Buzzfeed snaps up Pinterest exec to bolster its ad analytics
Buzzfeed has raided Pinterest for its ad analytics lead Edwin Wong in a bid to strengthen its own measurement offering for advertisers.
Buzzfeed snaps up Pinterest exec to bolster its ad analytics.
Wong is the publisher’s new vice president of research and insights, and will be joined by other additions to the team later in the year, according to Ad Week. He will report to chief marketing officer Frank Cooper and will work with brands to understand how their campaigns are performing around its content as well as deepen Buzzfeed’s own audience insights.
In a statement sent to Ad Week, Wong said:, "After hearing Frank Cooper speak at SXSW this year, I was particularly inspired by BuzzFeed's vision for cross-platform content development, distribution and the unique connection they have with their audience."
Wong’s move comes as Buzzfeed steps up efforts to expand its advertising services. At the South by Southwest conference earlier this year, the publisher revealed Swarm, a service that lets brands purchase ads simultaneously across six of the publisher’s social platforms.
While the reach of the service is undoubted – Buzzfeed averages 6 billion monthly content views – the publisher has admitted the challenge will be bringing in robust measurement.
Wong joined Pinterest in 2015 as head of partner insights and prior to that worked held similar responsibilities at Yahoo over seven years.
His arrival comes after two high profile departures in recent months; Digby Jones, the publisher’s director of brand strategy left in April for Iris around the same time as European general manager Kate Burns departed around the same time, who has yet to reveal her next role.
BuzzFeed has slashed its revenue projections for the year ahead after it fell $80m short of hitting its 2015 internal financial targets.