Leaf Group Overview and Acquisitions
– Leaf Group Ltd. is an American content company that operates online brands including eHow, livestrong.com, Saatchi Art, and Society6.
– The company provides social media platforms to existing large company websites and distributes content bundled with social media tools to outlets around the web.
– Leaf Group was acquired by Graham Holdings in June 2021 for $323 million.
– Demand Media, now Leaf Group, was co-founded in May 2006 by Richard Rosenblatt and Shawn Colo.
– Demand Media made several acquisitions, including eNom, BulkRegister, Pluck, IndieClick, RSS Graffiti, and Name.com.
– Leaf Group acquired Well+Good and OnlyInYourState in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Content & Media Services
– Leaf Group’s Content & Media service offers text, video, photography, and designed visual content.
– The content is published on eHow.com, Livestrong.com, niche properties, and LEAFtv.
– LEAFtv produces short-form how-to videos covering stylish living, food, and fashion.
– The studioD business develops and executes content marketing strategies.
– Custom content is created for third-party brands, agencies, and publishers.
Marketplaces
– Leaf Group operates two art and design marketplaces: Society6.com and SaatchiArt.com.
– Society6.com allows artists to sell their original images or designs on various consumer products.
– SaatchiArt.com is an online art gallery featuring a wide selection of original artwork.
– Leaf Group acquired Deny Designs, a modern home furnishings company known for its original designs based in Colorado.
History and Business Model
– Demand Media, now Leaf Group, was co-founded by Richard Rosenblatt and Shawn Colo in May 2006.
– Demand Media raised over $355 million in financing from investors like Oak Investment Partners and Goldman Sachs.
– Demand Media uses long-tail searches to attract visitors to its websites and retains them with related content and social media tools.
– The company’s social media platforms generate 3 billion interactions per month.
– Demand Media commissions specific website content and distributes it to its own websites and others with revenue sharing agreements.
– Demand Media uses algorithms to generate titles for content and relies on freelance writers and video creators to produce the content.
Stock Offer, IPO, and Criticism
– In April 2010, Demand Media planned an initial public offering (IPO) of shares.
– The IPO filing was completed in August of that year, with shares priced between $14 and $16 each, giving the company a valuation of approximately $1.3 billion.
– Questions were raised about Demand Media’s profitability, as its IPO filings reported losses for several years.
– In December 2020, the company announced the closing of its underwritten public offering, receiving net proceeds of approximately $32.0 million.
– Demand Media has faced criticism for commissioning low-quality articles and videos to cut costs and appear highly in Google search results.
– The company has been accused of purchasing search-engine-driven content from low-paid freelancers and has been involved in controversies related to its accounting and content production. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_Media
This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (May 2018) |
Leaf Group, formerly Demand Media Inc, is an American content company that operates online brands including eHow, livestrong.com, and marketplace brands Saatchi Art and Society6. The company also provides social media platforms to existing large company websites and distributes content bundled with social media tools to outlets around the web.
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet |
| Founded | May 1, 2006 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Headquarters | 1655 26th Street ,Santa Monica, California |
Key people | Sean Moriarty, Chief Executive Officer |
| Revenue | US$325 million (2011) |
| Owner | Graham Holdings |
Number of employees | 400 (2015) |
| Website | leafgroup |
Demand Media was created in 2006 by a former private equity investor, Shawn Colo, and the former chairman of MySpace, Richard Rosenblatt.
The company employs an algorithm that identifies topics with high advertising potential based on search engine query data and bids on advertising auctions. These topics are typically in the advice and how-to field. It then commissions freelancers to produce corresponding text or video content. The content is posted on a variety of sites, including YouTube and the company's own sites such as eHow and livestrong.com.
The company was acquired by Graham Holdings in June 2021 for $323 million.
It is commonly known for being a Content farm.
