July 26, 2024

Clutch, a marketplace for digital marketing services, has been acquired by the online social network Plaiced, Clutch’s co-founder, Madison Long, told TechCrunch.

**Full Article:** https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/26/digital-marketing-startup-plaiced-has-acquired-precursor-ventures-backed-clutch/ 

The deal closed earlier this week for undisclosed terms. 

“The creator economy is growing rapidly, we knew to remain competitive and really be able to take over market share, an acquisition would be the strongest next step,” Long told TechCrunch. 

Long and Simone May founded Clutch in 2020 to help connect people to businesses looking for marketing and content creation. We last spoke to the duo in August 2022 after they closed a $1.2 million pre-seed round led by Precursor Ventures. At the time, the company had more than 200 creators on the platform and a 3,000-person waitlist. Since then, over 600 people have signed up to use Clutch and the company worked with more than 70 brands, including Hearst Media, Long said. 

But the journey had its setbacks. Clutch restructured itself last June and conducted layoffs to prioritize profitability — which it ultimately did reach this year. During that time, May stepped down from her role as CTO to focus more on her family, leaving Long as CEO. Long said she thought about continuing to run the company independently, but, especially with GenAI in the picture, the content creation industry was changing rapidly. “The deciding factor to sell was finding the right partner who could take us further,” she said. 

She was introduced to Plaiced CEO Kaaveh Shoamanesh in early May at a networking event and from there, the talks of an acquisition began. She felt Plaiced was the right partner because she said it and Clutch aligned on its values. “There are very few platforms in our industry that prioritize paying creators what they deserve and not compromising on this,” she said. 

Shoamanesh said he’s also excited about the deal, saying it will help Plaiced expand its network by working with more creators. “It also offers more monetization opportunities for creators leveraging our existing network of online communities,” he told TechCrunch. 

As a new founder, Long found herself reading as many books as she could about M&A, talking to founders who recently exited, as well as weighing the pros and cons of letting a company she helped build go. “Nothing can fully prepare you for your first exit,” she said. “I’d been working on Clutch for 5 years, and 3 years full-time. Hired over a dozen people, raised $2 million, and yet, this was definitely one of the hardest chapters of our company’s journey so far.” 

The Clutch team is small — only four right now — and of the four, some have decided to stay while others have found other job opportunities and Long will stay on as an advisor for at least 18 months. 

“It’s our number one priority that their collaborations are not impacted due to the acquisition,” she said. 

Long says that her next personal goal is to spend more time with her family and “take time to take care of myself, rest, and reflect.”

Written by: Dominic Madori-Davis for TechCrunch

Clutch, a marketplace for digital marketing services, has been acquired by the online social network Plaiced, Clutch’s co-founder, Madison Long, told TechCrunch...

TechCrunch: Plaiced acquires Creator Platform Clutch

Clutch, a marketplace for digital marketing services, has been acquired by the online social network Plaiced, Clutch’s co-founder, Madison Long, told TechCrunch.

TechCrunch: Digital marketing startup Plaiced has acquired Precursor Ventures-backed Clutch

June 2, 2023

Standing out from the crowd is crucial for success in the competitive realm of movie marketing. Plaiced, the pioneering contextual advertising company for online community groups, has demonstrated its expertise by driving Robert Rodriguez’s electrifying thriller, Hypnotic, starring the talented Ben Affleck, to a boost in box office sales. Through strategic promotion within targeted online community groups, Plaiced not only generated significant buzz but also boosted Hypnotic’s revenue by an additional $2 million in a short period of time.

**Full Article:** https://byvi.co/2023/06/02/ben-affleck-film-contracts-plaiced-to-boost-sales-within-online-communities/ 

After the opening weekend, the experienced marketing team behind Hypnotic recognized the need to break free from conventional advertising methods and turned to Plaiced for their expertise. Renowned for their ability to tap into the pulse of online communities, Plaiced embarked on a mission to forge a profound connection between Hypnotic, and its intended audience.

“This reinforces the power of community which enables marketers of series and films to stand-out from the noisy plethora of content options by zoning into their target audience.”

Kaaveh Shoamanesh, CEO of Plaiced
Plaiced’s strategy was to identify the key targeted audiences that was most likely to act fast and watch the film. With the help of passionate Community Owners, they placed an exclusive featurette/trailer from the film into relevant community discussions and user-generated content.

