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:
- Finecast: ‘Total TV Measurement’ for advertisers
- Yahoo Advertising: High Attention Pre-Bid Segments
- Amazon Ads: rebranded ad server with more cross-channel compatibility
- Hawk: conversational ad format driving deeper connections with consumers
- Outbrain: branding platform built to maximise attention.
GroupM Nexus’s Finecast offers ‘Total TV Measurement’ for advertisers
Finecast’s Total TV Measurement solution is designed to help brands and advertisers understand the reach contribution between a Finecast addressable TV campaign and the corresponding linear campaign, to understand campaign effectiveness and inform future planning.
How it works:
Total TV Measurement aggregates, aligns, and de-duplicates complex data sets, including campaign delivery data across all addressable TV content and linear data from BARB.
By combining AudienceProject’s custom design TV measurement technology with Finecast log-level data – which includes broadcast video on-demand, advertising video on-demand and other broadcast-like content – the solution fuses and analyses data to create a single measure of cross-channel addressable reach. This is then combined with BARB data via TechEdge to produce de-duplicated reach and frequency metrics across addressable TV and linear campaigns.
The solution delivers these enhanced metrics against a broad set of BARB demographic audiences and will soon extend to more addressable audiences such as affluence and life stage. Outputs include cross-channel addressable TV reach and frequency, linear campaign reach and frequency and overall de-duplicated reach and frequency.
What the providers say:
Samantha Lister, Head of Marketing Science, Finecast, said: "We understand that our clients are demanding greater union and cross-channel insight when it comes to media planning and measurement, and we've seen great advancements in the space in the past couple of years. We have created a measurement solution that goes one step further in understanding the value of addressable TV on the media plan. The additional verification procedures performed by PwC provide clients with reassurance over the data and processes used throughout this solution.”
Martyn Bentley, Commercial Director, UK, AudienceProject, said: “We are thrilled with this development in how our audience measurement capabilities continue to support Finecast’s high-quality Total TV offering for many of the UK’s largest brands.”
Richard Fuller, Managing Partner, Finecast UK, added: “We are aware that TV and video are becoming increasingly intertwined and simplifying the post-campaign measurement process for our clients is vital to showcase the success of their hard work and partnership with us. We want to ensure our customers are one step ahead when it comes to measuring and optimising their addressable campaigns, and most importantly helping them drive efficiencies.”
The PMW view
Advertisers rely on campaign measurement metrics to not only measure success but plan future campaigns. What’s impressive in this respect is how Finecast has secured validation from external verification procedures performed by PwC under the International Standard on Related Services (ISRS) 4400 (Revised) to ensure its campaign reach, frequency and Total TV Measurement methodology is robust.
All this helps advertisers measure both addressable and linear TV with greater confidence to maximise outcomes of their ad campaigns.
Yahoo Advertising launches high Attention Pre-Bid Segments
The global solution, driven by Adelaide's market-leading attention metric, promises to simplify the application of attention metrics for advertisers, helping them achieve strong business outcomes.
How it works:
Adelaide's Attention Unit utilises a machine learning algorithm to evaluate the probability of capturing attention and driving impact for media placements. Through analysis of media quality signals, eye-tracking data, and full-funnel outcome data, Attention Unit provides precise and nuanced quality scores for each placement. The integration of Attention Unit into the omnichannel Yahoo DSP further enhances the platform's capabilities, providing clients with a dynamic way to procure efficient, high-quality inventory.
Yahoo DSP is a robust, omnichannel platform that offers expansive scale and a comprehensive suite of tools for data analysis, automated bidding, and optimising ad campaigns across channels. Its features, including predictive audience modelling and proprietary data sources, enable advertisers to reach and engage their target audiences effectively. Integrating Attention Unit into the Yahoo DSP further enriches the platform’s capabilities, providing Yahoo Advertising clients with a dynamic way to procure efficient, high-quality inventory.
What the providers say:
"The integration of Adelaide’s Attention Unit into our omnichannel DSP further equips clients with insight into media quality and increases programmatic performance,” said Elizabeth Herbst-Brady, Chief Revenue Officer, Yahoo.
What the client says:
"With the introduction of Attention Unit-powered pre-bid segments in the Yahoo DSP, Verizon is poised to bring real-time audience attention measurement and activation to the forefront of our digital practices,” said Karyn Johnson, Vice President, Digital Media, Verizon. “We’re excited to continue working with Yahoo Advertising and Adelaide to maximise media quality transparency and effectiveness across our programmatic investments.”
The PMW view
With more than 50 case studies under its belt, Adelaide has demonstrated that Attention Unit correlates more closely with outcomes than traditional metrics. These studies emphasise that attention metrics can deliver a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of media quality, enabling more effective advertising strategies. The partnership within Yahoo shows that attention metrics will be a key driver within the global ad ecosystem going forward into a cookieless world.
