The age of integrated media

Kelvin Storie

Integration is the lean

Inspired by the industry feedback from the recent MOST Awards, I can’t help but reflect on the year that has brought integration to the centre of our story like never before. Innovation was a common theme in measuring the industry’s top performers, but what caught my attention was one particular comment about Primedia Broadcasting, “always pushing the bounds with integrations and innovations”. Integrations. There it is. The one thing that has probably become the most powerful catalyst for innovation in modern media.

You see, innovation is no longer about the next flashy format. It’s about creating seamless, interconnected experiences where we meet our audiences wherever they are. It’s about breaking down the silos and stepping up from the foundations of what was once just an audio stack to create a treasure trove of snackable content and immersive events that keep our audiences connected, entertained, educated, empowered.

Integration is one story

Paradoxically, integration can be a messy business. The behind-the-scenes rush of activity that goes into creating a seamlessly interconnected ecosystem is demanding technically, strategically, creatively, and operationally. And as we’ve been quietly evolving and integrating our own product suite at Primedia over the last 12 months, we’ve kept it together by continuously remaining true to our roots, to our “one story”, and for us, that is bringing the best in local, trusted content.

That one story is what keeps us all aligned. Whether we’re working behind the scenes, whether we’re on stage, on screen, on the airwaves, or in person, we’re all working to keep bringing the most authentic pulse to an audience craving the truth, a sense of belonging, and voices that feel real.

Integration is talent

From tech to data intelligence to behavioural science, there must be talent in every corner. Talent to increase business efficiencies. Talent to retune our digital platforms. Talent to build the AI that frees up even more talent, to truly unlock human potential, to harness the highest capacities of human brain power in the most optimal of spaces, and to foster such a depth and speed of communication between our company’s divisions to the point where we can now capitalise off each other at the click of a button.

We even have what you might call a “creative SWAT team”, a highly-skilled, super-agile, lightning-fast division that runs at a different cadence to the rest of the company. As we’re all quite aware, legacy businesses tend to move a little slower than we’d like them to at times, and this calls for smaller, more agile, autonomous divisions that have the freedom to “just run with it". Our Innovation Hub is that SWAT team, tapping into our entire stable, from Primedia Broadcasting and Primedia Studios to Primedia Sport and Primedia Out of Home, learning, testing, and bringing the best solutions to life.

Integration is imagination

There’s a post on X that perfectly encapsulates the tone of this integration imagination. “SA media is exciting when your favourite radio show is on TV on a billboard!” says @dineshgovender. He’s talking about Cell C’s recent groundbreaking, nine-station, simultaneous “Escape The City, Not The Signal” radio broadcast where Anele and the Club broadcasted live from Pilanesberg National Park while the live video footage was streamed to our digital billboards all across Joburg.

It is the imagination to merge the worlds of radio and video; to see all our radio stations, all our video shows, all the television shows we produce, all our podcasts, our Eyewitness News, our 24/7 live sports channel, all of it, in one complete universe.

It is the imagination to see the globe’s top third-party podcasts finding their home with us. It is the imagination to see that shows like Anele and the Club could soon be a complete audio-visual production that you can watch from your lounge, your desk, your car, and to imagine that even your car will become the next big entertainment hub. It is the imagination to see all these things coming. And this is only the beginning, so make sure you keep watching the Primedia space!

What all this means for advertisers is more opportunities, more engagement, and measurability that doesn’t just rest at the door of reach but rings in a realness of numbers and interactivity. Campaigns become ecosystems, passive audiences become active participants, and brands transform from being seen to being felt.

Integration is media’s new superpower. This is how you lead the market through the changing tides. This is how we remain true to our roots of bringing the best in local, trusted content. This is how we are truly tuned for tomorrow.