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Tremor Video Develops Ad Choices Icon For In-stream Video, Enabling Consumer Choice
-Becomes First Video Company to Implement Advertising Option Icon in In-Stream Video Ad Units
-Creates new standard for the advertising industry in which all interested parties can participate
July 14 2011 – New York – Tremor Video, the largest independent online video technology company, is developing a first of its kind in-stream privacy compliance solution for behaviorally targeted video advertising. The implementation marks the first time the ad choices consumer notification icon has been applied to in-stream video within the player. This is the launching point of an industry-wide leadership initiative for digital video advertising privacy.
The icon will be incorporated into all of Tremor Video’s targeted video ads as part of its commitment to the online advertising industry’s self-regulatory privacy program, which is being managed by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA). The video solution will be available in September to all Tremor Video advertisers, as well as publishers that use the company’s proprietary Acudeo® video ad monetization platform. Tremor Video will share the learnings from this endeavor to inform the future efforts of the DAA and Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) for video privacy programs.
Tremor Video currently employs the Advertising Option Icon and “Ad Choices” text in some of its interest-based in-banner advertisements, designed to provide consumers a better understanding and greater control over customized ads that they receive. The company expects the icon will appear in 100 percent of the behaviorally targeted video in-banner campaigns it serves by the third quarter of 2011. The DAA has developed standards for digital display advertising, which Tremor Video has translated into in-banner video, but no such standard exists for streaming video.
“We take privacy very seriously, and we want consumers to feel comfortable with the ads they see,” said Jason Krebs, Tremor Video’s SVP and Chief Media Officer. “Tremor Video is proud to be at the forefront of protecting consumer privacy and leading the way toward video advertising transparency.
The ultimate goal is to give consumers relevant advertising that becomes part of the information and entertainment experience. We are also happy to take the first step for the industry that benefits all parties.”
Tremor Video is the industry leader in targeted video advertising, and its technology platforms help advertisers match their ads to the most relevant consumers.
As reported in Ad Age, Tremor Video is the first company to offer the Advertising Option Icon within in-stream video ads. It is the latest in Tremor Video’s list of firsts, as the company is:
• The first and only to offer in-stream brand protection, determining brand-safe environments for all in-stream content within Tremor Video’s network.
• The first and only to offer a cost-per engagement (CPE) in-stream video pricing model for pre-roll, meaning advertisers only pay when consumers engage with an ad.
• The first and only to offer premium site placement controls that let advertisers approve a site list and only run the ads within that list.
Much of the industry self-regulation effort thus far has focused on display advertising, and the complicated nature of video advertising has prevented the implementation of an industry-wide in-stream standard. Interactive creative elements and the time span of pre-roll video ads raise questions of when a notification icon should appear within the ad and for how long.
“Standard banners are static images with little interactivity, as opposed to video, which offers a wealth of consumer engagement opportunities,” said Ragu Kamakshisundaram, Director of Product Management at Tremor Video. “Rather than wait for a standard, we’re building our self-regulation solution to ensure our ads are in line with privacy compliance.”
For the benefit of consumers and the entire video advertising industry, use and behavior of the icon will align with the initiatives currently endorsed by the DAA and in use for display ad units. The icon will appear within the video player on top of ad units and will link to a page where consumers can learn more about targeted online advertising, including how to opt-out of receiving interest-based advertising from Tremor Video. In addition to hosting its own opt-out functionality, Tremor Video also participates in the DAA’s consumer choice opt-out page.
The story was first reported in Ad Age
About Tremor Video
Founded in 2005, Tremor Video (formerly Tremor Media) provides in-stream video advertising solutions to Fortune 1000 brand advertisers and top tier publishers and is widely regarded as the leading video company online. Leveraging its innovative video ad formats and publisher technology, Tremor Video delivers the mass reach and campaign results advertisers should expect from digital video. Tremor Video is the only video ad platform that can provide 100% brand safety by scanning and categorizing every single video stream before an ad is ever served. Powered by award-winning SE2 technology, Tremor Video’s video algorithm also gets smarter at finding and engaging viewers with every ad served, enabling the company to welcome and encourage pay-per-engagement pricing. Tremor Video is a privately held company headquartered in NYC with 10 national and international offices.
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Contact: Mark Naples, WIT Strategy, mnaples@witstrategy.com and 646.265.7372
Privacy Options Come to Online Video Ads
Tremor Video to Offer ‘Opt-out’ Icon in September
Prompted by government inquiries, the ad industry has, in fits and starts, given people more control over their privacy via its “ad choices” icon that appears on banner ads across the open web. Now, the industry will offer privacy on video ads.
