reach or go all out for smart, data-driven campaigns. Ads & Data is to be headed by Bart Decoster (CEO), Bart Demeulenaere (CCO) and Koen Van Rhijn (COO).

Great and good news for the Belgian media landscape. The advertising management agencies of SBS Belgium, Mediahuis, Pebble Media and Proximus Skynet are combining their portfolios, expertise and experienced teams to form a single, new national management agency: Ads & Data! Not only does it boast an impressive list of media brands, but it also offers a selection of data, in compliance with the privacy legislation, of course. So Ads & Data is set to be far more than the sum of its component parts and an important cross-media innovative element that can respond perfectly to the needs of advertisers.

We un-waste

Today’s consumer roams from one media platform to another and consults various sources simultaneously at all times throughout the day. Now more than ever, advertisers wanting to stay visible to their potential clients need a whole range of media channels, which is just what we at Ads & Data can offer them with our extensive brand portfolio. Yet it would be wrong to equate reach with efficiency. Yes, the media brands in the alliance reach millions of people in Flanders every day. For television, the figure is even over 80%. And yes, we are in digital contact with 63% of Belgians every month.

Bart DecosterCEO of Ads & Data: ‘But in today’s media landscape, you don’t always need to be everywhere at the same time. Above all, you need to be where you really need to be. With the right people at the right time. So the moral of our story is: we increase our scale, advertisers reduce their surplus advertising investments. Because by using more channels and more data, you do less unnecessary advertising. Our goal is not a message of “necessary or superfluous”, “a lot or a little”; our goal is not to curb advertising, but to curb unnecessary advertising. The message of a thought leader, not that of a typical management agency. We do not just sell media space. We also have a vision of what advertising should be like in 2021. A vision through which we aim to mobilise the entire sector and that is designed to make us the sexiest address on the market instantly. A contemporary, long-lasting idea. We un-waste!’

A unique partnership of strong local and international media brands and high-quality data

Ads & Data is a joint venture between Mediahuis (44.4%), Telenet/SBS (44.4%) and Proximus Skynet (11.2%). We are here for advertisers who want to retain a high-quality visibility efficiently with their target groups. Armed with a wide range of media channels: television, print, audio, offline and online. More than ever broad and niche, relevant and targeted. Ads & Data has both the media channels and the data in house to achieve this mix of maximum exposure, relevance and efficiency.

The management agency is to be run by the current commercial teams of Mediahuis, SBS Belgium and Pebble Media: experienced people with knowledge of the local market and driven, result-oriented expertise.

Bart Demeulenaere, CCO: ‘After the pioneering work done with the now highly successful SmartAd, we at SBS know how enriching segmentation and a data-driven approach to television and video campaigns can be. With Ads & Data, we can now move up a gear with these formulas, including with new regional possibilities, for advertisers large and small. And of course, we remain fully focused on our creativity and our cross-media possibilities and on the inspiring power of television, which we will now be combining with print and digital. A smart and efficient approach. We un-waste!’

Ads & Data Portfolio*

  • Telenet/SBSPlay4, Play5, Play6, Play7 (commercialisation after start-up broadcaster) Play Sports, Play Sports Open, GoPlay.be, The History Channel, BBC First, Njam! and the related online platforms
  • MediahuisDe Standaard, Het Nieuwsblad/De Gentenaar, Gazet van Antwerpen, Het Belang van Limburg, Jet, Made in and inmemoriam.beATV, TVL, TVO, RobTv and the related online platforms
  • Pebble Media: including één.be, sporza.be, stubru.be, LinkedIn, Spotify, Snapchat, Aufeminin.com, BFM TV
  • Proximus Skynet: including Dailymotion, Verizon, Microsoft, Vroom, Voetbalkrant/Walfoot

This list is a selection from the total portfolio, subject to modifications.

Koen Van Rhijn, COO: ‘Ads & Data is, of course, a story of cross-media possibilities, of an impressive content and product portfolio, of synergy and complementarity. But we will also be able to use high-quality data smartly and lastingly for our clients. For these clients and for the strong local media brands and international platforms such as LinkedIn and Spotify, which we market, we aim to be an innovative and creative management agency. With new tools and a wide range that complies with the rules on cookies and privacy. A huge commitment to treat data properly is the main asset with which we plan to serve as an example with data on the Belgian and European markets. In the interests of advertisers and consumers alike. We un-waste!’

Bart Swimberghe, Proximus Skynet: ‘Data-driven campaigns are here to stay in the advertising landscape. Just look at the successful launch of AddressableTV together with all the national broadcasters at the start of last year. We believe in the power of local cooperation to be able to offer advertisers a first-rate service, thereby supporting a healthy local media ecosystem. Together with the fact that our video and digital range is highly complementary and also more focused on the south, the extensive reach of the new management agency was a major motive for us to be part of it. We un-waste!’

See you on 1 April 2021

The systems of the existing management agencies will remain operational until 31 March. As of 1 April, the campaigns will run via Ads & Data. All parties concerned will, of course, be clearly informed in good time. In the meantime, we are working on business and product development and on “easy buying/easy reporting” systems with a view to providing an even better service for our partners and media companies.

All the commitments made as regards campaigns and commercial arrangements for 2021 will, of course, be taken over by Ads & Data.

Do you want to be the first to find out how we plan to go on with our story in the coming weeks? Then subscribe to the Ads & Data newsletter on www.adsanddata.be.