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Each week, the PMW editorial team selects five of the latest product releases from the adtech and martech worlds, with our verdict on why they made the cut – and why you should pay attention.
This week:
Kantar: next-gen ad testing tool Link+ with “results in six hours”
Reddit: enhanced community targeting with two new features
BrightBid: merging with Speqta to boost AI powered paid search ads
Twilio: CustomerAI to boost CRM with AI personalisation features
Ogury: new attention and new measurement capabilities to drive performance and brand recall
Kantar introduces next-gen ad testing tool Link+ with “results in six hours”
Founded on Link’s normative database of more than 250,000 creative tests, LINK+ joins Link AI in Kantar’s suite of AI-enabled products.
How it works:
LINK+ joins Link AI and BrandNow as part of a new generation of AI-enabled products. It lets advertisers choose from a variety of diagnostic features to build exactly the creative testing they need. Kantar claims that due to a simpler set-up and reduced testing time, LINK+ results can be available in as little as six hours. The tool also features early-stage storyboard testing, meaning advertisers can apply Kantar’s validated sales generation and brand-building metrics earlier in the creative process. It can evaluate all ad formats – including digital video and display on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, TV, OOH, POS, print and audio.
What the client says:
Sander Bosch, Global Head of Brand and Communication Insights at, The HEINEKEN Company, said: “We have been working closely with Kantar for years to evaluate, diagnose and optimise our early-stage and finished film ads. Their validated metrics allow us to move through the creative development process with confidence. We are excited about the new flexibility which Kantar has added with LINK+ to give us an even greater ability to customise tests to meet our needs while maintaining speed.”
What the provider says:
Ted Prince, Chief Product Officer at Kantar, said: “We know that one size doesn't fit all. LINK+ offers the speed and flexibility all creative executives need to bulletproof ad effectiveness every step of the way, including at storyboard stage. With the introduction of Link AI we brought creative testing within the reach of smaller production budgets. With LINK+, we now deliver the flexibility that means all kinds of adverts, designed for any platform, can be consistently tested against the advertiser’s priorities.”
The PMW view
As economic uncertainty continues, achieving a high level of ad effectiveness is even more important for brands. But traditional ad effectiveness testing has often been a costly and time consuming affair that can waste precious weeks for advertisers missing out on lost sales - something that Kantar has been working to solve as it combines its market research with next-gen predictive AI. Link+ can measure what was once thought impossible and deliver forecasts for creatives in less than half a working day. Its recent collaboration with WARC indicates that ads with high creative quality scores deliver more than four times the return on marketing investment.
Reddit ramps up community targeting with two new features
Two new Reddit Ad Products, Contextual Keyword Targeting and Product Ads, have gone live aimed at harnessing the value of Reddit’s communities for advertisers.
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How it works:
Contextual Keyword Targeting gives advertisers the option to select specific keywords to associate with their brand and also align keywords with their creative ad copy for added relevance. Product Ads are aimed at connecting brands with consumers when they are already in research mode and primed to make a purchase decision. The format is integrated into the shopping journeys already happening on Reddit as a “natural next step in the consideration process’ as users gear up to make a purchase. The ads feature information like product description and pricing in local currency, as well as a call-to-action button that sends users directly to the brand’s product page.
What the provider says:
Harold Klaje, Reddit’s Chief Revenue Officer, said: “These updates will uplevel the search-and-discover experience for both brands and our users by tapping into our differentiated value as a hub for actionable conversation. Our approach to this next phase of our Ads Product offering is to help brands help people make informed decisions, find answers to their questions, and discover products they care about – while in the process enabling advertisers to build connections with new and valuable new audiences.”
What the client says:
Reddit partners have already begun tapping into the potential of Contextual Keyword Targeting and Product Ads as part of its early testing process.
Amanda Grant, GroupM’s Vice President and Global Head of Social, said: “Contextual keyword targeting is a fit with the inherent nature of Reddit users, as well as discoveries of Reddit content via search queries. Connecting that high intent user behaviour with Product Ads gives our clients more full funnel opportunities on the platform, and more commerce considerations in the arsenal that is especially meaningful as teams prepare for 2H activation."
As a Financial Services disruptor brand, Ally Financial sought out Contextual Keyword Targeting to run contextual ads along relevant conversations on Reddit. By aligning their ads with suitable keywords, Ally was able to drive cost efficient down funnel sign ups from Reddit users.
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Liquid I.V. came to Reddit looking to boost consideration and sales for their line of hydration products. As part of our Product Ads beta testing, the brand saw substantial performance relative to internal metrics for Return on Ad Spend.
The PMW view
With over 13 billion posts and comments, Reddit has become one of the internet’s largest open archives of human experiences. These rich conversations are a valuable place for advertisers to find highly engaged potential customers and for brands to become part of the most contextually relevant conversations happening online. These two new ad tools look to make better use of that community value for advertisers by offering deeper and more granular insights and ways to reach these richsources of community and advocacy.
