Press release

BEN Group Begins 2021 with Record-Breaking Revenue and Bookings, Expanded Leadership Team, and New AI Developments

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BEN Group, the global entertainment AI company that integrates brands into influencer, streaming, TV, music, and film content, today announced a banner quarter of growth to kick off 2021. Across its product placement, influencer marketing, and TubeBuddy business units, BEN Group achieved record revenue and client expansion, appointed several executives to critical leadership roles, and innovated technology developments to further expand its suite of proprietary AI tools.

Despite a challenging economic year for the marketing and entertainment industries alike, BEN Group has continued to post growth and thrive, executing more than 150 campaigns and driving a record-breaking 213% YoY increase in new client bookings as well as a 59% YoY increase in revenue. As a part of its rapid growth in Q1, BEN Group expanded its relationship with and signed several new, notable clients, including CarMax, Campari, Vistaprint, and PepsiCo. TubeBuddy, the largest platform for YouTube channel growth and optimization that is utilized by more than 6 million creators, also had a record quarter, with more than a 125% increase in new subscribers YoY.

In tandem with its business growth, BEN Group further developed its industry-first AI features to continue delivering groundbreaking results to its clients. BEN Group’s AI improved its ability to predict content verticals on Instagram by 180%, helping brands across categories find the best channels for influencer partnerships. Additionally, BEN Group enhanced its predictive capabilities for broadcast television, increasing its accuracy for projecting the most popular new TV shows by 11%. BEN Group’s first-of-its-kind capability for television predictions adds crucial transparency to a traditionally opaque entertainment avenue.

“A return to normalcy is in sight for the entertainment industry,” said Ricky Ray Butler, CEO of BEN Group. “New productions are gearing back up, niche social platforms and features are hitting the scene, and creators have more monetization options for their content than ever. There are incredible new opportunities for brand integration across the board, and we’re excited to continue developing our team, technology, and processes to usher in the next era of non-disruptive advertising.”

To help the company keep pace with its rapid growth, BEN Group scaled its team throughout Q1, hiring more than 50 team members and promoting 55 employees. During this surge in personnel growth, the company continued to focus on diverse recruitment strategies, with two-thirds of its new team members and promotions being women. Notably, BEN Group named Anne Biskin as SVP of Client Services; Katrina Frank as VP of Influencer Marketing; Kim Nicola as VP of Business Operations; Pauline Malcolm-Thornton as SVP of Client Development; and Vanessa McCullers as VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Strategy.

Looking ahead to Q2 and the rest of 2021, BEN Group will continue to scale its business, innovate new tools to bolster its AI technology, and uphold its dedication to improving DE&I across the entertainment industry. As the entertainment industry continues to shift in response to changes in viewer preferences and loosening health and safety regulations, BEN Group’s expert team and cutting-edge AI will allow clients to navigate the ever-changing landscape and create impactful connections with audiences.

About BEN Group

BEN Group Inc. is an entertainment AI company that integrates brands into influencer, streaming, TV, music, and film content with guaranteed ROI. BEN Group consists of the world’s largest influencer marketing business; the world’s largest product placement agency; TubeBuddy, the largest platform to help YouTube creators optimize their audience and channel growth; and Greenlight, a global rights and licensing business.

With its proprietary AI and platform, BEN is the first and only company using machine learning and deep learning neural networks to identify high-impact opportunities for authentic, non-disruptive product placement and influencer marketing. BEN combines its AI with 40+ years of data, entertainment experience, and a team of industry experts to connect brands with the right audiences and content opportunities in meaningful ways. BEN works with the world’s top brands, including Microsoft, General Motors, Unilever, Tencent, and General Mills.