Trend-Based Ad Targeter Taykey Goes Cross-Platform, Adds Kevin Rose As Adviser

Sequoia-backed social ad startup Taykey is ready to look beyond Facebook.

Taykey says it looks at 40,000 data sources and automatically generates campaign keywords to help advertisers reach the audience they’re looking for, and respond in real-time to online trends. For example, if Paula Abdul does something newsworthy, then advertisers interested in reaching young music fans want to get in front of all those people who are about to start searching for Abdul-related content. So Taykey starts bidding on related inventory on Facebook — and now on the Google Display Network and on Twitter.

“Simply put, we use trends to make your shit perform,” says co-founder and CEO Amit Avner. “Whatever it is. Social, search, Display. Trends means new highly-relevant keywords that no one has, so you have less competition so it’s more efficient. And we fish where the fish are, so people are more attentive.”

Avner has actually been talking about cross-platform targeting since at least last year, but he says those capabilities didn’t go live until last week, and the company is running its first cross-platform campaigns this month.

Taykey’s advertisers include Pepsi, Sprint, GE, Victoria’s Secret and Warby Parker. Avner says the service improves ad ROI by 300 percent on average.

The company is also announcing two new advisers — Digg and Milk founder Kevin Rose, as well as Invite Media founder Zach Weinberg.