On Our Radar: Ditto Labs

With so many new, exciting companies entering the digital advertising scene every day, it’s hard to keep track. That’s why we’re introducing “On Our Radar,” a recurring column that highlights a company we’re watching, what it does, and why it should be on your radar, too.

Who are we talking about?

Ditto Labs.

What is so unique about them?

Ditto analyzes the presence of brands in photos posted by users on popular social-media networks.  The company is heating up the increasingly important field of social media UGC content analysis, which helps brands better understand social-media conversation happening not just via text posts, but increasingly via image and video posts.

Why should you care?

Consumers posting photos/video of their everyday life interactions increasingly dominate the social-media landscape, and a lot of these posts involve brand interactions. As a brand marketer, it is important to understand who the influencers are among consumers, and to know their brand preferences. For example, if you are the Boston Red Sox, there’s no use promoting Yankees tickets to a fan who is constantly posting pictures on social media with Red Sox branded gear.

Who is their competition?

Companies such as Curalate are also competing in the space of image recognition of UGC in social media.

What does their future look like?

Thanks to the volume of images that are posted to social-media networks, it wouldn’t be surprising if Ditto is soon acquired by one of the major social networks or photo-sharing sites.  Given their recent deal with Tumblr, Yahoo might already have their eyes on the company.