videoegg - find a better way

8/9/2019 VideoEgg - Find a better way.

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Find a better way.Working at VideoEg


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We love it at its very best. And we love what it enables journalism,

sport, art and culture

But lets face it, most people hate advertising most of the time.

Necessary evil or opportunity to find a better way?

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Find a better way is aboutoptimism. And tenacity.

Thinking what if notwhat is. Some say a bitof naivety is helpful. Were

fine with that. Mostly, itsa compulsion to crack big,hairy problems.

Turn dissatisfactioninto inspiration.Slay the beast.

Feel good whenyou go home.


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If advertising had a little more

resPect for the public, the publicwould have a lot more respect

for advertising.

James Randolf Adams, AdvertisingPioneer

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When Dave Lerman, KevinSladek and I founded VideoEgg,our goal was to make it easy for anyone to publish video

online. So much has changed since then; it almost seems

like a world away. But one thing remains the same: the

VideoEgg team still has the same intense passion for

crafting the right solutions to tough problems that has

always been at our core.

Today we work hard to make online advertising more

engaging and accountable for some of the worlds largest

brands including Adidas, Disney, GM, Intel and P&G. But

our work doesnt end there. We spend a lot of time thinking

about the consumer experience and constantly push

ourselves to build new forms of advertising that respect and

engage users. Its our focus on solving the complex challenge

of delivering engaging ad experiences that brings us all

together.

Building a company is hard, but fun work. Its been qu

a journey and what has made it so rewarding, and for

that matter exciting, is that we have always been hon

with ourselves about our shortcomings, learned from

mistakes and charted a new course quickly to stay ah

in an ever-changing industry. This is a tight-knit team

thrives on problem solving and we constantly challen

ourselves to find a better way. We really are in this tog

and its that mentality thats been a pillar to our succe

So while our business has shifted over the last five ye

the desire to do the right thing and conduct business

integrity hasnt changed. Thats what makes this such

place to work and why we always attract a certain kin

person. The kind of person that likes a challenge, wanlearn something new each day, isnt afraid to make m

and most importantly, knows how to laugh. If that sou

like you, VideoEgg will instantly feel like home.

- Matt Sanche


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Make digitaladvertisingmoreinterestingfor people,more

manageablefor marketers.

mission.

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Value of attention

Value of impression

Weve never had more ways to

communicate with people. Yet its never

been more difficult to get real attention.

The media world is being transformed.

Better advertising delivery approaches

and valuation models will emerge.

We are shaping the new media world.

opportunity.


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VideoEgg in six icons.We are building the new ad platform for brands: Technology and

services to create, deliver and measure brand experiences at scaleacross a multi-channel digital landscape.

understandwhat works

across channels

DELIVER ATTENTION

CONNECT THE AGENCY

create experiences

MAKE IT EASIER

08

rich


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Its always interesting to start working at

a new place, especially from an engineers

point of view. Understanding legacy

systems and figuring out why certain

decisions were made is often the first task

most engineers are confronted with.

When I first started at VideoEgg, I needed

to quickly learn the existing client ad

platform so I could help maintain and

improve it. After two months, I was part

of the team that had the good fortune of

being able to rewrite the entire ad

platform from scratch. An engineers

dream come true.

The legacy ad platform had gone through

several mutations, was several years old,

and starting to show its age. We decided

to architect and develop a new client ad

platform that would do everything the old

platform could do and more. It would be

more scalable, flexible and modular. We

also wanted to enable our creative team

to build ads for the new platform quickly

and easily.

After a number of brainstorming sessions,

we had a plan. We would build a modular

system that would al low the creation of ads

of all shapes and sizes that could

interact with each other. The new tools for

the creative team would enable them to

work in the native Flash IDE, reducing the

learning curve and increasing productivity.

The new ad platform would need to load

and run multiple ads on a web page and do

everything from handling data collection to

enabling communication between two

different ads. Through a combination of

javascript, css, and Flash, we were able to

create what most software engineers would

recognize as a controller in a typical MVC

pattern, only this controller was embedded

in the web page and was able to act as the

maestro for directing ad traffic on our

partners sites.

In parallel, we set out to create a set of

custom components and tools for the Flash

IDE that our creative team could use to

create ads quickly and effectively.

Using Actionscript 3 and JSFL, we created

a project administration panel, complete

with Subversion functionality, inside of the

Flash IDE. We also created a set of custom

Flash components that we might use in an

ad including Twitter components and

mapping all the fun stuff that our

advertisers want to see. They simply

needed to open up a new project, drag

some components onto the stage, skin

them, and voila!

We have gone through our first prod

with the new platform and are pleas

the results. We are now working on

second product and learning how to

the platform even more modular and

flexible. The creative team is happy

because we have made their life eas

The solutions team is happy because

whatever new product they dream u

are ready to handle it. And, most

importantly, our advertisers are happ

because they get great ads that can

built quickly and inexpensively.

