BuzzFeed Software Purchases and Digital Transformation Initiatives

Discover the latest software purchases and digital transformation initiatives being undertaken by BuzzFeed and its business and technology executives. Each quarter our research team identifies on-prem and cloud applications that are being used by the 3500 BuzzFeed employees from the public (Press Releases, Customer References, Testimonials, Case Studies and Success Stories) and proprietary sources.

During our research, we have identified that BuzzFeed has purchased the following applications: IBM Watson Candidate Assistant for Cognitive Computing in 2018, Workday HCM for Core HR in 2022, Greenhouse ATS for Applicant Tracking System in 2017 and the related IT decision-makers and key stakeholders.

Our database provides customer insight and contextual information on which enterprise applications and software systems BuzzFeed is running and its propensity to invest more and deepen its relationship with IBM , Workday , Greenhouse or identify new suppliers as part of their overall Digital and IT transformation projects to stay competitive, fend off threats from disruptive forces, or comply with internal mandates to improve overall enterprise efficiency.

We have been analyzing BuzzFeed revenues, which have grown to $398.0 million in 2021, plus its IT budget and roadmap, cloud software purchases, aggregating massive amounts of data points that form the basis of our forecast assumptions for BuzzFeed intention to invest in emerging technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, IoT, Blockchain, Autonomous Database or in cloud-based ERP, HCM, CRM, EPM, Procurement or Treasury applications.

About the Customer

BuzzFeed is the world’s leading tech-powered media company, with a cross-platform news and entertainment network that reaches hundreds of millions of people globally. The company produces articles, lists, quizzes, videos, original series, and brands including Tasty, the world’s largest social food network. The company is also home to BuzzFeed News, a global news organization focused on original reporting and investigative journalism; and BuzzFeed Commerce, which develops social commerce products and experiences, as well as licensing and other strategic partnerships.

Scope and Challenges

Every month, 200 million people around the world engage with BuzzFeed content—and the company offers much more than viral videos, lists and quizzes. “At its core, BuzzFeed is about driving human connection,” begins Dan Geiger, Recruiting Ops Manager and Lead Recruiter at BuzzFeed. “Whether it’s a funny video or a Tasty video, our goal is to create, curate and deliver content that engages our audience and make them want to share it with their friends and family. “We’ve expanded into business areas such as e-commerce, which has created a wide range of new roles and opportunities within the organization. Our applicants increasingly include people with backgrounds in sales, marketing, business, web development and video production—and our team of recruiters and hiring managers work together to source, identify and hire the best candidates for each position.” With application volumes increasing year on year, BuzzFeed saw an opportunity to boost the efficiency of its recruitment processes. “Some of our most sought-after roles attract hundreds of applications per day for several days after we post them—and with such large talent pipelines, pinpointing the top performers is often a tough challenge for our hiring managers,” Geiger continues. “To empower our talent managers to spend less time on screening and more time on higher-value activities, we want to encourage people with the right skills, experience and passion to apply for each role—and more effectively redirect candidates who don’t meet those specific criteria early in the recruitment process.”

Outcome and Implications

To achieve its goals, BuzzFeed decides to work with its strategic partner Uncubed to pilot an innovative solution based on IBM Watson Candidate Assistant. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive technologies, the solution engages candidates in personalized career discussions and recommends positions that fit them best.

Working together with BuzzFeed and IBM, Uncubed trained IBM Watson Candidate Assistant to interact with questions from its community. Today, prospective applicants can type questions about working at BuzzFeed into the chatbot, and receive real-time answers in the form of text, videos and links to open positions on the Uncubed site.

BuzzFeed is already beginning to measure positive results from its partnership with Uncubed. Today, 87 percent of BuzzFeed applicants coming in through IBM Watson Candidate Assistant, powered by data from Uncubed, progress from phone screenings to face-to-face interviews, compared to only 53 percent of applicants from other sources. In other words, BuzzFeed is 64 percent more likely to invite IBM Watson Candidate Assistant candidates in for face-to-face interviews than other candidates.

Quotes

"Although the pilot is still in progress, we are already collecting some valuable data from IBM Watson Candidate Assistant," -said Geiger. "For example, we can see the proportion of applications for technology versus marketing roles. If we see that one area of business is attracting fewer applications than we would expect, we can take action to increase the visibility of those roles - for example, by running a promotional event or a digital marketing campaign. "

"For us, there is no better evidence of the effectiveness of the pilot than the quality of the incoming candidates - and so far, the results are very encouraging," Geiger concluded. "As a leading media company with suitable technology, our goal is always to provide the best people to apply for the right jobs at the right time. By continuing our work with Uncubed, we are in a strong position to attract, identify and hire top talents to we encourage our ongoing growth ".