*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=).

Share:
More In Technology
Stocks Close Higher as U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Russia After It Attacks Ukraine
U.S. stocks rebounded to end higher on Thursday after President Biden announced new sanctions against Russia following the country's attack on Ukraine. The Dow was down 859 points at its lowest point of the session, before ultimately finishing the day in the green. Melissa Armo, founder and owner of the Stock Swoosh, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Storytelling Road Trip App HearHere Raises $3.2 Million
HearHere bills itself as a mobile audio entertainment app for road trips. The company just announced $3.2 million in seed funding led by Camping World, a retail company that sells recreational vehicles and camping supplies. HearHere's GPS-powered app offers over 8,880 stories across the continental U.S. and serves up the stories based on a users' geographic location and interests. The stories are narrated by some big-name celebrities including actor Kevin Costner, who is a co-founder of the company. Woody Sears, co-founder and CEO of HearHere, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
NASA Veteran on New Telescope Program Looking at First Galaxies to Form in Universe
On December 25, 2021, NASA got into the holiday spirit by launching the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful space science observatory in history. It is intended to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship mission in astrophysics and is able to view objects too old and distant for Hubble. Gregory Robinson, director of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope program, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the mission. "I think a lot of what we don't know today is what I'm expecting to find and certainly really understand what took place more than 13.5 billion years ago and see the formation of some of the first galaxies in our universe," said Robinson.
Spotter Raises $200 Million to Invest $1 Billion Dollars in YouTube Creators
YouTube creator platform Spotter recently announced $200 million in Series D financing at a valuation of $1.7 billion, led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Spotter allows YouTubers to license the rights to their video catalogs in exchange for large sums of cash paid upfront. The company's clients include some of YouTube's most popular personalities, with a combined total of more than 1.2 billion subscribers. Aaron Debevoise, founder and CEO of Spotter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Automakers, Semiconductor Companies, and More Could See Negative Impacts from Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The Russia-Ukraine conflict drags on — and global economies could see pandemic-era prices and supply chain issues come back full force. Both countries supply key commodities and materials, including semiconductor production. That sector, in particular, was hit hard by the pandemic and was just beginning to see a recovery when the invasion began. What happens next? Do companies have enough to fall back on and can they rely on pandemic-era measures to stay afloat? Everett Millman, Chief Market Analyst at Gainesville Coins, joins Closing Bell to discuss which sectors are being hit the hardest, rising prices, how consumers could feel the impact, and more.
TikTok Extends Max Length of Videos to 10 Minutes
TikTok is extending the maximum length of its platform's clips to 10 minutes in length, a big leap from its three-minute cap, in order to keep up with competitors such as YouTube and Instagram Reels.
Load More