• by Melynda Fuller , August 23, 2018

Perhaps ironically, digital publishing and the upset caused by its unpredictable ad streams — or lack of — has placed a stronger focus on physical objects and events produced by popular media brands to connect with audiences.  

Live events and festivals, partnerships with designers, pop-up shops driving crowds, membership programs, they all create new and needed revenue streams as publishers navigate the digital landscape. 

Media company Refinery29 wants to expand its reach with a new deal it signed with sports and entertainment agency IMG. 

Reported first by The Wall Street Journal, the deal will allow Refinery29 to expand, with IMG representing the brand. 

It builds on partner collaborations across beauty, fashion and stationary already in the works with the media company in the U.S. and abroad, allowing it to “significantly extend and deepen our product offerings globally, both within these existing categories and across new ones, including home, bedding, decor and office,” Sarah Personette, COO, Refinery29 told Publishing Insider. 

The IMG alliance will allow Refinery29 to “move faster across the categories and products that we know our audience are interested in,” upping scale and increasing revenue in the process. 

Personette says timing-wise, "we've seen a significant increase in demand in the system recently for consumer products. That's largely off the back of Refinery29’s brand affinity, which we can now meet through deals with IMG.” 

 “To grow and scale a sustainable business, it's critical that publishers and media brands have a strategy around diversifying revenue streams. It is also crucial for a mission-driven brand like Refinery29 to create a trusted space for our highly engaged audience to discover products and brands that are relevant to them,” she adds.