RAMP-The Content Optimization Company

If you have not yet witnessed the KFC/Taco Bell video exposing the 6th Avenue restaurant’s highly visible rodent problem, you may seriously want to consider how soon you would like to eat again before watching it.

Advertising Age published an article yesterday on the video documentation of the rat problem entitled, “Taco Hell: Rodent Video Signals New Era in PR Crises”. The article critiques Yum Brands for perceiving-and therefore portraying-the highly publicized rodent problem as containable and local. Such a miscalculation meant that Yum Brands got caught trying to fight the wild-fire, negative publicity with antiquated speed and technique. Yum Brands’ statement–posted on their home page after the news footage had already begun circulating the web–could not undo the horrible images that the rapid sharing of the video online had planted in consumers’ minds.

Today it may be harder–if not impossible–to escape exposure once the footage hits the internet. Whether you are the hysterical, hair-cutting bride of YouTube fame or Yum Brands trying to fight the association of rats with your restaurants, that users can upload, search for and share videos of your worst moments is a concern uniquely connected to new technology. Everybody and anybody can end up on YouTube; the new challenge may be for individuals and organizations to deal with the exposure of their less than shining moments.

As Vice President of Product, Kyle is responsible for product strategy, management and sales engineering. With more than a decade of experience, Kyle brings his passion for internet technology, software architecture and innovation to EveryZing. A veteran of successful start-ups, Kyle has deep experience in Search, Advertising and Content Management. He has held leadership positions with private and venture-funded startups including Secure-Bank, one of the first internet credit card processors; WebOS, a pioneer in AJAX web development and Third Screen Media, a leader in mobile advertising, which was acquired by AOL in 2007. With one of the first internet search engines, Lycos, he built content management systems used by Wired, Tripod and other properties. Prior to joining EveryZing, Kyle directed product development for NameMedia.

An interesting report recently emerged from the research firm Broadband Directions which claims the big TV networks aren’t adapting quickly enough to the internet in regards to offering broadband video service.

The report claims large file sharing sites are the true innovators here and the TV players really should be paying closer attention. Specifically, interactivity of content was one area the report saw huge discrepancies between the two. The users of file-sharing sites such as YouTube, Metacafe, and PodZinger are encouraged to share files with friends via links and email and embed files on their own profile pages or websites. Researches on the study typically found network sites only offering the ability to email files but were even quick to call this feature “sub-optimal”.

So what’s the solution?

As mentioned in an earlier post, CBS is one network touting their commitment to online broadband service through their partnerships with specialized technology providers. These providers are a who’s who of the Web 2.0 set, which get ease of use, interactivity, and the importance of open sharing capabilities as much as the big networks get creating ad revenue and producing high-quality content for mass-consumption. It’s too early yet to determine the compatibility of these new partnerships, but nobody doubts a successful marriage of their strengths will pay off in dividends.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – February 21, 2007 – PodZinger (www.podzinger.com), the world’s most powerful audio and video search engine and online advertising network, today announced that it has selected Joseph (Duke) Barnett as vice president of advertising sales. Barnett will lead PodZinger’s advertising initiatives, developing key business partnerships with leaders in the media industry to further drive the company’s growth.

“Our premier technology enables media companies to derive maximum value from their digital content and advertisers to deliver relevant messages to consumers inside that content, “said Alex Laats, CEO, PodZinger. “Given his previous leadership role with CBS, Duke is ideally suited to drive PodZinger’s sales strategy by helping our customers find new ways to monetize their content and drive premium advertising.”

Barnett brings more than nine years of advertising and sales experience with CBS Digital Media managing various properties including PGATour.com, NFL.com, CBSNews.com and NCAASports.com. His sports advertising knowledge will serve as a critical asset as PodZinger continues to expand as a premier content and advertising solutions provider for the online broadcast and radio industries.

