*By Conor White*
Giphy, the internet's largest search engine for gifs, is turning its attention to advertising ー and it has a simple strategy.
"We need to make ads that don't suck," said Adam Leibsohn, the company's COO. "We always say, you should entertain, not advertise."
Giphy has worked on six- and seven-figure deals with major brands like [Absolut Vodka](https://giphy.com/absolutvodka) and [Dunkin' Donuts](https://giphy.com/dunkindonuts), as well as a campaign for the film ["Sorry to Bother You"](https://giphy.com/sorry2botheryou). Leibsohn said Monday in an interview on Cheddar the advertising angle is a natural approach for Giphy.
"Paid search is our revenue model," he said. "So, you can basically place content in relevant searches, so that your content comes back as the first result, and then people use it a lot more."
With 300 million daily active users who serve up 5 billion gifs, Leibsohn said, the platform is looking to turn a profit for the first time in its five-year history.
"People really love to use \[gifs\], in messaging, in communication, in social," Leibsohn said. "What we've been starting to do is work with brands to help them get involved in those conversations."
Though the company isn't openly discussing its revenue goals, Leibsohn said he expects significant growth, thanks to the new partnerships ー and he doesn't expect the public to get sick of the medium any time soon.
"It's not really fatigue because every day a different piece of culture, a different piece of content is what's driving the conversation, so as long as culture remains moving, gifs remain popular."
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjE5OTQ=).
Nissan is revving up its commitment to electric vehicles. the Japanese automaker announcing plans to invest $500 million to transform its assembly plant in Mississippi to build two all-new EV models starting in 2025. It's all part of Nissan's goal to have 23 electrified models for the Nissan and Infiniti brands globally by 2030. Ashwani Gupta, Nissan's COO, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss this announcement and the company's EV goals moving forward.
Cepton made its debut on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ‘CPTN’ on Thursday. Jun Pei, the co-founder and CEO, joined Cheddar News to discuss going public and its lidar-based solutions for improving safety in autonomous features in cars. "It's really just a huge benefit in addition to radar and camera, and becomes an entire sensor suite that will bring cars to a higher level, both for safety and autonomy."
New York City's famous subway system is currently facing scrutiny after several recent attacks on platforms. Now, local leaders in the Big Apple are calling on the MTA. To step in and take action.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Evolution Devices CEO breaks down how the Evowalk wearable device can help those with walking impairments; Cresilon CEO explains how he's created a plant-based gel to easily treat wounds in both humans and animals; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Colorado Problem.'
Pier Mantovani, Founder and CEO of Evolution Devices, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the Evowalk wearable device can help those with walking impairments, and how remote physical therapy is becoming a reality.
Joe Landolina, CEO and Co-Founder of Cresilon, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how he's created a plant-based gel to easily treat wounds in both humans and animals.
The virtual world of the metaverse continues to present a bright future for many artistic creators. A group of six mural artists from the Bay Area have decided to turn their painted and installed murals into a one-of-a-kind collectible. Thanks to NFTS these murals can be enhanced and extend far beyond just their physical walls. Muralist and Creative Director of the Bay Area mural program Rachel Wolfe Goldsmith, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
New York City ride-hailing app drivers are about to get a pay raise. According to the city's Mayor Eric Adams, New York will increase its minimum driver pay rate for both Uber and Lyft drivers. This means both platforms would now be required to pay their drivers a minimum of $1.61 cents per mile and about 0.50 cents per minute. Ultimately, the move would give riders at least a 5.3% race. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
