The exciting world of Ad Tech

The advertising technology (or ‘Ad Tech’) industry is one of the most innovative areas in the wider world of digital marketing.

Ad Tech is all about gathering and analysing large volumes of consumer data to create more effective advertisements and superior user experiences.

These solutions can help to increase clicks and online sales by making digital ads less intrusive and more engaging.

Advertising agencies and marketing teams will often work directly with Ad Tech companies to test out cutting-edge solutions and launch campaigns - and since Ad Tech brands are constantly innovating, there’s a near-endless number of new marketing opportunities available.

In a world where consumers are bombarded by thousands of ads every single day (and ad-blockers are becoming increasingly prevalent), Ad Tech companies play a crucial role in helping brands to stay visible, engage audiences, and generate revenue.

Let’s take a look at some of the most exciting Ad Tech companies in the industry, and explore the solutions that are being developed for digital advertisers.

LoopMe

LoopMe uses advanced AI technology to optimise ad campaigns in real-time, helping brands achieve superior outcomes and deliver better returns on their investment.

The business's primary solution, PurchaseLoop, allows marketers to understand how online clicks translate into real-world outcomes, such as store visits and sales.

Campaigns can then be optimised based on these tangible results, meaning brands can measure how digital metrics are contributing toward their highest priority business goals.

The company also offers advertisers in-depth measurement solutions to help them understand the true impact of their campaigns. LoopMe combines data from over 2 billion global devices to support media measurement, attribution, and optimisation.

LoopMe has launched campaigns for some of the biggest brand names in the world, from Microsoft to Audi - and the company is going from strength to strength.

The business recently announced Mayfair Equity Partners (a leading tech investor) as their newest investment partner, having driven annual revenue growth of 50% for the past three years.

Modern brands are heavily focused on making their marketing budgets work as hard as possible, and LoopMe has proven its ability to make this happen.

Superawesome

Superawesome positions itself as “building a safer internet for the next generation”, using advanced Ad Tech to create safer online experiences for under-16s.

The ‘Awesome Ads’ marketplace allows brands to reach younger audiences through age-appropriate ad inventory. This solution reaches over 300m under-16s around the globe and enables advertisers to achieve strong results while also protecting kids online.

Superawesome also enables marketers to identify the best ways to connect with younger audiences on platforms like YouTube by recommending brand-safe channels and popular content.

The company has worked alongside several household names, including BBC and Nickelodeon, and established itself as a key partner for any businesses looking to engage under-16s online.

Superawesome manages to deliver exceptional results for advertisers while also keeping youth audiences safe on the internet, and this is what makes its offering so unique.

Realeyes

While many Ad Tech brands focus on tracking online metrics and clicks for their clients, Realeyes focuses on measuring human attention and emotion.

Realeyes achieves this through industry-leading AI technology that monitors facial expressions and physical reactions to video content. When a brand is preparing to launch a new campaign, Realeyes can test the ads on a sample group to measure their response.

This unique data can then help brands to produce more engaging, impactful, and memorable advertising that evokes a response from target audiences.

The company has collaborated with several global agencies to test advertising content for the likes of Heineken, Coca-Cola, and LG. This technology (known as ‘emotion detection and recognition’) is growing rapidly in popularity, and Realeyes is in a strong position to capitalise on this trend.

Realeyes takes a bold approach to measuring digital advertising, injecting some humanity into a sector that’s often exclusively focused on clicks and views.

MiQ

MiQ specialises in highly efficient, expertly-optimised programmatic marketing.

Programmatic advertising is effectively automated media buying. Rather than brands needing to buy ad inventory manually, they can run campaigns through programmatic platforms that automatically run ads across different networks.

In simple terms, programmatic makes digital advertising more efficient.

MiQ is an expert in this area, launching advanced programmatic solutions that help brands to generate incredibly cost-efficient results. All of these campaigns are fuelled by real-time analytics that allow for speedy and effective optimisations.

The company has provided programmatic support for some of the biggest brands and agencies in the world, including Subway and the NFL. MiQ is currently estimated to be worth around $800-$1 billion, having increased its revenues by 240% in the US since a 2017 round of investment.

Vidsy

Vidsy aims to help brands deliver more creative and effective video advertising in a highly competitive marketplace.

The company produces bold video content for advertisers that’s tailored to individual social platforms and digital environments. This video content is powered by a strategy that focuses on four key elements - objective, person, product, and placement.

Vidsy has developed a slick process that streamlines production for advertisers, meaning they can create high-impact video assets without spending a huge amount of resources.

With UGC (User Generated Content) and influencer marketing also becoming increasingly popular, Vidsy offers clients access to a network of 7,000 digital creators around the world.

The company has generated impressive growth in recent years, and received £12m in funding in 2021 from a group of industry investors. High-quality video content is becoming a necessary asset for modern marketers, meaning Vidsy is likely to continue thriving in the market.

The world of digital marketing is continuing to grow at a jaw-dropping rate - and advertisers will always be searching for a competitive edge that can improve returns and drive sales.

That’s where innovative Ad Tech companies shine.

These businesses continue to combine digital marketing knowledge with future-facing technology to create groundbreaking solutions for advertisers.

At Harmonic we’ve worked alongside a number of established Ad Tech brands, including Captify, AdYouLike, and Takumi. If you’re interested in entering this fast-moving industry or sourcing top talent for your business, feel free to drop an email to [email protected]