An exciting new film has just been released in theatres called F1 starring Brad Pitt as a Formula One racecar driver who doesn’t get along with his young and brash teammate – leading to multiple dustups and crashes, and the required rock bottom for a sports movie.
That’s when the two finally decide to work together and conquer the world of Formula One. I won’t give away the ending, but you might be able to guess.
James Elliott of California-based James G. Elliott Co. and FIPP CEO Alastair Lewis may not have set out to conquer the world in their new – and exciting in its own way – consulting partnership. But they do intend on helping a vital segment of that world reach the winners circle and earn more revenue.
FIPP/Elliott will operate in two ways: FIPP will help publishers who want to expand internationally, and Elliott Co. will help international publishers who want to succeed in the tough but rewarding US ad sales market. Recently, the two joined forces for their own video to discuss this revved-up new venture.
“In chatting, we saw a synergy in how our combined expertise could create comprehensive solutions for publishers,” Elliott began, pointing to his near-40 years of business and FIPP’s 100. “Publishers need to diversify their revenue streams and reach new audiences, and frankly, to do this, they need to navigate international advertising landscapes.”
Lewis said that FIPP launched its consulting division about two years ago “because we recognised that we’re really well-placed to offer publishers a deeper dive – more than just a quick email introduction but actually to help a business to understand a new market and new opportunity. And while we’ve done that to some success already, we’ve been speaking more to Europe-based businesses who are keen to expand into the US market.”
That’s where Elliott comes in. His company has generated an estimated $750 million in revenue for more than 600 brands through the years and has offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. He cited a recent “major European publisher project” that his company’s strategy arm completed last year here in the US.
“We have experience in B2B media, consumer data services, exhibits and shows,” said Elliott. “We can help publishers monetise their content and build a strong advertising presence, if they make the effort to understand the US market and get realistic. It’s not just about bringing a European property here and opening an office and thinking, ‘Geez, everything is going to be just dandy. All we have to do is make a few phone calls.’ The advertising business is much more complicated.
“This is really a one-stop shop for international expansion and advertising.”
Lewis gave a couple recent examples of work that FIPP Consulting has been doing, including running a project for a crossword games and puzzles business. “I was able to bring in an associate who had vast experience of running puzzles and games pages within the newspaper industry,” Lewis said. “Another effort concerned a publisher who wanted to do a project in Latin America, and I brought in associates with that experience.
“Businesses are looking for growth and should be looking outside of their home territory,” Lewis continued. “And we’re well placed to bring that insight and use our network and connections to do great work. We know that businesses can’t just put boots on the ground in a whole range of countries. There needs to be a certain amount of understanding, analysis and then prioritization of those opportunities, and that’s exactly the kind of work that we do. I’m excited to bring that to the US market through this alliance.”
The work that FIPP/Elliott will do in the next few months will amplify these ambitions and lead to a session they deliver together at the FIPP World Media Congress 2025 in Madrid, Oct. 21-23. “It will be great to talk there about the trends we’re seeing and the work that we will already be doing in this alliance,” Lewis said.
Added Elliott: “We are very committed to supporting growth and innovation across the whole of the publishing industry, connecting global media. This alliance only helps to serve that purpose.”
In the meantime, Lewis said he’s “very much looking forward to hearing from any publishers or businesses that may be interested in talking to us about the potential to work together.”
This article is authored by Ronn Levine, Editorial Director, SIIA.