Beginning this September, online video ad network Tremor Video will feature the privacy icon on virtually all of the ads that appear on its network, mostly 15- and 30-second commercial spots common to TV. Tremor is the largest video ad network, serving more than 700 million ads to more than 20% of the internet audience in May, according to ComScore.
“It’s the first time the icon is appearing on in-stream video ads. We take privacy very seriously, and we want consumers to feel comfortable with the ads they see.”
Jason Krebs, Tremor’s Chief Media Officer
The icon links to a landing page that shows the user which advertisers and technology companies are tracking them with options to select which ones can and cannot continue to do so. Advertisers that have appeared on Tremor’s network include Procter & Gamble, Paramount Pictures and Nissan with ad rates running anywhere from $10 for every thousand views to $60, according to the company.
Video advertising has emerged as an important battleground in digital media as publishers look to capture more marketing dollars from mighty TV, which still commands the biggest slice of major media market at 38% compared to the internet’s 17%, according to ZenithOptimedia.
At the same time, the ad industry has been under the government gun recently as the Federal Trade Commission has more aggressively pursued companies that violate consumer privacy. The agency has expressed concern that internet companies are not offering people a clear and easy mechanism to prevent advertisers from collecting information about their online habits. Advertisers say they can better serve consumers by showing ads that may be more relevant to their needs and interests.
In an effort to stem legislation, the ad industry created a coalition, the Digital Advertising Alliance, to start a privacy program, which recently gained wider adoption among more advertisers.
The FTC said it will soon evaluate the effectiveness of the industry program based on how widely it has proliferated across the internet and how well consumers understand the options.
For the moment, Tremor is the only video ad network offering privacy controls over video advertising. The New York-based startup acquired video network Scanscout last year for $65 million and its backers don’t rule out the possibility of further acquisitions in an effort to consolidate the online video ad market, which doesn’t yet have enough scale to compete with television, the long-running goal of internet media.
Tremor — which is capitalized at $105 million with funding from Canaan Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Triangle Peak Partners, SAP Ventures, European Founders Fund and others — could be the target of an acquisition as well, given its reach within the still-growing video ad market. Google, which has been trying to bring in more ad dollars into its YouTube property, reaches only 13% of the internet audience and served 155 million ads in May, compared to Tremor’s 700 million ads.
Read this story on AdAge
Nokia web video campaign achieves triple usual interaction rates
A video campaign for Nokia’s E7 phone has achieved engagement rates of 4.3%, according to media agency Carat.
The campaign, an extension of the brand’s TV activity, ran from April to June across ad networks including Tremor Video’s (formerly Tremor Media) InRoll format, which comprises a video slot, image galleries, product demos, online games and social media functions in the one unit.
According to Carat broadcast executive James Weinberg, total engagement rates were triple what the media agency usually experiences on online video campaigns as an extension of a TV ad.
Read the whole article on New Media Age
Nokia UK debuts interactive VoD campaign
Nokia E7 campaign run by Tremor Video harnesses interactive power of the web to drive consumer engagement
Nokia has debuted Tremor Video UK’s first inRoll ad format to extend, enforce and enhance the TV commercial for the new E7 mobile phone. The ad format from the world’s largest independent online video technology company – the recently rebranded Tremor Video (formerly Tremor Media) – integrated Nokia’s broadcast and social media marketing strategies into one entertaining, interactive and engaging online ad unit.
The online video ad, based around Nokia’s TV ad, encouraged viewers to interact with the brand far longer than the 30 second slot without interrupting their video experience on publishers’ premium video sites. The online video ad exceeded expectations by generating interaction rates six times higher than similar ads viewed in the US, while the ad’s engagement rates were 100 per cent higher than US averages.
Viewers used the ad to explore features such as the phone’s HD camera, on-demand web TV service and HD movie capability and a range of apps available on the phone, such as Ovi maps, a flight tracker and Vlingo voice recognition. The ad empowered consumers to control the marketing experience and gain the information they wanted about the phone through images and additional demo videos, as well as an option to select their preferred phone colour within the ad – all in-stream without being redirected to a new webpage.
Tremor Video’s inRoll enables brands to do more than video. It initiates a conversation between the brand and viewers by inviting users to interact with the products and services the brand has to offer, through longer form videos, image galleries, product demos, online games and social media functions in one online video ad. Nokia gained advanced levels of interaction with consumers through a live Twitter feed, and collected data on the number of viewers sharing the ad through Facebook and on external websites.
