Arti-Media Touts Non-Intrusive Video Ad Overlays

As online video publishers look to maximize ad opportunities without upsetting user experience, one company, Arti-Media, has devised a platform it says will help strike that balance, presenting advertisers with quality ad overlays without obscuring content.

The firm’s technology works by automatically identifying inactive portions or “dead spots” in video content, and dynamically placing IAB standard display ads in those gaps. The advantage over traditional video overlays, the firm says, is that the technology understands the content of the video and positions ads accordingly — a superior alternative to current overlay formats that are commonly placed at the bottom of video streams, irrespective of what content they may be obscuring.

“Publishers want to monetize their assets, but don’t want to upset user experience,” the firm’s co-founder and VP of business development, Sagi Gordon, told ClickZ. “Any kind of advertising is intrusive, but it’s about finding a balance,” he continued.

The technology has been adapted from facial recognition and security technology developed by Arti-Media’s parent company, Singapore-based Artivision technologies. Publishers already making use of the offering currently include Indian properties The Times of India and MoneyControl.com, but the firm now has its sights set on the U.K. and European markets, having recently opened sales offices in both territories and secured its first U.K. publisher client, ITN-owned Diagonal View, In June.

Elsewhere in Europe, GroupM’s Mindshare has been running a campaign for Mars-owned chocolate brand Twix, making use of the technology on Portuguese site SurfReport.pt. The site features live video feeds from surf spots around Portugal, and thanks to Arti-Media’s technology incorporates display ads at appropriate spots within that video stream. The campaign runs until the end of the week, but the company claims click-through rates have already impressed.

In addition, Gordon claims his company is in discussions with a number of major publishers and ad networks worldwide, and has already partnered with Netherlands-based display ad network Banner Connect. Other brands currently making use of the technology in the U.K. include online gambling vendor Victor Chandler.

Back in 2007, Maven Networks offered a similar technology that optimized overlay placements based on user interaction. However, that solution was not capable of analyzing video content itself, and simply placed ads based on data such as CTRs.

According to Arti-Media, its platform offers similar optimization capabilities, determining which locations within video content are likely to perform better than others based on previous user interaction.