The coronavirus is having a significant impact on the media world, news channels and quality journalism – but all of the media portals from which consumers get their news must show advertising to be profitable. Adam Singolda is the founder and CEO of Taboola, a private advertising company specializing in native advertising. Placing ads is its bread and butter. He considers himself and his company to hold an extremely responsible position in this regard. He shoulders this responsibility exceptionally well and has a clear plan and creative methods for dealing with the situation. The motto: attitude matters. He believes it is more important than ever to show attitude.
In an interview with Alex Wunschel, Adam Singolda speaks directly from his home office in New York, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus, about why creativity is the right tool for adequately addressing the current challenges. Given the present situation, advertising companies in particular have a responsibility not to simply place ‘relevant’ content based on an algorithm that is dominated by COVID-19 anyway in every respect, but to also ensure that this content is not deliberately misused as a vehicle for misinformation or incitement. Especially in the current coronavirus-dominated situation, there are many rotten apples looking to shamelessly exploit people’s vulnerability, dependence and susceptibility.
“We have responsibility. We don't want fake news. We don't recommend things that can harm consumers. So as an example, in the case of Corona, we were one of the first companies in the world to have decided to deal with a human problem, which is fake news.”
This requires manpower: a 50-member Content Review Team implements policies that govern the content recommended by Taboola on the open web. This team filters out false claims and ads from untrustworthy sources and makes especially sensitive topics off-limits. These drastic and extensive measures are helping Taboola to effectively prevent the spread of misinformation, avoid panic among the public and ensure quality journalism.
Other topics discussed with Adam Singolda include:
- What constitutes authenticity and transparency in managers.
- How he conducts quarterly all-hands meetings.
- What changes the crisis will bring about in terms of business management.
- How he currently succeeds in managing more efficiently than ever with 15 video calls a day.
- How Taboola ensures the quality of ads and delivery.
- How Taboola is preventing COVID-19 fake news and ensuring quality journalism.
- What really defines a company’s DNA and culture.
- Why every office should have a piano.
Enjoy the audio!
