iMedia: popsauce network

I should start this post by telling you that popsauce is a client of Catalyst:SF’s, so take that for what you will. Popsauce was the transportation sponsor of iMedia, offering attendees transit from the airport to the location.

Popsauce network, in case you didn’t see the press last week, is the new network that links a variety of UGC- and premium-video and other content sites, anchored by venerable ebaumsworld.com. The positioning is that the sites offer brands a brand safer way to participate in the phenom of UGC and buzz. The sites, according to a recent quantitative survey, attract an opinion leader audience, which adds to the appeal of buying from them.

It reminds me of how standards of content appropriateness are evolving, not necessarily weakening, but certainly changing from the days when Lucy and Ricky slept in separate beds and Westerns rarely showed blood.

Popsauce’s approach is to strike a balance between giving users freedom to post what they want and the needs of advertisers not to have wet t-shirt contest vids adjacent to brand messages. Using Scan Scout’s brand protector solution, the network screens content on advertiser supported pages while allowing maximum freedom in areas where brand messages do not appear.

It’s an innovative concept and one whose time has come. Over the next several months, major brands will get to vote on the methodology with their dollars. I think (and not just because they are a client but you have to trust me on that bit) that this solution is fascinating and worthy of support. As the percentage of popular web content that is citizen-generated explodes, brands need ways to participate. Popsauce may be the way for your brand.

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to write.