Reddit CMO on the community rebellion over its API policy—plus, how it is leaning into subreddit culture

There is never a dull moment at Reddit. Just ask Roxy Young, longtime chief marketing officer, who has added consumer experience officer to her title. Even the topic of pasta can create Reddit rifts, as seen in a recent post on the “Change My View” subreddit, one of the most popular communities on the platform. The original poster of the thread declared, “Change my view: There’s nothing wrong with breaking spaghetti noodles in half,” to boil them. Nearly 500 people offered comments on why cooks should or should not break spaghetti. In the latest episode of Ad Age's Marketer's Brief Podcast, Young gives her take on all things Reddit, from these mundane conversations—the best way to prepare pasta—to more serious subjects such as Reddit’s application programming interface (API) rebellion this summer, when it changed policies in ways that caused some communities to mount an extensive protest. She also discusses what advertisers can learn from Reddit's quirks. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Stitcher. This is our RSS feed. Tell a friend! Reddit is in the middle of a big shift, after a community crisis this summer when CEO Steve Huffman made the call to start charging third-party apps for access to its API. That meant some third-party tools, which were beloved by moderators who control subreddits, would have to pay more to keep operating or go under. Many popular subreddits protested, forcing Reddit to challenge moderators to accept the changes or get replaced. Some communities did see changes in leadership after the affair. It came as Reddit tries to grow its own first-party app and website, and secure more advertising dollars as it develops into a real business. “We listen, we work through them, we learn, we move forward,” Young said, discussing how she went through the Reddit API issues this summer, “and it's not pleasant for anyone in the process, but it is part of how we stay in sync and make sure that we all continue to grow this ecosystem. It's resilient. You know, the ecosystem is resilient. We have more people visiting Reddit, more communities that have emerged, more advertisers who are finding value.” Ad Age Media Summit Hear from industry leaders during October event in NYC Register here Some of those communities are talking about things such as the pasta cooking debate—which, while mundane on the surface, shows how the platform has become a place for deep-dive conversations on just about anything. “There was this great conversation about whether or not you should actually crack your pasta in half,” Young said. “Like if you're cracking your spaghetti noodle in half before you start boiling it, like does that actually create a better, more consistently cooked pasta. Which, you know, I thought was really interesting to see someone having a serious conversation about that.” Some advertisers are sparking the conversations on Reddit, too, as seen from a recent campaign from Visit Myrtle Beach, which opened the comments section—a sometimes risky move, but one that Young helps brands understand how to navigate. Read more about the Visit Myrtle Beach activation here Young said she follows skincare subreddits and “Canoe With A View,” a community just for pictures from canoers in far-out places. This is the Reddit Young wants to sell to advertisers and market to potential newcomers; a place where anyone can find their people. A recent Reddit TV campaign had the tagline “find your people,” and it highlighted all the subreddits available, with funny takes on r/ShowerThoughts and r/cosplay. Ad Age Marketer’s Brief podcast Listen here or subscribe via Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music or Audible Click here

Reddit CMO on the community rebellion over its API policy—plus, how it is leaning into subreddit culture

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