Amazon Ads upgrades ad server with more cross-channel compatibility
Formerly known as Sizmek Ad Suite, the new identity Amazon Ad Server will offer brands and agencies expanded capabilities to boost cross-channel campaign execution, along with refreshed visuals across the interface.
How it works:
New features and expanded capabilities will make cross-channel campaign execution easier and more effective. Enhanced features and capabilities include dynamic creative optimisation that helps brands and agencies scale relevant creative messaging over an array of channels, devices and formats. Meanwhile integration with Amazon Marketing Cloud allows brands to combine cross-media measurement with Amazon first-party signals to analyse unique insights. Marketers can also add automation with Amazon DSP, creating a unified place to build, distribute, analyse and measure performance across display, video, search and social, including reach and frequency metrics.
What the provider says:
A spokesperson for Amazon Ads said: “Amazon Ad Server continues to provide both self-service and managed-service usage with an intuitive user experience backed by expert service and support. From producing unique ad experiences to providing strategic consultations, our global customer service team offers in-depth local media experience. With a new face and name, Amazon Ad Server empowers digital practitioners to easily optimise workflows, connect relevant messages with the right audiences, and centralise on-demand insights accredited by the Media Rating Council.”
The PMW view
In the face of future challenges with respect to ad addressability as a result of modern browser restrictions, this upgrade to Amazon Ad Server aims to help further brands’ connections to their customers as an interoperable solution for ad serving, creative authoring and measurement. Amazon claims this solution is the only ad server that can be used to run video and display dynamic creatives tailored to Amazon audiences.
Hawk launches conversational ad format DisKuss to help brands drive deeper connections with consumers
Omnichannel advertising company Hawk has launched an interactive ad format, DisKuss, designed to help advertisers find out more about an individual’s preferences and recommend a product, service or action that is best suited to their needs.
How it works:
DisKuss delivers an ad to users, targeted using Hawk’s location and targeting capabilities and extensive audience data. This creative asks a series of brief questions to better understand the viewer’s preferences. At the end of the interaction the user is guided to the information or action that is most relevant based on the responses they have provided, such as being given a specific product recommendation, booking an appointment or demo, or receiving more specific details about particular offerings. Following the campaign, a full report provides details on the responses for each question, and a breakdown on the items that were most popular, based on respondents’ answers. This insight helps to build audience profiles for different brands, products and services.
What the provider says:
Chris Childs, UK Managing Director, Hawk, says: “DisKuss is a truly interactive ad format in that it allows brands to fully engage with the person on the other end by entering into a one-to-one conversation based on the preferences they have expressed. This dialogue effectively captures audience attention and provides a seamless and personalised experience for users and an effective way for brands to use their media activity to get closer to their target consumers.”
The PMW view
From smart speakers to generative AI, the way we interact with technology is changing and Hawk’s new DisKuss platform is designed to help advertisers make more use of this new customer behaviour. Driving personalisation and engagement in an efficient and privacy-first way is the holy grail to marketers, and Hawk is aspiring to help brands achieve this.
Outbrain launches branding platform built to maximise attention
Onyx leverages the company’s AI prediction technology across dedicated environments for high-impact display and video advertising.
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How it works:
Onyx is designed to meet brand objectives and deliver value beyond traditional ‘ad views’ by leveraging Outbrain’s 15+ years of technology built to predict user engagement through AI. Onyx features custom large ad formats designed to drive high attention from contextual pre-roll video and high-impact display experiences. Initial launch partners include Ford via Xaxis among other brands across the automotive, tech, retail, health, and consumer packaged goods categories. Launched in partnership with Adelaide, Onyx aims to increase campaign effectiveness and return on ad spend for enterprise brands and agencies.
What the providers say:
“Onyx is part of our long-term strategy to become a full-funnel marketing partner, significantly growing our business with enterprise brands and agencies,” said David Kostman, Co-CEO, Outbrain. “Onyx delivers a unique opportunity for advertisers to win real attention and drive business impact while benefiting our publisher partners with incremental revenue that is vital to sustaining free and independent journalism.”
The PMW view
As budgets shift to the open web, marketers are seeking to maximise brand impact of display and video campaigns on premium publishers. Outbrain’s new platform is aiming to do just that, claiming to have the stats to prove it. According to Adelaide, initial findings showed that Onyx units outperformed their benchmarks for display and rich media formats across all device types by 26%. Onyx units also scored 53% higher than standard mobile banners and exceeded mobile rich media formats by 20%.
Assessment of Adelaide’s attention metric at the domain level revealed that top-performing Onyx placements surpassed format averages by more than 15%, highlighting a significant opportunity for Attention Unit-based optimization across sites and placements.
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