Modi Media, the advanced television unit of media buying giant GroupM, says it is working with Innovid to measure ad campaigns aimed at over-the-top viewers watching on smart TVs and other connected devices.
Innovid is able to deliver video content to more than 25 different TV devices and provide analytics to measure performance.
As more viewers shift to over-the-top forms of television, advertisers need the same kind of third-party measurement and analytics they get from traditional TV.
“The work we’re doing with Innovid, they act as that third party to help us serve, track, measure and analyze our ads on these over-the-top devices and applications,” said Michael Bologna, president of Modi Media.
Bologna said that neither Nielsen nor comScore at this point are able to deliver the kind of granular information about viewing on smart TVs and connected devices that it needs to optimize its campaigns.
“There’s a growing number of premium video services that people are watching on connected TV devices, which creates a massive opportunity for marketers to share their stories on TV while getting the perks of digital such as one-to-one communication and improved metrics,” said Tal Chalozin, co-founder and CTO at Innovid. “We’re excited to give marketers a super easy way to engage this previously unreachable audience along with analytics to measure ROI so brands are set up for success today – and in the future.”
OTT viewers are an increasingly important audience for marketers to reach. They are younger than traditional TV viewers and more affluent, according to Seth Walters, senior partner, interactive & connected TV, at Modi Media. There are also fewer commercials when TV programming is viewed over-the-top.
Walters said the campaigns Modi puts together for clients are “living room only buys,” as opposed to campaign designed to reach mobile viewers.
“We’re buying from Fox, ESPN, NBC. We’re also buying from Hulu and Crackle and YouTube and the video ad networks that have inventory in the space,” he said.
Innovid is able to tell Modi which devices are being employed by those viewers and also to calculate the incremental reach and frequency being achieved with each OTT partner, Walters said. “As we look to engage with audiences on these platforms, we’re able to leverage Innovid to both engage with viewers but also to measure the impact and outcomes for these advertisers.”
On a cost-per-thousand viewers (CPM) basis, OTT impressions carry a premium price compared to traditional TV, Bologna said. “The people that have these devices, they’re the hardest ones to reach, so in many cases the premiums are justified.”
Innovid is able to reach viewers using devices including Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google Nexus Player, PlayStation, PS Vita, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, TiVo, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