A tough day at VideoEgg is also a

satisfying one management listens

the engineers and provides the resou

we need, we listen to client services

together are building the best ad

platform out there.

- Shan

Life in the Egg: An engineers perspectiveon re-hatching the ad platform.

P E R S P E C T I V E


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iPad: a touching response.At a press conference the week after the iPad launched, Steve Jobs

introduced his new mobile OS along with his exclusive network for an

exclusive ad unit: the iAd. In Jobs vision of the world and a direct hit

to competitor Eric Schmidt of Google mobile devices are not about

search, but about app usage.

As Steve describes it, the iPad is: our most advanced technology in

a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price that wil l

change everything about mobile devices. From our perspective, we

are pretty sure this new device will change one thing: the mobile web

browsing experience.

Since the integration of Internet access into phones, companies have

been trying to figure out how to use these uniquely personaldevices for marketing. Most mobile advertising

is currently text-based or tiny, dull banners

placed on a limited number of WAP sites.

Only within apps and mostly iPhone

or Android phone apps at that is

anything approaching what we would

call rich media possible. And since

the penetration of iPhones and Android

devices in the US represents less than

5% of the total mobile market according to

comScore, is it really worth it for a marketer?

The market also hasnt matured because there

is little understanding of how consumers engagewith content on small-screen mobile devices.

Now that problem changes character with a

bigger touchscreen and we already know

how touchscreens have changed behavior on

smartphones. People with touchscreens are

more likely to click on the ads reports show

that click through behavior on iPhones and

Android phones are virtually identical and

are more likely to already be engaging in mobile

commerce.

I dont know how people will use the iPad. I feel safe in saying

that the real-world use cases for the iPad will be determined byobserving its use and not by the technology itself. But there are a few

things we have to be aware of with the device, as it could be the true

game changer for mobile web browsing.

Apple is shutting out Adobe by declaring that HTML5 is the only

programming language that ads on Apple devices can be programmed

in. Thats a huge challenge to marketers and agencies used to building

wired web ads in Flash. While they would like to simply port ad

the iPad, the reality is not so simple.

Rushing headlong into a new thing without understanding its

fundamental differences is a recipe for failure. And this is a new

The iPad is a tactile device. Fingers are king. And fingers dont o

the way a mouse does. They are not pinpoint activators of finely

delimited, image-mapped navigation. How should the web work

you can touch it? How do my stubby fat fingers manipulate the

content as my wifes fine thin ones? Just like a glove, one standa

school approach to content wont fit all.

The iPhone has trained people that they can flick to zoom in and

to zoom out. If that behavior takes place on the iPad, weto re-think what an impression is. Can we deve

a content hierarchy that changes based on t

zoom level, in order to maximize the value

impression no matter its user-determined s

We might want to go back to basics and r

whether impressions should be dumped in

of paying based on interactions. What doe

mean to expand an ad, or navigate content

ad, when people use their fingers to trace an

intent to move the pieces around? What sort o

should we start tracking w

those fingers can tell us s

Early television was repu

radio drama performed fo

camera sold to single spons

took time and experimentation

producers learned to visualize the

and advertisers learned to create the

spots. The same was true of the Interne

And the same is true, on a potentially smaller

less important scale, of mobile advertising. The iP

the new advertising platform on the block iAd repre

next step in the evolution of interactive media and will give dev

tools that wil l allow them to incorporate ads users can view wit

leaving their apps.

Its only a few weeks old lets not think we know the answers y

- Matt Ro

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Our ads expand like th is. Advertisers can do pretty much

anything in here. Video, games, maps, tweets.

Everything is shareable across social environments.grows

RunswildAdFrames is a

multi-platform system.

The same experience

runs across mobile

environments, like

the iPhone.

BORNThe AdFrames system and creation tools enable

teams to create lots of sizes like this very quickly.

Doc stays put.We recently added Doc to the

AdFrames product suite. Doc isanchored to the bottom of a site

(users can always close it). It

expands and delivers the same

rich experiences as other

AdFrames products.

The life

and timeof an ad.


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This is

what AVideoEgglookslike onthe inside.

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Culture snapshot

14

27.2%

33.8%

22.1%

48.5%

44.9%

10.3%

44.1%

6.6%

44.1%

19.9%

30.1%

19.9%

18.4%

21.3%

8.8%

38.2%

31.6%

10.3%

28.7%

2.9%

20.6%

62

Loves hard tech problems

Gadget geek

Gamer

Thinks green

Breakfast for dinner

Brew master

Wine enthusiast

Vegetarian

Amateur gourmet

Fetish for design

Photo enthusiast

Has a kid

More than one cat or dog

Cant say no to karaoke

Toured with a band

Lived in more than 5 cities

Been to 4+ continents

Marathon runner

Plays on a sports team

Skateboards to work

Bikes to work

Outdoor enthusiast


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Peeps.

