“Given the increasing prominence of digital and online in people’s everyday lives, there has been a high demand for digital advertising. Over recent years, companies have seen a tremendous increase in consumers digesting news and information digitally rather than conventionally. There has also been a rise in online versions of publications and obviously the ubiquitous apps, allowing readers an additional platform to access their content, as they catch up with current news and stories whilst on the go.”-Jerome Mouthon, Founder and Chairman Buzzeff.
In an interview with MediAvataar MENA Jerome talks about the rising upshot of digital media in the region and how there company wraps around a unique idea to serve the new age marketers.
Here is the complete Q&A
MediAvataar MENA: What does Buzzeff stand for?
Jerome: Buzzeff is a result of combining the words ‘Buzz’ and ‘Effect’, closely linked to our earlier business model which focused on social media networking advertising, community management and web services. That model has evolved over time and since 2013, Buzzeff has been 100% focused towards online video advertising, having pioneered the technology behind digital video advertising.
MediAvataar MENA: Why the new corporate branding?
Jerome: As mentioned, our company has evolved tremendously over the years – we now offer our clients premium inventory across the MEA region, and have also recently announced our strategic growth plans for 2019. Given all this change, it was necessary to develop a brand identity that reflected the sophisticated positioning we are currently striving towards.
MediAvataar MENA: Tell us more about the transformation and how will it change the functioning of the company?
Jerome: Our 2019 growth plan is keeping us well on track towards where we see ourselves three years down the line. As we continue to grow, this corporate rebranding plays an increasingly important role in the perception of Buzzeff within the industry, especially as we expand our offering to advertising agencies and companies. Our corporate rebranding also underscores the importance of providing advertisers with the right platform so that their adverts are viewed by the appropriate target audience.
MediAvataar MENA: Your thoughts on the advertising industry in the UAE and beyond
Jerome: Given the increasing prominence of digital and online in people’s everyday lives, there has been a high demand for digital advertising. Over recent years, companies have seen a tremendous increase in consumers digesting news and information digitally rather than conventionally. There has also been a rise in online versions of publications and obviously the ubiquitous apps, allowing readers an additional platform to access their content, as they catch up with current news and stories whilst on the go.
MediAvataar MENA: How do you look at your competition?
Jerome: There is no direct competition per say, as Buzzeff provides a unique technology. Buzzeff has been given the region’s exclusive rights to distribute the latest video advertising technology, InRead. This innovative native advertising solution aligns content through editorial tags, which displays online content-relevant, video advertisements. InRead technology, specifically ‘out-streams’ advertisements rather than ‘pre-rolls’ which is commonly seen amongst our competitors. ‘Out-stream’ advertising allows viewers to watch videos when scrolling to a certain point of the article, this then pauses once the viewers have scrolled past. Commonly our competitors are seen to use ‘pre-roll’ advertisements giving viewers, in best cases, the chance to skip the video once the initial 5 seconds has passed.
MediAvataar MENA: What makes you unique?
Jerome: Buzzeff provides clients with unique access to a premium inventory via top tier publishing houses, which means a vast amount of advertising content which can be aligned with almost any topic. The model incorporates a ‘cost per complete view’ approach, ensuring that clients are not charged until their video adverts are viewed online for at least 30 seconds. This tailored approach demonstrates a specialised strategy with direct and relevant video placements, catering to organisations’ fundamental needs for a quality digital presence. The new inventory model provides the advertising industry with avenues aligned to brands’ geo-targeting by gender, age range, interest and verticals, all at scale.
MediAvataar MENA: How do you think the digital advertising space in the region is evolving?
Jerome: Advertisers are beginning to treat their consumers more as individuals, as opposed to a homogenous mass, which is where Buzzeff brings massive benefits. Our technology allows consumers to view an advertisement which is relevant to the topic which they are digesting, so for example, if your consumer is reading a piece on the banking sector an advert for the likes of a bank of a financial services company will appear.
MediAvataar MENA: Tell us more about the targeting game
Jerome: Advertisers need to take into consideration their content and context when producing successful adverts. To support these adverts, there needs to be a strategy in place so they reach the viewers they intend to target. A consumer is more likely to draw his / her attention to an advertisement if it is relevant to the content they are interested in reading / viewing.
MediAvataar MENA: Are marketers really investing in video advertising? Please share some numbers.
Jerome: According to Emarketer, video advertising investments are growing 20% plus YoY globally. This is one of the fastest growing advertisement segments in the industry. We have noticed the same trend in the MEA region even though 2015 did not experience as much growth as projected. Since 2013 we have attracted more than 200 new brands that have joined the video advertisers’ community and loyalty is above 90% renewal. The challenge is to increase investments per brand to shift it from testing to consistency.
MediAvataar MENA: What is that you offer that marketers should watch out for?
Jerome: We have recently celebrated becoming a premium platform with the recent achievement of reaching 50 million unique visitors. We will continue working with our technology partner, and their unique InRead technology, to further strengthen and develop the advertising industry in the region by bringing soon the programmatic advertising solution.