"Sure, advertising that has no business on social media is annoying"

tSocial's ReSuf network recently cracked the 1.5 million fans and followers mark, and 20 Minuten is now pursuing a "social media first" strategy. Advertising on social media is becoming increasingly relevant. Eloy Martinez, Head of Social Media Advertising at tSocial, explains in an interview which advertising solutions his unit is implementing and what dynamics are at play on social media.

Mr. Martinez, many have heard the term tSocial in the Goldbach portfolio, but can't place it. What is tSocial responsible for?

tSocial is 20 Minuten's cross-group unit for social media advertising. If a company or brand wants to appear with an advertising message in the social media channels of 20 Minuten or the Tamedia titles, it goes through tSocial. We take care of the campaigns from A to Z, i.e. conception, distribution and reporting, and always in close cooperation with the respective social teams of the media titles.

What does tSocial offer advertisers?

tSocial takes care of the entire campaign 100 percent - everything from a single source and based at one team. In addition, advertisers buy guaranteed reach from us. In this respect, we are fundamentally different from Facebook or Google, where you pay different amounts for each campaign via an auction process. In addition, the environment of our publications is perceived as high-quality and reputable, which leads to a higher level of attention among users compared to posts submitted directly by the customer.

With the ReSurf verticals, tSocial has cracked the 1.5 million fans and followers mark. What sets ReSurf apart from other advertising strategies?

Once again, the strength lies in the fact that the communities we have developed ourselves do not receive the message directly from the advertiser, but via our quality network. The ReSurf communities are managed by our team. We know them inside out: What goes down well? What encourages interaction? We prepare the customer's message to suit the target and sender, because an advertising message must not come across the same way on 20 Minuten Lifestyle and the Tages-Anzeiger, but should also be tailored to the community here.

20 Minuten presented its "social media first" strategy this week. What does that mean in concrete terms and how will advertisers benefit?

The strategy is clearly shifting in the direction of social media. We are responding to the rapid changes in the media consumption of our young target group. In addition to 17 new jobs, this also means significantly more resources and expertise in this area. Advertisers now enjoy the great advantage on social media that our news and content are created directly for social. The focus of our editorial team, but also of the users, is now mainly on social, so that the entire attention is directed to news, entertainment and also the commercial conversions of our advertisers.

Nevertheless, many social media users are annoyed by the advertising. What do you say to that?

The perception of advertising on social media depends heavily on whether it is also aligned with the community and the page or account. Of course, advertising that looks like a TV commercial from the 1990s is annoying and has no place on social media. There is a clear shift in perception among younger users, namely GenZ. They understand that advertising is necessary to build and maintain a site. The GenZ is aware that influencers or popular meme sites need these advertising deals. However, it is important to them that these are authentic and fit the account. And that's where we come back in.

Thank you very much for the interview.