By strategically targeting online groups such as SciFi enthusiasts, Batman lovers, Dad Groups, Millennials, and groups in Texas (Hypnotic was filmed in Austin, Texas).  Plaiced ensured that Hypnotic’s promotional content resonated deeply with individuals who shared a genuine passion for the film’s themes and settings.

In their comprehensive case study on Hypnotic, Plaiced showcased their exceptional ability in engaging these communities, thanks to the Community Owners knowing what their members like best. Engrossing discussions among SciFi enthusiasts delved into the movie’s futuristic concepts and mind-bending plot twists, eagerly anticipating the performance of the esteemed Ben Affleck. Batman aficionados (with The Flash movie coming in June 2023) enthusiastically embraced another project featuring the prodigious talent.

Plaiced didn’t stop there, recognizing the film’s connection to Austin, Texas, where it was filmed. Leveraging Texas influencers including @sacredthomas on Instagram, Plaiced tapped into their pride and support for a movie shot in their own backyard. This strategic alignment deepened the bond between Hypnotic and its prospective audience, igniting an intensified sense of excitement and anticipation.

Carefully placed advertisements served as gentle reminders to community members of upcoming screenings and exclusive content, fueling a sense of urgency to experience Hypnotic, first hand.

As the film industry continues to evolve, companies like Plaiced play a vital role in redefining traditional advertising, enabling filmmakers and marketers to reach their desired audiences with unparalleled precision and impact. The Hypnotic case study, starring the exceptional Ben Affleck, stands as a testament to Plaiced’s expertise in community engagement, showcasing how their innovative advertising techniques elevate films to new heights. With a remarkable $2 million boost in revenue, Plaiced has once again solidified its position as a leader in contextual targeting.

Written by: Lidia Vijga for BYVI

Standing out from the crowd is crucial for success in the competitive realm of movie marketing. Plaiced, the pioneering contextual advertising company for onlin...

BYVI: Ben Affleck Film Contracts Plaiced to Boost Box Office...

Standing out from the crowd is crucial for success in the competitive realm of movie marketing. Plaiced, the pioneering contextual advertising company for online community groups, has demonstrated its expertise by driving Robert Rodriguez’s electrifying thriller, Hypnotic, starring the talented Ben Affleck, to a boost in box office sales. Through strategic promotion within targeted online community groups, Plaiced not only generated significant buzz but also boosted Hypnotic’s revenue by an additional $2 million in a short period of time.

BYVI: Ben Affleck Film Contracts Plaiced to Boost Box Office Sales within Online Communities

Feb. 14, 2024

Agency Empathy, which connects brands with their niche in media, has officially announced its partnership with self-service platform Plaiced to manage the company’s campaigns in Canada.

**Full Article:** https://mediaincanada.com/2024/02/14/empathy-partners-with-self-service-platform-plaiced/

Empathy will use its expertise to help clients with their marketing strategies and offer consulting services. The collaboration will allow Plaiced to allocate more resources to product development and market expansion, according to the company.

Empathy president Mohsen Dezyanian, who already participated in Plaiced’s board of advisors, tells MiC that he is excited about Plaiced’s product offering, especially in the closed social media arena, as much of the online activity is taking place in private groups within popular platforms.

With the partnership, “Empathy’s clients will benefit by gaining access to communities, such as private groups on social networks or private newsletters, that have been closed to them and have been difficult to scale,” he says. “Previously, scaling these [groups] has been a challenge.”

Dezyanian adds: “This means less reliance on cookies and less wasted media for everyone.”

Plaiced, which also operates in the U.S. and selected European countries, allows advertisers to manage all their campaigns in a single dashboard. The AI-powered platform suggests to clients the most optimal communities for their campaigns based on their budgets and target demographics. It also provides information on the performance of the messages in the communities.

For its part, Empathy is partnering with Plaiced after developing the media plan through segmentation for Women’s College Hospital’s (WCH) most recent campaign, which highlights the hospital’s approach to healthcare equity. The agency was named media AOR of the WCH last year.

Other Empathy clients are CBC, The Royal Conservatory, St. Mary’s General Hospital, Retail Council of Canada, Ontario Society Of Professional Engineers, Aurium, University of Toronto and Zirkova.

Written by: Andrea Hernandez for Media In Canada

Agency Empathy, which connects brands with their niche in media, has officially announced its partnership with self-service platform Plaiced to manage the compa...

Media in Canada: Empathy partners with Plaiced

Agency Empathy, which connects brands with their niche in media, has officially announced its partnership with self-service platform Plaiced to manage the company’s campaigns in Canada.

Media in Canada: Empathy partners with self-service platform Plaiced

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