Barnett most recently was director of sports and Eastern advertising sales at CBS Digital Media, where he managed the sales assets for CBS Sportsline and directed the East coast sales team, generating $36 million in 2006. During his work with CBS, he additionally developed key business partners and maintained strategic relationships with the NFL, NCAA and PGA Tour, acting as a liaison between the entities and managing millions of dollars in business.

“PodZinger’s search technology opens up online content for advertisers and provides an innovative solution to target consumers,” said Barnett, vice president of advertising sales, PodZinger. “I’m excited to be part of one of the most dynamic teams in the online space with PodZinger, and I am looking forward to building on and adding to their already impressive growth.”

About PodZinger
PodZinger is the leading audio and video search engine and advertising network for brands, content providers and consumers.  With PodZinger, consumers are able to find the most relevant content, content creators can monetize their online audio and video assets and advertisers can more effectively deliver their brand messages.

PodZinger, based in Cambridge, Mass., was recognized as the Best Web 2.0 Application in 2006 by the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange. PodZinger can be found at www.podzinger.com and through its network of affiliates.

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Once enigmatically entitled “The Venice Project,” Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis’ Joost has begun stirring things up in the television industry, on the internet, and in the exciting, less chartered territory where the two inevitably–and sometimes uncomfortably–collide. Joost is the newest service from the innovators who brought the world KaZaA and Skype. As the recent deal with Viacom illustrates, Joost attempts to solve the conundrum of uniting television and the internet while benefiting consumers and content owners alike.

Two of the enticing aspects of Joost–particularly when compared with YouTube–relate to copyright and advertising revenue. These are the areas which make Joost most appealing to Big Media companies like Viacom, Inc. Unlike YouTube, Joost only allows copyright owners to add their content. Also distinct is the revenue sharing that Joost offers to partners like Viacom for ads played with their content.

It will be interesting to see what impact Joost has on the developing relationship between television and internet. Perhaps the television industry, more comfortable with Joost’s copyright protection and revenue sharing for their content, will be more willing to think outside the literal and proverbial box as they search for new ways to bring programming and advertisements to consumers.

It’s becoming clear that if you want to play in the video search space, you must have your own media player to provide an enjoyable user experience, and hopefully get users to come back to your site. At least that’s what Yahoo and many other players are banking on to tap the fast-growing video advertising market.

If you have ever visited Yahoo’s Video Site, you will know why they’re so eager to improve the viewing experience. If you click on any result to watch a video, it resolves to whatever player you have selected as default on your PC (Microsoft’s Media Player, Real Networks or iTunes). For those of us who are accustomed to viewing video content on a streamlined media player like YouTube, Metacafe or PodZinger’s, Yahoo’s video search experience is very 1990’s and not quite appealing.

It should be interesting to watch if Yahoo’s gamble to improve their media player will erode market share from YouTube both in the minds of users and advertisers.

Are you a creator of audio or video? Do you have a website?

If you answered yes to both these questions, PodZinger is about to make your content MUCH easier to find. As part of our latest site enhancement, we have added the ability to create your very own PodZinger search box for placement on your website.
Here’s an example of how it looks (we apologize for the low-quality image, it’s really much prettier!):

Now you can allow your audience to search all of your audio and video content the same way they search for anything on the web. PodZinger searches the spoken words within your audio and video, not just the titles and meta-data. This provides more opportunities for your audience to find the good stuff in your material.

To get your customized search box, you will first need to sign-up with PodZinger, register your content, and follow the simple instructions in our “notices” section.

The 2007 Grammy Awards took place this Sunday with the reunited Police kicking off the evening of awards and entertainment. Other performances included Beyonce Knowles, Best New Artist winner Carrie Underwood, Hip-hop duo Gnarls Barkley, and The Dixie Chicks–winners of both Album and Song of the Year. Check out the video of their award-winning song “Not Ready to Make Nice” below.

dixie chicks not ready YouTube.com: pazu7 - Dixie Chicks – Not Ready To Make Nice

You can find video clips of your other favorite Grammy-winning artists on www.podzinger.com