PROMOTION. Rabaischocs, a project in progress for around ten years, is increasingly taking its place in the media industry in Quebec. This is a platform allowing the exchange of advertising between the media and merchants, with a system for creating gift vouchers. As a bonus, they offer a discount to consumers who purchase them.
The icimedias Group, of which the GranbyExpress, proposes this concept which aims to support the media and local merchants.
“It’s a concept made by publishers, for publishers, to support newsrooms and bring visibility to businesses. The principle is simple. In return for gift certificates, participating companies are entitled to an advertising campaign in our weeklies, which subsidizes our press rooms,” explains Pierre-Marc Langlois, president and CEO of Rabaischocs.
“By reselling gift vouchers on the Rabaischocs platform, we restore visibility to merchants by guaranteeing them a return on investment,” adds the CEO.
Expansion
Rabaischocs was founded in 2011, but has been expanding more and more for about five years. “We did a lot of tests before arriving at a formula that made sales explode,” explains Mr. Langlois.
At the time of writing these lines, the platform which had around forty participating newspapers was in the process of concluding an agreement with Hebdos Québec to represent around a hundred newspapers for the advertising component, in addition to being expanding in the south of the France.
“During the last weekly congress, where there were around 70% of the local press, an agreement in principle was made so that a mandate would be given in the near future, so that Rabaischocs could benefit all publishers . This will not only be for local clients, but also for national clients,” indicates Stéphane Legrand, vice-president of sales for the Icimédias Group. Some national banners are already in the testing period with the platform.
Local
The Icimédias Group has been working with Rabaischocs for several years now, in conjunction with merchants in the region. This ensures that consumers benefit from a discount.
“There are advantages for merchants, because gift certificates are in great demand, but the project is also greatly beneficial for consumers. With the economic context in which we currently live, we increase the purchasing power of customers, in addition to introducing them to businesses near them,” underlines Mr. Legrand.
With this project, the vice-president of sales for icimedias also thinks he can attract new business customers. “We are becoming more accessible as media, because we can seek out a clientele that we did not have in the past. For example, it is easier for certain areas like catering to operate with gift certificates. The impact of serving meals is less than taking out money [pour acheter de la publicité] », explains Mr. Legrand.
