New York-based Taykey says its software is evolving from being used like an ad network into a tool for broader marketing strategies.
Taykey tries to help marketers sort out how best to reach an audience whose attention is increasingly diffuse. CEO and founder Amit Avner says since its inception, his company has helped push its clients’ ads alongside whatever is hot amongst their target audiences.
“If you want to advertise to 18-year-olds who like music, we can tell you that yesterday the No. 1 trend was Justin Bieber, and today the No. 1 trend is Taylor Swift,” he says.
The company says it developed a new software dashboard—unveiled this month and backed by $15 million raised recently—to offer trends-based insights that include social media content and analytics to help brands develop marketing strategies. Backers in the funding round include Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, as well as Marker, Sequoia Capital, Tenaya Capital, and SoftBank Capital.
Avner says the ad media network, which still exists, is largely for ad agencies. Taykey’s marketing dashboard, however, is geared to be used directly by brands. “I want clients to take advantage of our data more than just media buying,” he says.
Taykey is also developing software that he says will use data to predict what will be trending for the coming hours and days. “That way you will have more time to create content and react,” Avner says.
