As AI reshapes the media landscape, many business media publishers are focusing on their strength: building high-quality, niche audiences that advertisers value. Audience qualification, a process that confirms subscribers work in specific industries through voice, email or text messaging, is a key part of maintaining accurate, engaged audiences and providing advertisers with confidence that their messages reach the right professionals.
Graven, Austin & Drake (GAD), a company that provides subscriber acquisition and engagement solutions to publishers, is modernizing the ways publishers can qualify subscribers while upholding standards of accuracy and transparency. Its SMS-based subscriber qualification platform was recently included as part of its certification as an AAM Certified Partner, a program that recognizes organizations for adhering to AAM’s standards for data collection, data maintenance and maximizing efficiency for AAM-audited publishers.
In our latest AAM Media Matters interview, Jason Graven, GAD’s vice president of sales and marketing, shared insights about why innovation and transparency are key to qualifying audiences.
Innovating to Meet Audience Needs
As an organization that helps publishers build and maintain qualified audiences, last year GAD completed over 1 million trade publication requests through multichannel outreach options including voice, email and text messaging. Its growing SMS program was developed in response to publishers asking for more efficient ways to requalify subscribers.
“One of the most important parts of our business is listening to our clients,” Graven said. “We understood that they wanted to make it easier for subscribers to requalify. We built the SMS technology around their need for innovation and to more easily connect with their audiences.”
Graven added that the response rate for qualifying business media subscribers has surprised GAD and its clients.
“Some brands that you might not think would have significant engagement with their audiences via text have reached a 40% response rate,” Graven said.
Commitment to Data Transparency
GAD participates in AAM’s Certified Partner Program to support publishers with accurate audience qualification, reporting transparency and a streamlined audit process. GAD is the first company to include its SMS platform as part of the certification, which Graven said is an opportunity to pull back the curtain on GAD’s technology and assess how information is processed through the system.
“The certification is proof of our commitment to data transparency and quality and reinforces our role as a trusted partner in the publishing industry.”
Dustin Pickman, audience development director for Sosland Publishing, said he values the platform’s inclusion in AAM’s certification program. His company’s recent renewal campaign for Meat & Poultry magazine successfully implemented requalification via text.
“GAD’s SMS solution helped drive strong response rates and excellent subscriber engagement, while keeping costs low and opt-outs minimal,” Pickman said. “The results clearly show that our readers value their subscriptions. The AAM certification reinforces the credibility and transparency of the process.”
Graven added that the certification has also become an important tool for internal use.
“We make some adjustments based on AAM’s recommendations, but it’s also valuable because the certification is a structured time that we put on the calendar every year to look at our internal controls and discuss what improvements we can make, whether our processes are still valid and to assess if we’re accomplishing our quality objectives.”
Graven said the company will continue to explore ways to help its clients demonstrate the value and accuracy of their audience data.
“Technology is constantly changing, but the demand for quality remains constant.”
