SilverPush leads the industry with the best demand side platform and other products like Prism, Javelin and Parallels. We help brands to maximize the advertorial reach to their target audience pool, managed by a user-friendly dashboard. When it comes to digital advertising, we provide customized solutions backed by real time analytics, to help you plan, buy, measure & optimize TV & digital media. https://silverpush.co/

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Thursday, 30 January 2020

Computer Vision set to transform Contextual Video Advertising



The growth of video advertising
Over the years, video contextual advertising has taken the center-stage in the online advertising space. Video advertising has become the preferred advertising method for many major brands and publishers. In fact, 2017 was known as the year of “Video Gold Rush” for contextual video advertising. This is with good reason; as when the video is served in the right context, it is far more engaging and effective for creating an impression in the minds of consumers and helping advertisers hit KPIs. 
In a survey by databox, 59.3% of advertisers told videos drove more clicks on Facebook for their ads compared to 29.6% for images. In addition, videos are becoming more accessible throughout the world with increasing data coverage and dropping rates for data. This has led to platforms such as Facebook bringing advertiser-friendly features for videos, and YouTube rising massively in popularity with both viewers and advertisers. The rise of apps such as TikTok and Snapchat, in both developing and developed countries, which are crafted as being video-first speaks about the tremendous popularity of videos. 
Computer Vision
As the inventory for video-based creatives has increased, it has become imperative for advertisers to operate in safe environments as with increased reach, there is an increased risk of ads being misplaced. Misplaced ads run the risk of not resonating with users, but if such ads are placed on objectionable, violent or polarising content, they can do irreparable damage to a brand’s reputation. Therefore, as in-video advertising becomes ubiquitous, technologies such as machine-learning and AI-based context detection have been developed. These technologies help in serving ads on the relevant type of content, by filtering through all eligible content and classifying the content according to the suitability based on geography, brand and the consumers’ frame of mind among other factors. 
The algorithms work by detecting patterns in the relevant types of data and then classifying newer data based on those patterns. Traditionally, this approach was used for keyword and affinity-based classification for ads. The suitability of videos for ad placement was gauged using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. While this approach was somewhat effective in identifying the broader category of videos, it is not fool-proof and has led to many leakages in the past. There is a limitation to which such algorithms can filter content as the content being shown in videos may not always relate to the associated keywords, search terms or descriptions. 
Video Advertising
Computer Vision is the key
With the evolution of OTT Computer vision techniques and their combination with AI and machine learning, a powerful tool is now available to advertisers. Using computer vision and AI, it is possible to identify the actual objects, logos, emotions and context of the video with unprecedented accuracy. These can enable the identification of what is actually being shown in the video directly without relying on associations with keywords and affinity of videos, thus overcoming the limitation of previously used algorithms, and ensuring a top-notch brand-safe environment for brands. 
Major companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, IBM, and Apple are continuing to bet on Computer Vision for the future and have made considerable advances in the area. For instance, Facebook can now identify each person from a crowd using facial recognition, while Google can search and index thousands of images through its image search feature. Due to keen interest in the field and momentous advances in the field, computer vision has become increasingly accurate over time. Facebook can now identify people with 83% certainty, even when they are partially or completely blocked from view. 
With these advances, Computer Vision has unlocked a whole new avenue for advertisers. With this, one can identify the brand of clothes someone is wearing, the fabric and color he/she prefers, and in what combination, just from a picture. This information can give deeper insights into consumer preferences. In this case, we examine whether luxury goods are a common part of the consumer’s lifestyle and act accordingly. In videos, identifying key aspects of what is being shown can help advertisers in leveraging associations and consumer preferences for brands. 
MIRRORS
MIRRORS is an AI-based platform that uses computer vision applications for logo and object detection, along with facial recognition and emotion identification for classifying videos for placing the most relevant ads in the right context. Working with brands such as Oreo and KFC in the past, we have helped brands target consumers throughout the world for driving sales. For Oreo, we helped in using the brand’s association with Spiderman, to target consumers in South-East Asia and placing ads for Oreo in a wide range of Spiderman-themed content from animated videos to videos showing DIY craft projects for kids. All of this was done in a completely brand-safe environment, with ads being served on videos that connected with the nature of the brand. 