The campaign was targeted to Nokia’s specific audiences through Tremor Video’s Acudeo, the advertising management tool which puts marketers in complete control of their creative including which premium, brand safe content the ad is displayed around.
Dan Ruch, VP Europe at Tremor Video, said:
“We used the inRoll unit to forge the power of television with the interactive elements of social media and online advertising to bring together Nokia’s marketing objectives into one ad unit. The UK debut of this innovative format engaged consumers through live social media functionalities and a host of interactive features inspired by Nokia’s ad creative and web content.”
inRoll goes beyond the clicks and completion rates of standard pre-roll ads. Brands now have access to customised reporting and analytics which gives them unprecedented insight into viewers’ awareness rates, dwell time and the time viewers spent interacting with the brand beyond the 30 second ad slot, as well as analysing viewers’ rollovers and clicks within the interactive brand experience. Custom counters gave Nokia insight into which of the phone’s features were of most interest to users. Of the viewers who used the ad’s social networking functions 84 per cent more people chose to ‘Follow’ Nokia on Twitter rather than ‘Like’ the brand’s Facebook page.
The interactive pre-roll ad was commissioned for Nokia by media agency Carat, whose Broadcast Executive James Weinberg said: “inRoll is another cool yet reliable innovation from Tremor Video. We wanted to extend the Nokia ad campaign with creativity, but tailor it specifically to show off the E7’s touch screen and QWERTY keyboard. The originality and interactivity of the inRoll creative and the targeting capability of Acudeo are core to the success of this campaign online. The inRoll format also provided Nokia with consumer habits data they had never seen before, enabling them to see how, when and where viewers interacted with the ad.”
Watch and interact with the Nokia ad on our demo page.
Notes to Editors:
For further editorial information contact tremor@pwkpr.com or call +44 207 609 1900
About Tremor Video:
Tremor Video (www.tremorvideo.com), the leading online video monetization and advertising company which recently rebranded from Tremor Video, provides brand advertisers with in-stream and in-page video advertising solutions to top tier publishers. It reaches more than 3,000 publishers who serve in-stream video, and more than 5,000 publishers who serve in-page video in exclusively brand-safe environments. Tremor Video’s innovative video ad formats, advanced targeting, and industry-leading SE2 brand success measurement tools, enable advertisers to deliver efficient, scalable, and engaging video campaigns with measurable impact.
Tremor Video’s Acudeo® technology provides publishers with a full suite of products and services to monetize streaming video and maximize ROI. Acudeo delivers the industry’s most flexible and easy-to-use ad policy management tools and provides access to the industry’s leading revenue sources including turnkey integrations with all major video ad networks, ad serving, and video analytic technologies. With Tremor Video’s Acudeo technology, publishers can achieve maximum revenue while retaining total control and flexibility over their advertising inventory.
Independent film platform supported by Tremor Video ads
Ex-Marks & Spencer model Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere is advancing the independent filmmaking industry with unique online video database itzon. Independent films, documentaries and animations are supported by relevant, targeted ads through Acudeo, the ad management tool from online video advertising experts Tremor Media.
A joint venture with her husband – British explorer and filmmaker Tarka L’Herpiniere – itzon is providing a convergence between traditional linear TV, viewing video on demand and film festivals via a free high definition TV-viewing experience both online and through Internet-ready TVs.
Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere, formerly Cameron Diaz’s body-double, said:
“Tremor Media’s Acudeo tools enable our army of intrepid independent filmmakers to generate maximum revenue from every film they make that is hosted on the itzon database. The engaging and entertaining interactive ads served by Tremor Media augment itzon’s high quality viewing experience.”
Acudeo is a widely adopted, powerful publisher tool for online video advertising compatible with any video player and ad server. Using Acudeo publishers can schedule and deliver online video inventory as easily as managing banner ads, enabling them to select how often individual ads are shown; which content ads appear against; and which users see which ads. Tremor Media was the first UK ad network to be compliant with the Video Ad Serving Templates (VAST 2.0).
Dan Ruch, VP Europe at Tremor Media, said: “itzon is using Acudeo to monetise the video they host, thoughtfully serving online video ads around brand safe premium online content. Their high quality independent films are a perfect environment for advertisers to reach audiences online.”
