The Community Exchange Podcast by OpenWeb Platform Evolution & Content Strategy in the age of AI with Ken Blom
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Sep 30, 2025 Ken Blom, Chief Business Officer at BuzzFeed, shares insights from his journey scaling digital media in the age of social. He discusses the evolution of affiliate commerce as a key revenue driver and the disruptive effects of AI on traffic and discovery. Ken highlights the importance of community and creators in building strong engagement, and how publishers must rethink their strategies to adapt. He proposes that the future will see distinct niches and innovative app experiences emerge, alongside a potential revival of in-person events.
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Early BuzzFeed Growth Lab
- Ken Blom joined BuzzFeed in 2012 from agency paid-search roots and experimented heavily with early Facebook distribution.
- He describes BuzzFeed as a lab where curiosity drove distribution tactics and brand experiments like Tasty.
Tasty: Platform-First Breakout
- Tasty was launched as a platform-first brand and became BuzzFeed's biggest breakout.
- Ken recalls Tasty outperforming other follower accounts and creating lasting brand value despite platform dependence.
Learning From Acquisitions
- BuzzFeed expanded into many brands including Complex and Hot Ones, learning distinct business models like events and commerce.
- Ken describes how each acquisition exposed BuzzFeed to different monetization and audience behaviors.