Programmatic Ads Can Now Be Served on Your Wearable Device

There’s no denying that “wearables” has become a buzzword in the digital marketing space. And now, the technology is so popular that marketers can even run programmatic ads on wearable devices with a new ad network.

FitAd, a mobile and wearables ad network, has started serving targeted ads on wearable gear and apps in an effort to engage with consumers who are passionate about health, fitness, and outdoor recreation.

For example, FitAd’s wearables ad platform allows Amtrak’s Acela Express train service to run banner ads via Golfshot, a golf GPS app, onto Golfshot users’ Sony or Samsung watches. Similarly, the platform is also working with HOKA ONE ONE, a running shoe brand, to deliver targeted ads via running app RockMyRun on consumers’ wearable devices.

“Success in digital health and fitness is all about authenticity,” says Adam Riggs-Zeigen, founder and chief executive (CEO) of RockMyRun. “With the FitAd platform we can offer an ad-supported model with relevant advertisements for active people.”

According to Mort Greenberg, founder and vice president of sales at FitAd, currently the majority of FitAd’s advertisers, including Amtrak, are from the platform’s “programmatic seeds.” “We have more than 100 demand partners that plug in our platform and we are able to select certain ads and move to that environment,” Greenberg explains.

At present, FitAd network only runs on Android wearables like Sony or Samsung watches. But Greenberg notes that the company will test ads that are suitable for iOS systems like Apple iWatch as well in the new year.

“We will also set up an ‘Ad Lab’ and test different ad formats, including audio-only ads and text-only ads, for each wearables category,” he adds.

Global shipments of wearables reached $12.7 million units in the third quarter of this year, up 40 percent from the same period a year prior. And analysts estimate that as smartwatches become more widely adopted, the wearables market will further accelerate to reach $74 million shipments in 2015.

Image via Shutterstock.