Web push from the perspective of the global publisher

We've talked with Aleksandar Petković from Adria Media Group about what the publishing industry can expect in the nearest feature, what is the key to the success on the online media market and how web push notifications can contribute to it. 

Please, tell us briefly about Adria Media Group.

We are one of the biggest media companies in Southeast Europe and the number one publisher in Serbia according to the Gemius data for October 2021. 

We are doing business in four countries in the region, have a staff of over 600 people, and a multimedia portfolio of 31 print and 29 digital editions, three television channels, one web advertising platform, two production platforms, and a network of 45 YouTube channels. 

We see our comparative advantage in innovative technologies and sustainable solutions as well as in social responsibility that is one of the foundations of our business practices.

In your opinion, what is now the most important for an information publisher in the current era of communication development? And how does Adria Media Group cope with the new challenges and opportunities offered by technologies? 

The core of our ecosystem is the technological background of the company and the experience of more than 2 decades in engineering technological solutions. 

We have always looked for reliable partners with whom we would have the same level of understanding when it comes to incorporating the newest technological solutions. In addition to our internal capacities, we see these partnerships as an important part of success for a medium in the current era of communication development. 

Market demand, especially when it comes to the media, is very high as well as the expectations of users. With the use of new technologies, our goal is to spike their interest, keep users attention and fulfil their needs.

When did you implement web push notifications and why did you decide to try this tool?

We have been using web push notifications successfully for several years. This is one of the important tools for retaining users and informing them regularly about things they are interested in. Before web notifications, we were using only mobile app notifications, but we quickly realized that a web push notification system would be a great addition to performance. It didn't take us long to decide to try out this new tool and we were lucky to establish our partnership with PushPushGo.

How did the implementation of web push look like: were the sites integrated one by one or did you decide on full integration on many portals at once? Was the implementation process easy or were there any difficulties?

We opted for gradually adding site by site in accordance with our business priorities with the idea that this process follows the roadmap of our technology team and the pace of our newsrooms. We expected the implementation process to be more complex and we were pleasantly surprised by how easy the integration of PushPushGo was.

How did the working process with web push notifications look like? How many people were involved in sending and managing campaigns?

All the people within our editorial teams were using this tool. It was very important for us to provide everyone with the proper education and training for PushPushGo so they can maximize the performance of their content.

In such a big group as Adria Media do you have any sending policy of web push notifications? How was decided which articles should be promoted with web push notifications?

Yes, of course - each newsroom has an internal procedure and the whole process is documented and presented in the form of a customized guide: How to use push notifications in order to achieve the best results?

After a couple of iterations and testing, we managed to adapt the system to our needs and use it in accordance with the mentioned procedure.

What do you think about web push as a communication channel? 

The traffic that this channel brings has more value in quality than in quantity. People who have accepted your invitation to receive notifications expect quality content in return. Therefore this is a great opportunity to gain a loyal audience who will keep returning to your website.

What is the future of the media market in Southeast Europe? 

Within our company, we have a long-term vision when it comes to the future of our publications. We are expecting that metrics that publishers use to measure their performance as well as the ever-changing world of technology will play a significant role in the success of this industry in the SEE region. Therefore it is of great importance to keep up with new trends and we believe that those who fail to adapt will not be able to expect a longer period of financial stability.

Lastly, can you, please, share a few words about your experience of cooperation with PushPushGo?

As for our cooperation with PushPushGo, we have only words of praise. They are a company that is constantly aiming to improve their tool and service. Their customer service is outstanding, we had a person dedicated to us (even spoke in our mother tongue) who was always there to answer all of our questions and help us to maximize our gain from this tool. They made sure that we are informed beforehand about any upcoming updates so that our use of push notifications runs smoothly.  Their response was always fast and helpful. 

We would gladly recommend PushPushGo to all media and e-commerce websites that are aiming to get more readers or customers.