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
For further editorial information or to arrange an interview call the Tremor Media press office on +44 207 609 1900 or email tremor@pwkpr.com
About itzon:
itzon is a first of its kind online broadcast platform and monthly film festival at the forefront of Internet delivered TV.
With a live stream available free for everyone and an innovative VoD service which allows filmmakers to earn money back from the views their films receive, itzon is putting the filmmaker at the forefront of expanding internet delivered TV technology.
About Tremor Media:
Tremor Media (www.tremorvideo.com), the leading online video monetization and advertising company, provides brand advertisers with in-stream and in-page video advertising solutions to top tier publishers. It reaches more than 3,000 publishers who serve in-stream video, and more than 5,000 publishers who serve in-page video in exclusively brand-safe environments. Tremor Media’s innovative video ad formats, advanced targeting, and industry-leading SE2 brand success measurement tools, enable advertisers to deliver efficient, scalable, and engaging video campaigns with measurable impact.
Tremor Media’s Acudeo® technology provides publishers with a full suite of products and services to monetize streaming video and maximize ROI. Acudeo delivers the industry’s most flexible and easy-to-use ad policy management tools and provides access to the industry’s leading revenue sources including turnkey integrations with all major video ad networks, ad serving, and video analytic technologies. With Tremor Media’s Acudeo technology, publishers can achieve maximum revenue while retaining total control and flexibility over their advertising inventory.
Tremor Media Acquires ScanScout – Combination Creates Dominant Online Video Advertising Network
Tremor Media’s Acudeo and ScanScout’s SE2 in-stream video technologies marry the market-leading publisher and advertiser platforms
New York, NY, November 8, 2010 – Tremor Media announced its acquisition of ScanScout today, creating a clearly dominant player in online video – the fastest growing interactive advertising segment. The combined company’s scale makes it the undisputed leader in both video ad delivery and unique viewer reach.
As part of the acquisition, Jason Glickman becomes Executive Chairman of Tremor Media and Bill Day becomes the company’s CEO.
“By combining Tremor Media’s scale and robust publisher platform with ScanScout’s unrivaled brand protection and optimization technologies, we are creating the preeminent leader in interactive video advertising,” said Jason Glickman, Executive Chairman. “The addition of proven industry veteran Bill Day as CEO, and the strength of our combined management team place the company in a fantastic position to fully realize the enormous market opportunity.”
The acquisition comes in response to three key advertiser-driven objectives for online video that have not been available with a single solution until now. Combining the two largest digital video advertising companies, positions Tremor Media as the sole entity that can deliver results against all of these goals.
1. Reaching targeted audiences with scale: Both in broadcast and online, video advertisers want to reach specific audiences during specific day parts. Buyers who want to target a specific in-stream video campaign to, for example, eight million women on Thursday night between 8 and 11 PM can now accomplish this with Tremor Media.
2. Reaching targeted audiences with seamless execution: Only Tremor Media can deliver in-stream campaigns at scale across a network of thousands of sites, reaching over 100 million viewers, normalized by a unified technology platform.
3. Delivering campaigns with accountability against brand goals: Only Tremor Media can deliver video campaigns with immediate and measurable results, and can optimize campaigns to achieve an advertiser’s success metrics. Whether it’s brand lift, purchase intent, engagement or viewing duration, Tremor Media can deliver powerful results for advertisers.
“By combining the companies’ strengths, we can deliver what advertisers have told us they’re looking for and create a clear must-buy in the industry for large online video budgets,” said Bill Day, CEO of Tremor Media. “Tremor Media is the largest video ad network serving the most advertisers with absolutely the largest footprint of premium publishers and targeted video inventory. The company will continue to innovate and bolster its leading technology platforms. In addition, our strong balance sheet will enable us to be to be very aggressive in pursuit of expansion on all fronts.”
The ability to provide meaningful scale and accountability across thousands of publishers is something that further differentiates Tremor Media from Hulu, YouTube, and all other players in digital video. Tremor Media’s Acudeo platform provides publishers with a comprehensive ad management console to fully monetize their video inventory.
Tremor Media will now have 40 market-facing sellers in 11 offices throughout North America and Europe. The company’s combined technology suite will include a complete inventory monetization platform for publishers and intelligent targeting, brand protection and brand health optimization/analytics for advertisers. Both Tremor Media and ScanScout have been trailblazers in creating proprietary video ad formats, which include their vChoice and Super Pre-roll units. The company will continue to be a leader on all fronts to create the best video advertising experience for advertisers, publishers, and viewers.
The story was first reported in Advertising Age