Nielsen’s Gracenote is planning to leverage its Video Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology, alongside new partners Connekt and Ensequence, to bring interactive features to linear TV ads.
Gracenote says its Video ACR technology, which is used in 25 million smart TVs across eight global brands, uses frame-by-frame image recognition to identify ads in real-time. Once the ad is identified, interactive TV advertising providers Connekt and Ensequence deliver a graphical overlay related to the traditional TV ad, such as presenting special offers, discount codes, or custom promotions.
Gracenote used a car commercial as an example, whereby an overlay would show nearby dealership addresses, or promotional car service discounts. The company indicates that since the interactive experiences are localized and in real-time it will help brands maximize their return on investment for linear or connected TV ad campaigns.
“Opportunities to enhance TV advertising with interactivity are limitless,” Kelly Abcarian, SVP of product leadership for Nielsen, comments. “The beauty of Gracenote’s Video ACR technology is that it can recognize any live, on-demand, or pre-recorded content and advertising that appears on the TV, and trigger interactive overlays that harness the full potential of connected televisions.”
“The partnerships with Connekt and Ensequence will help consumer brands, major networks, and content producers realize the value of real-time content recognition to engage users and drive greater ROI for their linear TV campaigns,” she adds.
Connekt and Ensequence will be responsible for the creative side and overall campaign execution for their clients, while Gracenote’s technology will be utilized to identify TV ads, direct partners when to activate ad overlays, and aid in measuring the campaign results.