ICAS
Commercial transformation that adds up
Some agencies might be happy to sell a few ads here and there, but at the River Group, we’re here to revolutionise your commercial model. And that’s exactly what we’ve done with ICAS – turning CA Magazine into a smart, digital-first platform that doesn’t just inform and inspire, but delivers serious revenue.
Challenge
ICAS is the voice of the Chartered Accountancy profession in Scotland and beyond – with 24,000+ members and 4,500 students worldwide. CA Magazine is their flagship platform: delivering essential insight on everything from AI to ESG, financial crime to social mobility. But they needed a commercial rethink:
Modernise the sales strategy
Reflect a newly digital-first content experience
Build stronger, clearer and more consistent partner relationships
Drive sustainable revenue growth in an ever-more competitive space
Partner retention – because when River builds it, partners stay
In ad revenue year-on-year (2023 – 2024)
Increase in commercial revenue over three years.
+£31,000
95%
+44.7%
Result
This isn’t incremental growth – this is a rethink-and-rebuild result, with proof in the profit.
Solution
In 2024, we moved from a dated page-turner to the immersive Shorthand platform – unlocking interactive formats that added genuine value for readers and results for advertisers. Suddenly, CA Magazine wasn’t just an editorial destination – it became a compelling commercial one too.
But we didn’t stop there. We looked under the hood of existing partnerships – and found huge disparities in value. So we streamlined and strengthened:
Introduced tiered partner packages – transparent, scalable, value-driven.
Defined clear benefits at every level – making renewal a no-brainer.
Encouraged closer collaboration – turning advertisers into long-term brand partners.
We didn’t just sell ad space – we reimagined the entire commercial engine behind CA magazine.