Hometown: San Diego, CA

VideoEgg to me: Boasts a qual ity corporate culture and

a work space that is fastpaced with talented forwardthinkers always trying to push the envelope. Its afamily of social media nuts, charming nerds, creativecomrades and baby geniuses. VideoEgg has become

synonymous with ENGAGEMENT and like the schwagsays, Advertising pays my bills.

Favorite VideoEgg moment: Receiving my scepter ofTecate beer from Chris Downs at the Christmas partyin 08.

People are often surprised to know:I used to live at

skate parks growing up. My after school activitiesincluded building half pipes, fun boxes and rail slides.

Things that make me smile: Going to music shows,day trips with friends to Tomales Bay, trying new grub

joints, beer tastings and traveling.

Courtney howardHometown:Montreal, Quebec

VideoEgg to me: Is about respect, willingness and

tenacity. Its about respect for our talented team, ourclients, and the consumers we help our clients reach. Itsa willingness to take smart risks, attack hard problems,and to build a culture that promotes individual talent.

And its the tenacity to always push ourselves to bebetter to strive for greatness and to never give up.

Favorite VideoEgg moment: Winning big deals

People are often surprised to know: That I was thelead singer and main writer of post-punk rock band,The Snitche

Things that make me smile: Writing music, playing withmy 7yearold daughter, volunteering.

Mike webberHometown: San Diego, CA

VideoEgg to me: Is both challenging and stim

but at the same time a place where everyone ipassionate and truly enjoys their work.

Favorite VideoEgg moment: Eggstock Fall 200

first Eggstock experience and the account maperformed the Slumdog Millionaire dance for training video. Great bonding moment with m

fellow team.

People are often surprised to know: I love golftraveling and music festivals.

Things that make me smile: Traveling, my famgreat dinners with good friends.

Kathleen Guingab

Hometown: San Marcos, TX

VideoEgg to me: Is an environment that has helped me

grow into the person I am today. Having started withthe company right out of college, Ive found friendship,support and incredible opportunities.

Favorite VideoEgg moment: Dressing up as our companymascot, Shelly the bird, and filming the VideoEggholiday greeting in my neighbors chicken pen. Chickenscan be quite intimidating when youre on their turf.

People are often surprised to know: From 2000-2001, Iwas the reigning Texas Junior Miss.

Things that make me smile: Hiking, backpacking, andcanoeing with my husband and our two dogs. Singing in

just about any location, be it in a karaoke bar, on stage orin the car.

LAUREN LINDHometown: San Francisco, CA

VideoEgg to me: A great ab workout - not every meeting

has a debate, but every meeting and every debate

guarantees a laugh until your stomach hurts

Favorite VideoEgg moment: Can something so terrifying

be my favorite? The halloween costume contest.

People are often surprised to know: I can watch HGTV

for hours on end.

Things that make me smile: Puppies.

SONALI KOTHARIHometown: Pittsburgh, PA

VideoEgg to me: Is challenging work, fun, frien

people and an appreciation for a nice snifter of

Favorite VideoEgg moment: Launching new p

its nice to see it all come together.

People are often surprised to know: I am one ochildren. And before you ask, yes, my family iCatholic.

Things that make me smile: Hanging with mywife, making wine, hiking, snowboarding, travlistening to and making music.

SHANE DOSCH


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Things we do...

We are straightforward and clear.

We like solving complex problems.

We care less about our competitors andmore about our clients.

We believe details make the product.

We think good service really matters.

So does good design.

We like to laugh.

We care about the world.

We are ambitious.

We zag.

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LIFE work

Moms and dads, rockers, sailors,

cyclists, cooks and singers,

dancers, skaters, beer makersand piano fixers.

Interesting people work here.

Its better that way.


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5 difficultquestionswed like

to answerwith data

1. Can we quantify the branding value of usercontrol and choice when viewing ads?

2. What are the design principles that drive timspent with an ad?

3. Are people who elect to engage with an adalready pre-disposed to the brand?

4. Can we use regression analysis to mapthe Internet for premium engagement

opportunities?

5. How can brain wave measurement help usunderstand engagement with, attention to,and cognitive processing of online video?

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Im fond of saying

There are a

million ways

to build a data

warehouse, and

only a few ofthem work.While the benefits of a properly designed,

operational data warehouse (DW) are

great, the complexity of the engineering

problems faced, the scale of data

processed and stored, and the cost of

the components combine to make DWs

some of the most dangerous projects for

smaller companies to embark upon.

That said, here at VideoEgg, we have

managed to try two different ways of

building a DW, the first a failure and the

second a success (so far, and keep those

fingers crossed!).

