Look Ahead: Making the Transition

By: Nu Yang

Launched in 2008, PaperG was founded to bridge the gap between print and digital advertising. PaperG, which stands for Paper Generation, is located in San Francisco and currently employees 60 staff members.            

PaperG’s technology builds ads based on an algorithm that gathers related content from the web on a business once its name and address is entered. In less than a minute, PaperG collects all the information (sorting through appropriate images and positive reviews) and displays them in multiple sizes using the generated content. The sales representative is then able to edit the draft and publish the ad to the web. In addition, PaperG can generate ad tags, suggest targeting and distribute the ads to make sure it reaches the right consumers.            

“To do something online, it was getting too hard and costly to the ad creator,” chief executive officer Victor Wong said.  “It was too difficult to build ads for multiple devices and platforms.”

With more than 100 publishers now using PaperG, Wong said the company is equipped to address publishers’ concerns on how to communicate to their advertisers they should buy digital.

“Newspapers have really grabbed on with this technology,” he said, referring to PaperG’s software. “They’re now building digital spec ads, so they can give an idea to advertisers on how their ads will look.” He added it also saves time and resources for publishers because they do not need to create a digital spec ad for each device and platform.            

An example is California’s Bay Area News Group (San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune), which saw a 316 percent return on investment by using PaperG’s PlaceLocal platform for spec ads.            

Wong said this kind of success is attributed to the sales reps going after advertisers who are on the fence, but then close the deal after showing them spec ads. “It’s about putting the product in front of the client,” he said.            

Although PaperG is designed for small and medium-sized advertising campaigns, Wong said the company will expand its products with a new version that will go beyond the desktop and into social and native ad design. Their goal is to help publishers attract larger campaigns in order to support national brands.            

As more platforms emerge, Wong said publishers have had to adjust, whether it’s reinventing how ads are built or embracing responsive web design. “It’s a creative canvas change. Mobile has created a ripple effect on how ads are built and consumed. It’s breaking the standard format and reimaging the experience.”            

For more information, visit paperg.com.