Advertising Category
Getting Back to Our Roots with the Embedded SDK
Yesterday was an exciting day for YuMe. It was a day we went back to our roots. You may not know this, but before we created our advertising technology platform, ACE, YuMe launched in 2004 as an IPTV company. Our first product enabled people to download and watch movies directly on their TV:
YuMe, like online video, has come full circle. It started with television, and then moved to the computer screen, then to mobile phones and tablets. Now seven years after our first IPTV box, we’ve announced the Embedded SDK and established our position as the operating system for TV 2.0. The YuMe Embedded SDK is the only video advertising platform to be built directly into TVs, Blu-Ray Disc™ players, and other connected devices.
For advertisers, this means access to consumers at every stage of interaction with the TV. Even as consumers’ attention continues to fragment, advertisers can maintain a presence on every screen on which video is being watched. For publishers and CTV app developers this means even more access to TV brand dollars, enabling them to maximize revenue and simplify their ad serving and management. And because the Embedded SDK is built into the firmware of the TV, CE manufacturers can easily integrate with ACE for Publishers and the Connected Audience Network, and finally participate in the advertising value chain of television.
What makes this announcement even more exciting is that we’ve secured the support of one of the most innovative automotive advertisers, Toyota. Through their participation in this important launch, they’ve proven the value of this fast-growing channel for video—a channel in which we’ve helped participated and innovated since the beginning.
We’ll be making several exciting announcements about our Connected TV products in the coming months. Check out our News Page for updates!
YuMe CEO Chats With Beet.tv About the Future of Mobile Video Advertising
Our CEO Jayant Kadambi sat down with Beet.tv to discuss our efforts in mobile video advertising and the growth we are seeing in this sector. With smartphone penetration nearing 50% in the US, along with the increase of consumers watching video on connected devices, we anticipate 2012 to be a year of significant growth for mobile video advertising.
YuMe Receives IAB Quality Assurance Certification
The IAB announced today their Ad Networks & Exchanges Quality Assurance Certification. YuMe is proud to be among the first 17 companies to have completed the necessary steps to achieve certification. The process included assigning a compliance officer, completing a rigorous training and completing an internal audit to ensure YuMe was in compliance with the Quality Assurance Guidelines (QAG). The goal of this certification is to have networks provide standardized information, enhancing buyer control over the placement and context of advertising, ensuring brand safety for the marketer’s message. This is just one more step YuMe has taken to provide advertisers a brand safe environment for their video ads. To learn more about the guidelines and compliance seal, visit the IAB.
YuMe’s Q3 Video Ad Metrics Report is Available
Today we released our Video Ad Metrics Report for the third quarter of 2010. This latest report outlines key data and trends seen for in-stream video advertising across YuMe’s premium ad network from January through September, 2010. Some interesting findings include the following:
- Video completion rate for pre-roll grew to 75% in Q3, up nearly 10% from 2009 and continuing an upward trend seen all year.
- 15-second pre-rolls continue to be the most common ad length, representing 59% of pre-roll volume.
- Completion rates in Q3 for the 25-49 age group are especially strong with a more than 20% increase from Q1 to 68%.
- Women have a higher video completion rate at 75% versus 69% for Men.
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) marketers dominate the online video advertising volume with 32% of all spending year to date. Auto and Entertainment trail with nearly equivalent spends of 11% each.
Michael Mathieu Shares the Meaning of Life with the Times
Yesterday’s New York Times “Corner Office” column features an interview with our very own CEO, Michael Mathieu. Not only does Michael discuss the key lessons he has learned about management and the meaning of life as he knows it, he also highlights some of the things that make YuMe such a wonderful place to work. You can read the column, “Want the Job? Tell Him the Meaning of Life,” here. If you like what you read, you can explore our open positions here.
Branding Facelift
We just completed the design process for a new logo and tag line. We will be rolling it out over the next couple of weeks, so bear with us as we redesign our website. When I joined YuMe a year ago last February, I had a total of 2 weeks to get the company launched, so it was nice to finally have some time to focus on our brand and messaging. My goal when I started this process with our creative agency Singlebound, who was fantastic to work with, was to add an element of fun to our branding and to develop something that would resonate with both the ad agency and publisher community.
For our tag line we decided to go with “Where ads go to play.” We hope this will drive home the idea that YuMe’s solution works across all platforms – streaming, download, mobile – and that we are the place to go for ALL video advertising. And, not to sound too corny, but we wanted to have a little fun with the concept that ads that run on YuMe are happy because they are placed in a contextually relevant, brand safe and engaging environment.
If you have any feedback on our new look, good or bad, let me know.
- Molly Glover Gallatin
Smart Ads
Following a Yahoo announcement last summer about instantly customized ads, Alaska Airlines has announced a system that will assemble personalised adverts on the fly. When you use Alaska Airlines’ Web site to search for a flight and then surf to other sites, the airline will throw up banner ads that are relevant to you, or your location. For example, if you’re in Seattle, you might get an ad for the Seattle-to-Portland fare. If you’re in Portland, you would instead see the Portland-to-Seattle fare.
Interesting eh? Well, guess what? Alaska Airlines, or anyone else for that matter, can do the same thing for video as well. Take a look at our AdTakes ad product in our ad gallery. You will see a geo-targeted overlay where we’ve customized the ad based on the user’s location. In real-time, we adjust both the store location and product price point featured based on whether you are in California or Florida – all from one video creative.
- Jayant Kadambi
