BDG Media

Evan Pfeffer, VP of Programmatic

New York, NY

Woman scrolling through media on her phone.

2023

How BDG is redefining the way we experience media and culture

BDG is a leading global media company that is committed to providing entertaining, relevant, and meaningful content to its diverse audience.

Building a trusted resource for 115 million readers

BDG marks their 10 year anniversary this year with over 115 million monthly readers. "When I first started, it was just the three sites: Bustle, Elite Daily and Romper," recalls Evan Pfeffer VP of Programmatic, "But now millions of people experience media and culture through our 11 brands." Those brands include Bustle, Elite Daily, The Zoe Report, NYLON, and The Dad, which have established BDG as a leading global media company, with a portfolio of distinct digital and experiential brands that shape culture through their diverse content and trusted storytelling.

Audiences of all generations turn to their brands to hear from a set of diverse voices engaging the next generation. "We're here to entertain our readers and provide them with guidance to best serve their needs," says Evan.

BDG's lifestyle portfolio creates impactful dialogue through coverage around fashion, beauty, entertainment, culture, relationships, tech, gaming and more. Over the past few years, their team has heavily prioritized original visual content and premium celebrity interviews. "Our lifestyle editorial strategy continues to pay off for us — our audience has really resonated with our high caliber celebrity photoshoots that can be seen across our lifestyle brands. As a tech enthusiast, I'm also a big fan of Inverse's in depth product reviews and gaming content," says Evan.

BDG has the largest parent-focused media portfolio in the world. "Throughout the pandemic, we saw a lot of people coming to our sites for escapism and to relax but also asking important questions like 'how do you parent during the pandemic?' Our content varies across our sites but we're always focused on serving the reader," says Evan. One of the most popular sites is Scary Mommy, which offers parents a safe space to connect, ask questions and share stories. "I was really excited about our 2021 acquisition of Some Spider Studios," he says. "Which brought Scary Mommy, Fatherly and The Dad into the BDG fold. As a father of two, my wife and I use these sites as a resource for our parenting." These parenting brands reach tens of millions of parents everyday, covering all aspects of parenting and offers access to a global network of parenting professionals.

“Ad revenue is an important part of BDG's business and Google helps us to run that piece of the business more smoothly.”

Using ads to serve their audience

Core to their mission of serving readers is an ad-supported business model that allows BDG to reach their diverse audience. "Ad revenue is an important part of BDG's business," says Evan. "And Google helps us run that piece of the business more smoothly."

Creating relevant ad experiences for their wide audience can be tricky, but Google Ad Manager's reach and efficiency help BDG meet their audience's expectations. "We have a duty to cater to readers wherever they are," says Evan. "And we can reach that audience with a relevant ad experience on our site through Google's programmatic ad solutions."

The BDG team chose Google tools for their ease of use and capabilities. "The Google Ad Manager user interface is super intuitive and user friendly," says Evan. "When setting up a new campaign, we're able to quickly monitor, troubleshoot and report on them. There's also unique deal types that we love and enable us to maximize our ROI with advertisers. Plus the transparency on both sides for buyers and sellers is great."

At its core, advertising on BDG properties is about creating the best experiences for their audiences. "Google enables BDG to put our audience first and has helped us to grow and connect with readers and ultimately keep our content free," Evan says.

Optimism for the future

With its suite of digital experiences, products, services and resources, BDG is committed to providing entertaining, relevant, and meaningful content to their audience. "I'm so excited to see where BDG goes," says Evan. "With a strong editorial and business strategy in place, BDG is set up for success."

About the Publisher

As VP of Programmatic Solutions at BDG, Evan Pfeffer oversees programmatic and data solutions where he focuses on promoting BDG's programmatic business internally and externally — ensuring the company is working with the best and brightest tech partners. Prior to BDG, Evan spent nearly 10 years at Time Inc. working in various roles across the digital media space.