Four years into Ozone’s journey and the digital landscape has changed significantly; be it Google phasing out third-party cookies in Chrome, the ICO keeping the world of adtech under its regulatory gaze, or PwC and ISBA’s report into digital supply chain transparency leaving advertisers concerned about where their ads are appearing.

The implications for the open web – the part of the internet we rely on for keeping us informed, to communicate and create, to work and play – have been immense. While some parts of the open web lack brand safety, transparency or quality controls, premium publishers are the antithesis to this. Collectively, they deliver great results through quality editorial content that inspires, informs and entertains. And with accessible, compliant first-party data now in huge demand, the time has never been more right for Ozone.

The big idea

Ozone powers the premium web, a safe haven for brands across the open internet. A collective marketplace where brands and publishers, as the custodians of consumer relationships – not adtech companies – are in control. A place where premium inventory and data solutions are valued.

Launched by four leading UK publishers, we have built a sustainable media ecosystem – a place where advertiser choice is un-compromised. Where premium publishers, of every shape, size and guise, are rewarded for the quality content they create. Where engagement with consumers is currency.

We protect the relationships brands and publishers build with their consumers by keeping their data safe and improving their online experience.

Making it happen

• For advertisers, we deliver broadcast scale, consumer attention, real world first-party data, brand safety, transparency and results – all packaged in a really simple way to activate across publishers.

• For publishers, we offer an audience-led sell to complement their own direct brand-led sell, alongside the tools to maximise total reward for use of both their inventory and data.

• For society at large, we aim to create a more sustainable future for the free information economy by winning investment for the diverse voices of premium publishers. We are also focused on the sustainability of the digital advertising ecosystem – by creating private, direct customer connections to premium environments, Ozone delivers more controlled and compliant programmatic solutions to significantly reduce the processing power from lost or wasted bids.

Results

The past twelve months demonstrate how Ozone is living up to its promise of powering the premium web:

• 60% growth in Team Ozone since January 2022, the launch of our Ozone Early Careers programme, and opening our first hub office in Manchester.

• Increased diversity of our alliance having onboarded HELLO!, HuffPost UK, BuzzFeed UK, Mumsnet and Asian Media Group.

• Delivered platform scale audiences with near universal monthly reach of 43.3m users – 84% visiting weekly, 47% daily

• Measured, reduced and offset our owned platform’s carbon emissions – 50 MTCO2 – with plans in place to extend this to our full managed service offering, even extending beyond our platform.

• Launched new advertiser products like Ozone Outcomes (CPCV), our proprietary engagement measure the Ozone Attention Index, our swipeable ad format Ozone Stories, and Ozone Ad Manager – our self-service client tool for real world data insights.

• Delivered 8.4% average brand lift with Brand Metrics measuring 93 different campaigns this year, more than 300 since launch.

• Proven the value of attentive media with the Ozone Attention Index, measuring over 500m ad impressions across c.300 campaigns, showing +18% performance lift against MOAT benchmarks.

• Smashed industry performance benchmarks across formats – e.g. interscrollers delivering +93% higher CTR and +34% more viewability, or video solutions delivering completion rates 30%+ higher for 6”, 10” and 20” formats.

• Total revenue up +78% – 3x the rate of growth for UK display advertising – with continued growth seeing June +99% year on year.

• Advertiser count up +87% to 312, with partners like Jet2, Samsung, Slack, Warner Bros, Expedia, Nationwide, The AA, Cinch and P&G spending six-figure sums

• +77% increase in advertiser audience addressability and publisher revenue potential vs. market norms through our Ozone Identify solutions.

• Doubled premium publisher revenue for many of our titles through our Managed Demand products, while our proprietary publisher technology has helped our publishers unlock c.140% more revenue from existing ad partners, while at the same time reducing data leakage by c.75%.

• Launched Ozone Biddable Management, a service proven to help small/medium publishers, or UK arms of international publishers, increase total digital ad revenue by c.40-45%.

• Average net promoter score of 60 across our client and publisher services teams – BCG deem 50+ as excellent.

• Fuelled international growth, building premium marketplaces and reducing their time to market, with partners in North America, Europe and beyond.

Source: Ipsos March 22, PAMCo 2 22, Brand Metrics July 21 – Jun 22, AA/WARC Jan 22 (latest available), All other data points Ozone Intermal