Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Outbrain: a new ad medium is born near Union Square



Can "Content Discovery" help save the newspaper industry?

"Content Discovery" provides online readers high quality, personalized content at the end of each article on publisher websites.

Outbrain (www.outbrain.com), a NY-based content recommendation company and new Bruni PR client, is the leader in this new internet Trend and advertising medium. The three year-old startup's mission is to serve "interesting content" to online readers.

Google finds info that you're looking for; Outbrain's platform finds content/info you didn't know existed.

Media Companies are flocking to this web technology because it enhances reader experience, increases traffic and provides a valuable new revenue stream. By offering "sponsored recommendations", they generate revenue from advertisers/brands promoting their content next to the publisher’s own editorial.

Outbrain data shows that readers don't mind if content is paid. As long as it's interesting, they will click and engage with the content.

Outbrain's client list includes many major Media players: Conde Nast, USA Today, iVillage, Boston.com (Boston Globe), The Daily Beast, TheStreet, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, Seattle Times, VentureBeat, and Slate.

What's Outbrain's "secret sauce"?

Outbrain's proprietary technology personalizes content recommendations to the individual, helping each online reader discover new, interesting articles. The recommendations are based on contextual and behavioral algorithm.

Outbrain has raised over $18 million in Series A and B financing.

Outbrain's network reaches 150 million monthly users on the Web

Monday, August 09, 2010

Why Entertainment Will Drive the Next Checkin Craze


Why Entertainment Will Drive the Next Checkin Craze

Philo TV wowed the NY Tech Meetup audience last week here in NYC. I've been testdriving it and love checking in while I'm watching TV. Tonite, Philo TV followers will be chatting about the latest Jersey Housewives show, not high brow cultural stuff, but enough to get some traction for this fascinating coach potato app. Kudos to Founder David Levy and his team.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

LightSquared


Press Releases - LightSquared


I met Phil Falcone a few years back when I worked on a couple assignments for Harbinger Capital, which had become majority shareholder in Parmalat and was getting the message out to reporters covering Europe. The Italian press called him "Il Falcone", "the Falcon". Phil's lastest venture, a hugely ambitious wireless network called LightSquared, launched earlier today. Burson Marsteller is handling PR and has its hands full. Phil has to raise billions in debt to finance the project, and I believe, will likely prevail.

Monday, June 28, 2010

The Revenge of "Flogs"/ Four year Anniversary


AT&T Wireless PR (ATT_Wireless_PR) on Twitter


What's a Corporate PR Department's worst nightmare? A Twitter account that "fakes" your communications to the outside world. And, gets more attention than the "real" releases.

Ask AT&T's PR people. They are contending with a "fake" Twitter account that is making a laughing stock out of AT&T's PR Department and PR agency (probably Burson or H&K). Just today, NYT tech editor Damon Darlin lists the fake PR Twitter acct. as one of the "things he's following" right now, on a daily basis. Amazing endorsement from my favorite tech editor on the planet.

Edelman PR, the nation's largest Independent PR firm, started this mess a few years back with their infamous "flog" , fake blog for the Walmart account, a early desperate attempt by the PR industry to get its hands around Social Media. Ironically, four years later (almost to the day), we have the new order of "fake" communications, this time from the "other side" of the PR equation.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Papa John’s Recruits Facebook Fans to Create Next Pizza


Papa John’s Recruits Facebook Fans to Create Next Pizza

Can you crowdsource your next pizza recipe? My dad, Americo Bruni, owner-founder of Bruni's Pizzeria, the "king" of South Jersey pizza, would be appalled at the idea of leaving these decisions up to the customer, but times change even in the pizza business. Can't wait to show him the poll results. Pineapple with tofu and kimchi on pizza? Mama mia.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

My Foursquare Day (and Night)



Foursquare made history yesterday and I was proud to be part of it. I was one of the several hundred thousand or so Foursquare users around the globe who gathered to celebrate this amazing mobile LBS service/social network/game, which is morphing into a media platform, the CNN of young techies here in New York City. Foursquare hit the 1 million member mark as well as yesterday, according to Mashable and Techcrunch. I experienced the power of Foursquare Nation at the Foursquare Party in Hotel on Rivington Penthouse and partied with co-founders Dennis Crowley and Naveen, both rock stars of the reborn Silicon Alley in NYC.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Nestle vs. Greenpeace: How Not to Handle a Social Media PR crisis

Have a break? from Greenpeace UK on Vimeo.




The Nestle vs. Greenpeace PR battle that erupted this week shows PR pros what not to do in Social Media PR crisis: censor. When this Greenpeace video criticizing Nestle gained traction this week, Nestle's PR folks decided to try to muscle YouTube into censoring the vid. and deleting comments about it. Not a smart PR strategy. The resulting furor has increased coverage of the battle.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

2010 Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW Finalists | SXSW.com




2010 Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW Finalists | SXSW.com

NY startups featured at this year's SXSW BizSpark Competition :
AnyClip, Topguest , Knowem? , ChallengePost, Udorse