CafeMedia Ad Management drives 119% revenue lift for MacRumors.com

The challenge

MacRumors.com, a leading site for Mac and Apple related news, rumors, and reports, partnered with CafeMedia Ad Management (CAM) to maximize revenue across multiple site layouts and unique user experiences, each tailored to separate audiences.

The approach

MacRumors’ audience consists of two distinct user groups. The first is core readers – subscribers and active forum participants, who require a lighter ad experience. CAM identified these users based on site behavior across four different user journeys, each with its own ad layout.

The second is a growing base of new users, who access the site through Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) or visit as anonymous guests. CAM collaborated with MacRumors to create unique ad layouts of varying density for these user groups as well.

CAM supported MacRumors in incorporating the various ad formatting changes into a broader site redesign, ensuring a seamless transition to the new experience for users and advertisers alike.

The results

MacRumors’ partnership with CafeMedia defined ad layouts for each user segment and drove 119% lift in overall revenue for the publisher. 

Sitewide user engagement also improved: pageviews grew 42% and new users increased 64% over the same time period. 

Customizing layouts to different user segments enabled MacRumors to invest in greater audience development, leading to a 45% increase in total site visits.

“CafeMedia has been instrumental in growing our ad revenue while allowing us to adapt the site experience for our users. They are an incredibly responsive and collaborative partner, balancing our monetization with a seamless user experience for our loyal community.”