AOP announces strategic partnerships

The Association of Online Publishers (AOP) has announced that they have entered two strategic partnerships with GetZeN and Right Thing Media, to support the digital publishing community as they continue to progress environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) efforts.

The first partnership with wellbeing platform, GetZeN, provides AOP members access to GetZeN’s wellness programmes, including its product, ‘How Are You?’, at a 50% discounted rate. GetZeN’s agnostic therapeutic approach blends its understanding of corporate environments with in-depth knowledge of all available mental health and wellbeing practices. Their programmes will enable AOP’s publisher members to improve staff's wellbeing, morale, and productivity.

“All companies need to start bringing a more holistic outlook to the mental wellbeing of their teams,” says Francesca Rogers, co-founder and co-CEO at GetZeN. “At the end of the day, happy employees are productive employees. We hope this new strategic partnership with AOP will help publishers gain better insights into their staff, find solutions, and see the gains made from prioritising employee mental health.”

The second partnership is with Right Thing Media, says AOP, which is working with AOP on two pioneering pieces of work for publishers. The first is a Framework designed to provide AOP members with a unified and collaborative approach to ESG, help shape their sustainability strategies, and improve the media supply chain. This will be followed by a Charter, so AOP members can work with their agencies and clients on an agreed pathway for improvements across all areas of ESG.

“Right Thing Media’s ongoing work with AOP has given us detailed insights into publisher needs as they look to reduce the impact advertising and media supply chains have on the climate,” says Tim Faircliff, chief operating officer at Right Thing Media. “The ESG Framework and Charter addresses these needs through a robust, transparent, and unified response that will accelerate the publishing industry’s progress towards a sustainable future.”

ESG is becoming increasingly important for companies, AOP added, not just for attracting new employees, but also retaining current team members. Nearly a third of UK workers have stated they would leave a role if ESG efforts were not seen to be increasing. It’s also estimated that over half of all working days are lost to stress, depression or anxiety, costing UK employers £56 billion a year.

“A successful ESG strategy is holistic, encompassing all the ways in which a company can positively affect people, society, and the planet. This is a lot to take on, so an ongoing focus for AOP is to find ways to simplify ESG initiatives for our members,” says Richard Reeves, managing director at AOP. “Our partnerships with GetZeN and Right Thing Media provide a pathway for our publisher members to achieve their ESG objectives and collaborate to support a sustainable and ethical industry.”