When I joined VideoEgg in November

of 2007, we had just begun our first

attempt at a DW to process the

terabytes of ad interaction data we

collect. By the time we pulled the plug

on that attempt, a year had passed and

we had precious little in the way of a

working DW to show for ourselves. So

what went wrong? Several things:

1. We chose to build our DW on

untested, expensive third-party

software that we were unable to

improve or debug on our own

2. We chose a scripting language (PHP)

to develop our ETL process in, which

turned out to be a task it was ill-

equipped to handle

3. We had a team of five peoplewith poorly defined roles and an

environment that didnt foster

communication.

4. We failed to plan for failures in the

data pipeline, which lead to frequent

data corruptions.

After l icking our wounds, we decided

to try again, determined to do it right

this time. Starting in April of 08, our

CTO Dave Lerman, began work on a

prototype of a new DW. When I joined

the project in June of that year, we

began taking the code from prototype

to robust application. On August

7th, we released our first Beta to our

customers followed shortly by a GA

release. Our customers were happy, and

we were finally reaping the benefits of

a DW. So what went right this time?

First, we made a decision to useOpen Source tools for the entire stack,

from ETL all the way through to

presentation/BI. This focus on Open

Source saved us a lot of money, but

more importantly it let us leverage the

large and helpful Hadoop and Hi

communities to solve problems a

ran into them.

Second, we focused on the data

integrity issue from the outset. In

new system, we planned for failu

at every step of the data pipeline

When an error occurred, we coul

always guarantee the data was l

in a consistent state, isolating ou

customers from corrupt or invalid

Finally, we changed the team

environment. We went with a tw

person team initially, kept more o

lines of communication, opened u

floor plan and got out of our cubi

As weve added new members to

team, this new openness has ma

collaboration much easier.

Second chances are rare in this

industry. Being able to take the le

learned from a failed DW project

apply them almost immediately t

the next iteration has been a real

eye-opening experience. I can sa

say that the DW 2.0 project here a

VideoEgg has been the highlight

my career thus far. It has encaps

everything I look for when judgin

engineering projects: interestingproblems to solve, the right set of

to solve them, room to innovate a

healthy team environment.

- Jason M

Data. Take two.


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Imagine hundreds of millions of peopleall going about their business. Imagineunderstanding enough about a veryspecific group of them to get their attentionand have a conversation. Imagine doing itin a way that is impactful but respectful atthe same time. This is how we approach

the network. This is PeopleNetworks.

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VideoEgg Cares is how we use ourresources to support importantcauses. Like (RED), an innovativeorganization working to elimininateaids in Africa.

USE THIS ADto make the

world better.

VIDEOEGG IS PROUD TO BE A PROMOTIONAL PARTNER

Cares


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For online advertising network VideoEgg,

2009 was a great yearthe company more

than doubled revenues to $25 million last

year and reached profitability... TechCrunch

As the Web matures as a branding

medium, 2010 should be the year when more

publishers and marketers explore new pricing

mechanisms that better reflect their goals.

Promising starts have already been made incost-per-engagement and

time-based ad models by networks like

VideoEgg. AdWeek

When it comes to richmedia

ads on the Internet that employ

video, engagement

matters

enormously.

Environment, not

so much. Thats

the major and in

some ways surprising

take-away from a new study

conducted by VideoEgg and

comScore. MediaWeek

Nate Elliott, a principal analyst at Forrester

Research, said VideoEgg has innovated with

formats and particularly with pricing. The

performance pricing model has appealed

strongly to advertisers in the midst of a

recession, and VideoEgg competitors are

now following suit with similar offeringsIn

general, Elliott said online video advertising

continues to be one of the fastest categories of

online advertising...

San Francisco Business Times

If you have high

quality content,

you might

consider arich media ad

network such asVideoegg. These

ads are generally better looking, take

advantage of the unique capabilities

of a smartphone (accelerometer and

video for example), and therefore

command higher engagement from

users. VentureBeat

VideoEggs new ROI offeringprovides

consumer packaged goods (CPG) advertisers

additional insight into their online video and

rich media advertising. The company thinkstheyve mastered the online advertising

formula and can help their clients connect the

dots between online ad exposures and offline

retail purchases. Mashable

People are talking.

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0:)


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Founded in 2005.Privately held. Profitable if wewant to be.Operations in nine markets includingAustralia, Canada, UK. 100% year-over-year globalsales growth in 2009.Represent 90% of the biggest

digital advertisers in North America.Reaching morethan 100 million global uniques. Delivering one billionimpressions per month.

Still restless.

Restlessness is discontentand discontent is the first

necessity of progress.Show me a thoroughlysatisfied man andI will show you a failure.

Thomas Edison


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When was the last time online advertisingmade you feel something?

videoegg - find a better way

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