BEN Group, the entertainment AI company that integrates brands into influencer, streaming, TV, music, and film content, along with its content optimization platform TubeBuddy, today announced a milestone 2021 H1. The company has experienced dramatic growth across its influencer marketing, product placement, creator and content optimization, and celebrity licensing divisions over the past five years. As the entertainment, media, and advertising industries adapt to global reopenings, BEN Group is expanding its business to meet an unprecedented demand for non-disruptive advertising and empowering the flourishing creator economy. In the first half of this year, BEN Group achieved record revenue, fostered new partnerships, deepened existing client relationships, further enhanced proprietary AI and data capabilities, and appointed several new executives across its international business.
In H1, BEN Group’s influencer marketing and product placement divisions saw a +108% increase in the number of new clients signed as compared to H1 2020. Some of these new clients include 1-800 Contacts, Gameloft, HP, Nutrafol, Turtle Beach, and VSCO. Additionally, the businesses drove a +66% increase in revenue and a +164% increase in total bookings YoY. BEN Group’s influencer division saw a +91% increase in pieces of content executed across a +77% increase in campaigns executed YoY.
“As our world emerges from lockdown, we’re seeing social media content and streaming shows and films continue to play a vital role in defining digital culture. With this shift, there is more opportunity for brands to participate in and empower the creator economy than ever before,” said Ricky Ray Butler, CEO of BEN Group. “We’re excited by all of the ways in which content creation, distribution, and monetization are evolving, and our team is committed to helping brands navigate the entertainment ecosystem and drive value.”
In addition to BEN Group’s groundbreaking work with clients, and consistent with its mission and vision, the company continued to expand its AI accuracy and capabilities throughout H1 across major platforms including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. BEN Group’s AI team expanded its proprietary technology’s audience mapping tool on Instagram by 6.5x, fueling a deeper understanding of viewership. Additionally, BEN Group improved its AI’s ability to predict demographics on Instagram by 32%. This improvement allows BEN Group to more precisely identify and match the most impactful partnerships, ultimately empowering content monetization for creators and driving meaningful audience connections for brands.
TubeBuddy ended Q2 with more than eight million users, up 60% YoY. TubeBuddy also hosted the first annual International #CreatorDay in April. The event was designed to celebrate creators and the fans, organizations, and causes that inspire them. #CreatorDay culminated in an eight-hour live stream featuring more than 30 prominent creators including Peter Hollens, Max Belsing, Trey Kennedy, Alex Clark, Evan Carmichael, Ali Abdaal plus industry luminaries like Jim Louderback, Lauren Schnipper, and Josh Cohen, ultimately resulting in TubeBuddy’s largest new subscriber weekend to date. Additionally, TubeBuddy expanded its YouTube channel team and welcomed Shelly Nathan, a YouTube expert and educator who hosts “Shelly Saves The Day,” as a full-time in-house YouTube and Product Expert.
BEN Group has rapidly scaled its international team to match demand for its services. Since the start of the year, the company has hired 100 new employees across its global offices, of which 65 were brought on to the influencer marketing division. BEN Group welcomed several executives across its product placement, influencer marketing, AI, and TubeBuddy teams to lead its explosive growth. They include:
- Allison Maxwell, VP of Insights
- Angelita Sierra, VP of Strategic Brand Partnerships
- Benjamin Funke, Executive Director of TubeBuddy Operations
- Elizabeth Wright, VP of Client Services
- Justin Dewiel, VP of Strategy
- Katrina Frank, VP of Global Agency & Industry Marketing
- Marisa Costa, VP of Influencer Client Development
- Pauline Malcolm Thornton, SVP of Client Development
- Rick Li, Executive Director, APAC Client Development
- Scott Spencer, SVP of Operations
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