Chute Introduces the Visual Content Engine for Brands

SAN FRANCISCO – July 30, 2014 – Chute, a visual marketing automation company, today announced the addition of John Battelle, founder of WIRED Magazine, Federated Media and, most recently, sovrn and NewCo, to its board of directors. In addition, the company launched its Visual Content Engine for brands, which provides marketers with automated tools to acquire permission to use fan photos and videos, publish this visual media across all of their marketing channels and obtain real-time analytics on performance. Chute also opened its New York office led by David Bear, former global agency director for Microsoft.

“The marketing and advertising landscape is dramatically changing. Chute provides an immediate resolution to the challenge brands now face as publishers themselves,” said John Battelle. “Leveraging consumer photos and videos as a new form of content marketing not only works, but is also necessary as brands and agencies are pushed to produce engaging, authentic content at an unprecedented rate.”

John began his career in digital media with the launch of WIRED Magazine, and has subsequently founded or been involved in the creation of several of the most influential businesses, media sources and conferences in the world, including the Web 2.0 Summit and NewCo conference series. As one of the forefathers of digital media and advertising, he brings unparalleled industry experience to help Chute further expand its solution for brands, agencies and publishers.

“There isn’t another person who has had as much success predicting the future of media and creating platforms with which brands want to engage as John. His insights and experience are of paramount importance to Chute’s future growth,” said Ranvir Gujral, co-founder and CEO, Chute. “With John joining our board and the addition of David opening our New York office, Chute is poised to better serve our customers coast to coast and challenge the status quo for how marketers communicate and engage with consumers.”

Chute is trusted by leading brands and publishers, including Benefit Cosmetics, Ann Taylor, adidas, Nike, Condé Nast, Here Media and NBCUniversal. As part of its Visual Content Engine for brands, Chute released several industry-leading features including:

• Enterprise Workflows and Permissions allows brands to expand the volume of people who can use Chute by assigning employees with “roles,” whether administrator, moderator or viewer, to restrict the functionality of the service based on each person’s internal function and required access level.

• Chute Rights for Facebook is an extension of Chute’s unique solution, which allows marketers to obtain permission to use fan photos and videos shared on Instagram, Twitter, and now Facebook, natively within the app, and at scale.

• Advanced Analytics provide marketers with campaign and curatorial metrics, including engagement rates, CTRs, and impressions, as well as insights on the best performing content, key influencers and the total reach of campaigns.

Chute’s New York office is led by David Bear, former Global Agency Director at Microsoft, where he oversaw all Omnicom Group business. David was previously the head of mobile and social media for Atmosphere BBDO.

About Chute

Chute helps brands turn visual content into engagement and actionable insights. Curate the best photos and videos from fans, obtain permission to use their content, gain valuable insights about your influencers and publish authentic visual media everywhere – from billboards to banner ads and everything in between. Chute works with some of the world’s biggest brands and publishers including Ann Taylor, Atlantic Records, Benefit Cosmetics, NBCUniversal, Turner, Condé Nast, New York Times and Nike. For more information, visit www.getchute.com.

Media Contact
Tristan Kruth, TriplePoint PR for Chute
tkruth@triplepointpr.com
(415) 955-8500

Jody Farrar
Chute
jody.farrar@getchute.com