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

TV sync and advertising in IPL



Using TV syncing with other platforms for advertising to make it big this IPL season 

Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest sports bonanza of the summer. One thing that the previous 12 editions of IPL have provided is that it gets bigger every year. Since its inception in 2008, IPL has managed to attract a huge audience not only to the stadiums but also has commanded a wide viewership on TV and other platforms. This has provided a perfect platform for various brands to promote their products. 

2019 edition the biggest IPL so far 

As per the BARC report, the 12th edition of IPL, i.e in the summer of 2019, managed to attract around 462 million viewers on different channels of STAR India, which is the official broadcaster. 

The total consumption was 338 billion minutes in 2019. STAR network’s online streaming platform Hotstar has reported 300 million viewers for the 12th edition of IPL, a 74% hike than the previous year. With these numbers in perspective, and if the history acts as a reference point, we are in for a much bigger IPL in 2020. 

-->Sports Advertising
The plus side of this is that the advertisers have more scope and a wider reach to promote the product. But on the flip side, there are too many advertisers who are vying for space and to attract the attention of the viewers. 

Sports Advertising is one of the most effective ways to promote a brand, but getting the right message at the right point of time is the key to a successful promotion. 

Let us take a look at ways in which more effective real-time IPL ad campaigns can be created. 

1. Real-time multi-screen advertising to aid TV Ad campaign 
The huge popularity of IPL means that the ad-rates are available at a premium. To ensure that this additional cost due to the IPL season is substantiated, TV advertisements can be more impactful by aligning them with complementing ads on other platforms. 
Research indicates that most of the viewers tend to switch onto their mobile or laptop screens when there is an advertisement on the TV. This tendency would render TV advertisements less effective in-spite of the premium being spent on them. Second Screen marketing would offer a solution in this scenario. 

Complementing these TV ads with the Adverts on social media platforms accessed via mobiles or laptops will help in reaching out to the viewer. This can be facilitated by live tracking technologies that detect the viewers who are viewing the match and stream the advertisement on their mobile devices at the same time as TV advert. 

2. Create contextual mobile Advertisements
TV Ad sync technologies can be further used for contextual marketing. A greater impact on the viewers can be affected by syncing live scenarios during the match with contextual ads placed on the mobile. 

AI-enabled contextual marketing tools can identify significant moments in the match and trigger advertisements on the mobiles of the viewers in context to the event. Real-time use of this Cross-Platform advertising with the context would help in gaining more leverage from the ads. 

-->TV Ad Tracking
3. Targeting the loyal IPL viewers 
You can focus your resources to reach out to loyal IPL fans and stream advertisements directly onto their mobiles. Apart from having a large audience, reports suggest that a major portion of the audience is IPL loyal fanbase, who tune into most of the matches. Using Real-time targeting tools, advertisers can identify these loyal fans and engage with them. 

4. Outwit the competition with real-time analytics 
The competition is heightened during the IPL season, with the chances of your direct competition vying for the same air-time. 

Second-screen marketing comes to aid to outwit the competition. As stated earlier, a larger share of the TV viewing audience tends to switch to mobiles during an advert. This presents with a good opportunity to trigger an advert on the mobile screens of the viewers when the ad advertisement for your competition is being aired on TV. 
Analytics help to identify those who are watching the adverts of your competition and trigger adverts to their mobiles. 

5. Engage with multi-media platforms in tune with TV advertisements 
Using TV attribution, you can get details of the performance of your TV ads on various levels – by geographical location, segment-wise, etc. This will help you understand the locations where your adverts are doing good and the audience whose attention the ads are able to capture. Using this information you can look at making changes to the marketing campaign. 

These are a few of the ways in which live-analytics and advertising can be used to seize up the opportunities in which the IPL season can open up. 

Sunday, 12 January 2020

How in-video contextual advertising works?



Few things break the flow of a narrative as much a non-context insert. The same holds good with respect to advertising.

Various case studies show that even the best of advertisements, which have a feel-good factor about them, do not do well if they are not fitted into the context. A report from the University of Oxford supports this wherein it was observed that cheerful ads when inserted in between a gloomy part of the video do not create much impact.

In many cases, in-video ads which are not relevant to the video being watched, tend to put off the viewer and might not create the desired impact. Whereas, contextual advertising can help to better connect with the viewer and communicate the message more effectively.

