How Hearst Newspapers Modernized Ad Operations and Accelerated Revenue Growth with Aditude
The Opportunity
Recognizing the opportunity to enhance their monetization strategies and accelerate growth, Hearst Newspapers partnered with Hashtag Labs (now Aditude) in 2021. What began as a consultative relationship evolved into a comprehensive technology transformation that delivered immediate operational improvements and positioned Hearst for sustained revenue growth.
Hearst sought a partner who could deliver:
- Advanced optimization capabilities without sacrificing operational control
- Unified analytics across multiple demand partners
- Flexible technology that could adapt quickly to industry changes
- Enhanced revenue performance during critical periods
The Approach
Aditude delivered a complete modernization of Hearst's ad technology infrastructure through several key components:
Cloud Wrapper with Advanced Features:
- Pre-fetching bids: Enhanced page load performance and revenue optimization
- Custom refresh & CLS solutions: Improved user experience while maximizing ad revenue
- Addressable Strategies: Incorporated into Hearst Newspapers' robust 1P addressability framework and addressable audience solutions.
Exec Analytics Platform: Comprehensive analytics that aggregates and maps data from all SSP partners, providing unified reporting across 45+ unique demand partners
Custom Integrations: Tailored solutions supporting Hearst's specific business requirements while maintaining operational control, including turnkey activations and streamlined addressability deployment capabilities
The migration was strategically executed during Q4 2024—traditionally the most important revenue period—demonstrating both platform reliability and partnership strength. By November 2024, all Hearst Newspaper domains were successfully running on Cloud Wrapper.
The Results
Operational Excellence
- Deployment Speed: Reduced implementation times from weeks to hours for new ad technology partners and bidder configurations
- Feature Rollout: Accelerated testing and deployment of revenue-generating features from six-month timelines to days or weeks
- Zero Downtime: Flawless Q4 migration executed during the most critical revenue period
- Enhanced Visibility: Comprehensive version control and deployment tracking with full transparency into code, configurations, and change history
Revenue Growth & Optimization
- Unified Analytics: Exec consolidated SSP reporting into a centralized view, enabling detailed revenue analysis by site, site type, and market
- PMP Insights: Revealed high-performing advertisers, empowering sales teams to target direct deals more effectively
- Strategic Intelligence: Internal dashboards powered by Exec now serve as the backbone of Hearst's business intelligence
- Enhanced Negotiations: DSP breakout reporting improved negotiations with SSPs and powered more strategic monetization decisions
“What would have taken us 6 months to do has now taken us two weeks to do, and because of that, we're making significantly more money in that interim period than if we waited and built it ourselves.”
Partnership & Service Excellence
- Custom Development: Aditude delivered publisher-specific features that enhanced both Hearst's operations and the broader product roadmap
- Ecosystem Integration: Maintained interoperability with existing tools like Magnite Demand Manager
- Ongoing Support: Close working relationships with Aditude's experts providing continuous strategic guidance
“The true differentiator for me is the level of service that we get, the ability to work with us on custom asks or asks that are really specific to our business, and then the ability to productize those if those become bigger features. The service is, to me, best in the business.”
Looking Ahead
Following Aditude's acquisition of Hashtag Labs, Hearst Newspapers continues expanding their partnership across the entire media portfolio. The company is leveraging Aditude's platform to pursue ambitious growth initiatives:
Cross-Portfolio Expansion
- Unified Operations: Consolidating ad tech stacks across Newspapers and TV properties for maximum efficiency
- Scalable Growth: Extending proven optimization strategies across Hearst News media properties
Advanced Identity & Automation
- Industry-Leading ID Coverage: Implementing cutting-edge deterministic and probabilistic addressability strategies
- Sell-Side Automation: Pursuing automated optimization to compete effectively with walled garden technologies
- Future-Ready Infrastructure: Building capabilities that adapt quickly to privacy regulations and industry changes
Mobile-First Revenue Growth
- App Monetization: Expanding mobile app revenue as audience engagement shifts to shifts to deeply engaged users
- Omnichanell Optimization: Leveraging addressable solutions for seamless user experiences
Data-Driven Decision Making
- Enhanced Business Intelligence: Continuing to expand analytics capabilities for deeper market insights
- Performance Optimization: Using real-time data to drive continuous revenue improvements
- Strategic Partner Development: Leveraging improved reporting to strengthen direct advertiser relationships
The Hearst-Aditude partnership exemplifies the power of combining cutting-edge technology with true collaboration. By implementing flexible, data-rich tools, Hearst Newspapers has not only optimized current operations but also positioned itself for sustainable growth in an increasingly dynamic digital advertising landscape.
This strategic technology transformation has enabled Hearst to maintain its premium brand positioning while achieving operational excellence, accelerated revenue growth, and market-leading performance. The partnership continues to drive innovation and deliver measurable results across Hearst's expanding media portfolio.