TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Brand Networks Platform

    Score5 out of 10
    N/AThe Brand Networks Platform is an ad serving platform from Brand Networks headquartered in Boston.N/A

    Outbrain

    Score5 out of 10
    N/AOutbrain, headquartered in New York with offices globally, is an internationally known native advertising platform for curating and publishing content across a variety of channels and media spaces, containing editorial controls, analytics for judging impact, and related features.N/A
    Pricing
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Considered Both Products
    Brand Networks
    No answer on this topic
    Outbrain
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Would buy again
    7 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    88%
    Happy with the feature set
    7 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    86%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    Features
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Ad Network Integration
    Comparison of Ad Network Integration features of Brand Networks Platform and Outbrain
    Feature
    Brand Networks Platform
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    20% below category average
    Outbrain
    -
    Ratings
    Data Transfer6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    DSP integration6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad Campaigns
    Comparison of Ad Campaigns features of Brand Networks Platform and Outbrain
    Feature
    Brand Networks Platform
    8.0
    1 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Outbrain
    -
    Ratings
    Ad campaign creation7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad deployment8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad display and retargeting segmentation9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Ad Reporting & Analytics features of Brand Networks Platform and Outbrain
    Feature
    Brand Networks Platform
    5.8
    1 Ratings
    29% below category average
    Outbrain
    -
    Ratings
    Ad dashboards5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad performance reports7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad conversion tracking4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad attribution reporting4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Cross-channel ad management9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad forecasting and optimization6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Small Businesses
    AdRoll
    Score3.7 out of 10
    Amazon Advertising Sponsored Products
    Score5.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    Amazon Advertising Sponsored Products
    Score5.5 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Criteo Commerce Growth
    Score8 out of 10
    AdSense
    Score8.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    1.5
    (17 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.8
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.5
    (6 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Brand Networks PlatformOutbrain
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Brand Networks
    If you have a multiple social channel strategy, the Brand Networks Platform does a good job of comparing and summarizing the cross-platform performance of all the social campaigns. They also have really good optimization technology, so if you have a beginner media buyer who doesn't have a lot of time to devote to (or knowledge about) optimizing campaigns, the BN tool would be helpful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Outbrain
    If your client or organization is running a high volume awareness campaign, Outbrain would be a platform to diversify your mix with. Pretty low maintenance and easy to set up, you can get ads running in a few minutes. If your primary goal is conversions, there are probably better channels you can use where the targeting is a little more transparent and would likely see a higher avg conversion rate.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Brand Networks
    • Sleek design -- very attractive UI
    • Constantly innovating and updating the platform
    • Their support desk is very good. Very responsive and can usually update my issue within 1-2 business days.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Outbrain
    • Website network: Outbrain provides high-quality websites in its network so that you can get a quality audience.
    • Affordable pricing: The CPC offered by Outbrain is relatively cheaper than other alternatives.
    • Content dashboard: The dashboard allows you to edit the content before publishing it on Outbrain's platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Brand Networks
    • API data issues. There are somewhat frequent breakdowns in continuous data being pulled from the social platforms
    • The campaign creation flow is a little clunky and has a couple bugs. Users often forgo using the platform to set up new campaigns, and use the native platforms instead
    • Because it's in continual development, there are lots of little bugs that slip through the cracks
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Outbrain
    • Customer Service - Speaking to a human is nearly impossible, there is no "chat" function, and no phone number immediately available. Ultimately, I've had to email a generic CS contact and wait several days before heading back.
    • High Number of Guidelines - The number of guidelines one must meet before using Outbrain is much higher than any other ad platform I've used. Most of them are highly specific and not necessarily items that a website would have out-of-the-box.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Brand Networks
    No answers on this topic
    Outbrain
    The use case is very obvious, brand awareness and low cost conversions because of its reach in billions. The platform is easy to use, well sorted and defined with good click optimized algorithms and brands can use it without hesitation. If monitored well and optimized accordingly, this can prove to be one of the best advertising channels.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Brand Networks
    No answers on this topic
    Outbrain
    We had an account manager assigned to us, but they really didn't offer too much help outside of the financial side of things. We used the self-serve platform with mild suggestions every few weeks from our reps amounting to "spend a bit more here."
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Brand Networks
    Facebook for Business has far fewer bugs and errors. Brand Networks has made some major changes over the 3 years that I have been using the platform, but because they are constantly changing and overhauling their platform, there are naturally more bugs in the system -- and this can interfere with the user experience.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Outbrain
    Here at AdRizer my personal ad sources primarily revolve around Google Ads & Outbrain. Taboola is extremely similar to Outbrain minus the fact that strategies are dictated on the account level unlike by campaign with Outbrain
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Brand Networks
    • If you can create the report you need through automation, you can have those automatically sent to your email or a client's email. That saves time.
    • If optimization works correctly, you get even more efficient costs against you given campaign objective.
    • However, when features are broken, or there is a bug and I can't pull the performance data I need immediately, it detracts from my productivity
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Outbrain
    • None. My perspective is that further testing is needed as well as additional tracking capabilities applied to be able to assess value. However, it's a CPC model and relatively inexpensive in regards to additional reach, especially if it's packaged in with an Earned media push into the marketplace.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots