Narrativ Unveils AI-Powered Content Marketing Platform Already Making Publishers Millions in Out of Stealth Launch

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2017 -- Narrativ, an industry leader in AI-powered content marketing, launches out of stealth today with the unveil of its patent-pending SmartLink technology.

Narrativ raised $3M in VC funding for their seed round to develop an innovative content marketing platform that uses machine learning to transform story components into organic ads without disrupting the consumer experience. Their SmartLink solution elevates editorial value and creates sustainability to the tune of millions for Narrativ’s network of premium publishers.

Dermstore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Target and the second largest beauty e-commerce retailer in the US, was one of Narrativ’s early partners to pilot SmartLinks.

“With Narrativ’s innovative technology and publisher network, we have been able to drive new customer growth at remarkable scale,” said Richie Singh, Dermstore VP of Marketing. “They’ve quickly become one of our most effective and important acquisition channels, which is why we continue to scale spend on their platform. The data, insights, and innovative marketing solutions they provide make Narrativ a category changer.”

The results speak for themselves: after implementing the patent-pending SmartLink technology, Dermstore’s ROI increased 67% YOY. Their revenue has grown 685%.

SmartLinks work by triggering a real-time auction each time a consumer clicks on a product link in editorial content they trust. More than 500 merchants currently partner with Narrativ and bid for traffic to products sold on their retail sites. Critical for today’s ad-averse audiences, SmartLinks are not impacted by AdBlock. This patent-pending technology lifts revenue for publishers and gives advertisers like Ulta, Neiman Marcus, and Bed Bath & Beyond unprecedented access to the most valuable customer pipeline in the world.

“Narrativ’s AI brings editorial and programmatic performance together in a content marketing platform that is the first of its kind. Their SmartLinks identify new commerce opportunities, increasing the value of our editorial.” - Camilla Cho, Executive Director of Business Development & Strategy at New York Magazine.

New York Magazine, an early adopter of SmartLinks on The Cut and now the Strategist, has seen the value of their content clicks lift 250% to date. SmartLinks have already dynamically redirected 98 million shoppers, improving user experience and reactivating revenue across Narrativ’s network of premium publishers.

“Sustainability needs to be a cornerstone of publishing,” said Shirley Chen, Founder and CEO of Narrativ. “This means setting a higher bar for the value of every pixel on every page - value for consumers, publishers, and advertisers.”

While driving double digit growth and acquisition as head of marketing at Moda Operandi, Chen saw an opportunity: organic content as a strategic lever to grow revenue. Products carried by Moda Operandi were frequently covered by top publishers like Vogue, but editors inconsistently linked readers to the retailer.

“At M’O, we were seeing 15X ROI and 70% new customers from content - vastly outpacing our other acquisition channels. Content was clearly supreme, but we couldn’t predict or control volume without manual solutions. I founded Narrativ to give brands the data, transparency, and technology to control their own fate in content,” said Chen.

To learn more about the company and the sustainable brand experiences they design, visit Narrativ.com

BOILERPLATE:

Narrativ is an industry leader in AI-powered content marketing. Our SmartLink AI transforms authentic story components - such as product links, quotes, and images - into organic ads that are not ad-blocked. This creates an unprecedented advertising channel for marketers, a seamless brand experience for users, and a sustainable monetization model for publishers.

With over 1 billion impressions in our first year, Narrativ’s premium publishing partners include Allure, GQ, New York Magazine, and more. More than 500 merchants, such as Ulta, Neiman Marcus, Dermstore, and Bed Bath & Beyond, bid in real time for editorial traffic on this network.

Contact
Laura Taylor
Marketing Manager
[email protected]