Marketing-Technology Platform
In contextual advertising, ads related to the content being seen or read are placed to ensure better connections with the audience. Video ads can have more impact through in-video contextual advertising where in-video ads are placed relevant to the content being played out in the video.

This ensures that the viewer finds the advertisement to be closely related to what is being seen, and therefore, would be more interested in knowing about the product.

Experts cite that ‘Contextual Fluency” is a key component to process information. For example, an insurance advertisement would work well when a video about an accident is being streamed. Video coupled with the context becomes a potent tool to create an impression.

Implementing Contextual advertising
There are various tools available that help in implementing contextual advertising. Google AdWords is one of the most used marketing -technology platform where precise ads can be placed in relation to the context of a video or website.

Advertisers can place their ads which are triggered when specific keywords related to their product are being used. Whether an online user is reading a website/blog or watching a video, ads which are relating to the content are triggered that would better connect with the audience.

in-video ads

Marketing technology now also enables video advertising to be more precise. The advertisers can place specific adverts depending on what is happening within the video. Video platforms like youtube have created a wide range of combinations of genre-content which can be used by the advertisers to stream an ad that is relevant to that particular moment in a specific video.

Artificial Intelligence is a key driver in enabling in-video contextual advertising. Recognizing scenes, a streaming video to identify the location within the video, understanding the facial expressions to comprehend the emotions, etc. and other computer vision applications like recognizing faces, logos, etc. are few of the AI-enabled technologies which are used for making contextual in-video ads.

Maximum utility through the context
Content and message is the key to creating a successful advertisement. The ad would not be able to connect with the audience unless the message being conveyed is clear. However, apart from the content, there are two more elements that complete the trifecta of a perfect ad. These are the right time and the right audience. Contextual online advertising makes use of these three elements to ensure the maximum utility is obtained through an ad.

Using this form of advertising, an advert with the right content is created which is placed into the video at the right time to ensure that there is more possibility of the viewer connecting with the ad. Targeting them to a specific the audience who can connect with the ad further enhances the success of an advertisement.

Friday, 10 January 2020

Improve your digital advertising strategy during global sporting events



Sports have long been an integral part of human culture, with watching sports as a major past-time activity. Over recent years, sports viewership is on a rise with the increased awareness of various sports events as well as multiple streaming options. Especially with the live streaming of sports events, there is a greater number of people who are tuning in to watch sports events these days.

This increase in viewership creates wonderful opportunities for Sports Advertising. Various brands have always used major sports events as ideal platforms for promoting, and the increased viewership has only enhanced the opportunities.

However, the increase in viewership has also coincided with another trend – the rise of multi-device viewing. With the ever-present mobile devices, laptops, etc. audiences tend to check out these devices as well while watching the television. Especially, the switch tends to happen in between the sports telecast i.e. when the advertisements are being shown on the television. This could lend the attempts of advertising on the television during a sports match futile. However, second-screen marketing offers a solution.

Sports Advertising

By understanding the behavior of the audience and the screens that they would ideally be watching during some key moments of the sports broadcast, adverts can now be strategically placed on those second-screen platforms. TV attribution tools provided by Google and others provide insights into various aspects like:

·         How do various TV ad networks work?
·         What would be the best time slots for a particular business?
·         What TV programs are more viable options?
·         Where can I find more potential customers?

Using this information, cross-platform advertising can be created, wherein strategic ads can be placed on multiple platforms that would take advantage of second-screen viewing of the audience. However, the right moments must be identified for advertising. This is where moment advertising comes to the fore, where key micro-moments during a sports event can be identified and advertisements can be placed during those moments. These micro-moments could be after a goal is scored, during time-out breaks, innings breaks, when a batter is out, etc. By placing a relevant advertisement during such moments in the game, brands can better connect with the viewers.

Tv attribution

Having a good tv ad sync strategy would help to sync adverts on various platforms with these micro-moments in the game. An advertising strategy can be built in advance, anticipating likely events like a goal scored, a six or a home run hit, game point, etc. and trigger the advert in that precise moment. Having dynamic creatives in place would help in taking advantage through real-time targeting, where opportunities are created while the game unfolds. Placing an advert at a precise significant moment, e.g. a hattrick scored in football can help with the advert being remembered for a longer period.

While placing an advertisement during sporting events can help reach out to a wider audience, creating an all-round campaign to sync the adverts with specific moments in the game and target specific audience would help to have more returns on advertising.