Building on its news video recommendations, video discovery and distribution service Taboola is rolling out a recommendation engine for branded content this year, says Adam Singolda, CEO of Taboola, during an interview taped at the recent Beet.TV executive retreat. That’s because branded content is one of the biggest growth areas in video, he explains.
Display ads aren’t as effective as advertisers want, so brands are looking for new ways to tell stories, and that’s why branded content is thriving, he adds. “We work with brands and agencies and ask what is the message they are trying to convey and how can we build a community around it. Then the goal is to drive sales.” Metrics for success can vary per brand, but many brands want to see results in number of comments, return visitors, recommended videos and even subscribers for a YouTube channel, he explains.
“Brands are becoming publishers and publishers are becoming advertisers,” Singolda says. Many publishers and media companies are aiming to build mass audiences because then advertisers will come to them, he says. “I would choose long-term audience, top-ten comScore [type site] being the winner.”
Daisy Whitney
