After intense congressional hearings and several lawsuits, The World Federation of Advertisers has shut down the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). It’s a notable win for conservative outlets like The Daily Wire over brand safety. “One of the things that I am most proud of is this leadership position that we’ve taken on the topic of brand safety,” The Daily Wire’s Senior Vice President, Ad Revenue Christine Hoffman told Barrett Media.
“There are brand safety guidelines that have existed, such as GARM, that have taken a more subjective look at content,” she continued. “As a result, conservative publishers [were] punished on the revenue side and Daily Wire has really led that charge.
“It’s been a hard-fought battle. We also have active lawsuits going with the State Department, for example. But I think [the ending of GARM] was a really great moment. Ben Shapiro did an outstanding job, providing or exposing what was going on behind the scenes.”
Fortunately, The Daily Wire’s continued success was unhindered by GARM’s short existence. “Advertising revenue growth has really mirrored the growth that we’ve seen in numbers at The Daily Wire,” Hoffman said. “The audience is absolutely booming. We are seeing over 50 million downloads per month on the podcast side. We have over 120 million social followers and over 25 million YouTube followers. So, we’ve really been able to generate revenue that follows that path.”
What Hoffman believes is most important now is, “Capturing the momentum that is in place right now. So, our numbers have really taken a lift the last few weeks with the election season really taking off. On the sales side [we] have been all about capturing that momentum, and really giving our advertisers the best experience.”
Hoffman believes the focus now shouldn’t be on brand safety but instead brand suitability, “which opens the door to potentially politically targeted decision making. That’s one that we’ve been very carefully navigating. I think we’re always cognizant of other areas that are gaining a lot of momentum, retail media for example. I think we always want to be mindful of areas that are performing just as well as podcasts in terms of advertising results. But I would say one of the bigger challenges is this kind of hesitancy for advertisers to run against news content.”
With a focus on brand sustainability, Hoffman noted where you market doesn’t change people wanting to buy. “Stagwell just released a study in 2024 and what it showed was with an ad adjacency, news, sports, entertainment, the purchase intent did not change at all. Which said to us, wow, you know, news is a category that advertisers should not be shying away from.”
Hoffman started advocating for equal and fair news, long before joining The Daily Wire as a freshman in college. “My initial exposure to political news and advertising was as a freshman in college after 9/11,” she said. “The college I attended was Fordham University in New York City and [I] was really eager for them to add Fox News to their channel lineup. It was not available when I started and just wanting to watch a specific news channel turned into a whole campaign where I went to the dean’s office several times, had several meetings with them.”
The school added Fox to their lineup thanks to Hoffmans efforts. More importantly for her career, the story caught the attention of some Fox News executives, “which landed me an internship at Fox News. After about four years of interning, it turned into some full-time positions at Fox News in their sales and affiliate marketing departments where I learned the ins and outs of advertising and affiliate marketing.”
Hoffman then moved on to roles at multiple Fortune 500 firms, including Johnson & Johnson and Google, however she had greater ambitions in mind. “While working at Google, every morning before work, I would run while listening to podcasts. One morning I was listening to Ben Shapiro and he transitioned into an ad read for the open sales position at The Daily Wire. Before I even got home, I decided I’m moving my family to Nashville, Tennessee for that job.”
The SVP said working at the big tech firm was “a phenomenal experience,” but she wanted more. “I really yearned to work for a company that I felt very passionate about, I felt really aligned to and that was more than enough to take me away from Google. I really have not looked back since.”
No matter where, or who, you are selling, the media and sales leader noted there are always challenges. “I think for The Daily Wire, being in the news and political space presents its own unique set of challenges. A seller is always going to have to ride the tide of the economy and what’s going on because we tend to feel that, when advertisers pull back marketing budgets when the economy is having a tough time. But I would say the challenges that we experience are not unique to us.”
Despite challenges, Hoffman and The Daily Wire are excited to be nimble and pivot in the face of change. “We run at a breakneck pace and minimize the red tape that will get in the way of getting things done for our audience and for our advertisers,” Hoffman said. “Being nimble is definitely our secret sauce in the face of challenges and what makes Daily Wire stand out relative to other big companies that I’ve worked for.”
For those looking to follow in Hoffman’s footsteps she suggests gathering real world experience and finding your passion. “I was less concerned about learning what was in the books and more concerned about getting real world experience that will lead me to a job and career and it just kind of gave me a sense of what’s out there,” she said. “What am I interested in, what am I passionate about?”
She noted of her career, “Landing at the Fox News internship was very positive in that I realized when I’m aligned to something I can achieve great results because I’m really passionate about helping that company achieve success. Find a job that doesn’t feel like a job and something that you’re really, passionate about.”
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