BrightBid merges with Speqta to boost AI-powered paid search ads for clients
AI-driven Paid Search tech company BrightBid has joined forces with Speqta, a holding group listed on the Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market, in a share deal currently worth around £20m.
How it works:
BrightBid currently works with over 420 customers globally focussed on the B2B sector using AI and automation for paid search, while BrightBid focuses on B2C e-commerce customers working with Google Shopping and product listing ads. The combination is expected to see the merger significantly boost the annual revenues of both companies putting them in a position to increase the continuous growth and demand for AI driven marketing solutions.
What the providers say:
Gustav Westman, CEO of BrightBid, said: "Merging with Speqta will enable us to deliver even greater value for our customers giving them access to a wider range of AI powered marketing solutions. It’s an exciting time for us and we’re looking forward to the journey ahead with Speqta as our best in class platform offering and services continue to help businesses get ahead on Paid Search."
Fredrik Lindros, CEO of Speqta, said: “It is not easy to find a company that both shares our strategy and philosophy of letting AI do the heavy lifting in advertising, and which also complements our own expertise and product portfolio. So I am very excited about this acquisition.”
The PMW view
Cost-effective advertising is an important competitive advantage and many companies are being pressured by rising ad prices. This deal emphasises the phenomenal growth and demand for AI marketing tools and solutions by global companies to solve this problem. Speqta can strengthen its offer in AI-based search advertising, which in combination with marketing for E-commerce, while BrightBid, which was founded less than 3 years ago, maintains its reputation as one of the fastest growing SaaS companies globally.
Twilio CustomerAI bolsters customer relationship management
Customer engagement platform drives real-time, personalised experiences for brands, using large language models (LLMs).
How it works:
CustomerAI technology lets businesses combine generative and predictive AI capabilities with their customer data, unlocking a better understanding of each and every customer. It couples the power of LLMs with more than a trillion customer data points powered by Twilio’s platform every year. Businesses can personalise every single interaction with an accuracy previously only possible for tech giants, and ultimately, provide deeper value that drives revenue. From text messages and calls to web and mobile activity, and from contact centre conversations to email correspondence, these signals capture a picture of who each customer is.
What the provider says:
Jeff Lawson, CEO of Twilio, said: “With generative and predictive intelligence, Twilio’s high quality interaction data, and Segment profiles working together, every experience can be highly personalised and tuned with a level of sophistication that was previously only attainable by the tech giants. With Twilio CustomerAI, brands can transform their customer relationships and unlock their full potential.”
The PMW view
Customers talk to brands in real-time and they interact with companies in lots of different ways. In this next great era of computing, shaped by advancements in AI, brands have a massive opportunity to deepen their customer relationships. Here, Twilio is pitching itself at the forefront of next-gen CRM. A customer might be having a tough experience and engaged with the call centre, but does marketing know about that? And is marketing suppressing a message or sending something with the right tone? This is one example and traditionally it's been super hard to pull off. These are the problems that CustomerAI is aiming to solve: make customer engagement real-time and personalised
Ogury launches new attention measurement capabilities to drive performance and brand recall
Personified advertising firm Ogury has announced new capabilities providing brands and agencies with attention measurement metrics at the campaign level in partnership with Adelaide Metrics and Lumen Research.
How it works:
Ogury’s Personified Advertising technology targets personas instead of individuals, to generate the highest level of attention. In a cookieless world, targeting the right audience is the starting point of any performance measurement and this is the foundation of every campaign delivered by Ogury. Moreover, the company’s creative team works closely with advertisers, enabling them to reach the intended personas across web and in-app environments, with innovative and highly performing formats.
What the providers say:
Christophe Bize, Chief Data Officer at Ogury, said: “In truth, it almost feels like a new attention solution or program sprouts up each month. Because of this, partnering with established experts such as Adelaide Metrics and Lumen Research, which can provide worldwide attention measurement, and at scale, is undoubtedly the name of the game. The performance results of our test campaigns have consistently exceeded these specialists’ benchmarks, confirming that Ogury's targeting and creative capabilities inherently drive higher levels of attention.”
Mike Follett, Managing Director at Lumen Research, said: "Working with Ogury, we've been able to create a format-specific model of attention that truly represents not only how eye-catching Ogury formats are, but how they hold attention for longer. We know that the length of time that people spend looking at ads is a key determinant of success, and we're pleased to accurately represent this within the Ogury-specific models."
Marc Guldimann, CEO & Founder of Adelaide Metrics, said: “Attention metrics offer a more precise and nuanced view of media quality compared to traditional metrics, with their most significant differentiator being a proven connection to business outcomes. This is why outcome data is crucial to our AU model.”
The PMW view
Attention has become a buzzword in the marketing industry in recent years – and for good reason. A recent global study shows that 57% of respondents believe attention gives a more complete view of engagement when it comes to advertising campaigns. But while the attention a user is giving an ad has become a key concern for the industry, there is no standard definition for it or a universal methodology to measure it. Ogury is aiming to fill this gap with what it claims is the most advanced attention measurement tools currently available at the campaign level.
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