YuMe Introduces First-Ever Placement Quality Index to Maximize Impression Value and Ensure Optimal Ad Performance
Proprietary Algorithm Automatically Adjusts to Individual Campaign-Critical Metrics to Optimize Media Allocations for Brands
REDWOOD CITY, CA(01 Mar 2012)
YuMe, the operating system for TV 2.0, today announced a first for the video advertising industry: the YuMe Placement Quality Index (PQI), a proprietary algorithm that monitors and identifies the optimal placement of video ads on digital properties. In this age of site list parity, media buyers need a better way to evaluate expected performance for their campaigns. Not all impressions are created equal, and the PQI ensures that campaigns deliver the best possible performance and maximum impression value to align with brand marketing objectives.
YuMe’s PQI algorithm is a composite function of key performance metrics that are important to brand marketers including: interaction rate (IR), video completion rate (VCR), video player size, player on-page location, among many others based on campaign objectives. A baseline PQI is calculated continuously for YuMe’s Connected Audience Network, so new campaigns can be evaluated in real-time against the average performance of the entire network. Additionally, as the campaign progresses, the real-time PQI calculations allow YuMe to automatically adjust campaign placements to optimize overall performance. As a result, the PQI highlights new opportunities to maximize the value of each impression per the advertiser’s desired price point, ensuring that each advertiser gets what they pay for. Placement quality is a critical component of YuMe’s 8 Essential Elements for successful video advertising.
“We are excited to be the first video ad network taking a dynamic approach to optimize performance so that advertisers do not have to rely on outdated or oversimplified data,” said YuMe CEO Jayant Kadambi. “With PQI, brands are assured that their campaigns will reach the right audience and run on sites that yield the highest possible performance according to their desired campaign objectives.”
YuMe has conducted extensive testing to demonstrate the impact of utilizing a PQI-based media allocation compared to a traditional site-list based media allocation on video ad campaign performance. In one instance, YuMe compared a set of 10 campaigns with major travel and telecommunications brands utilizing the PQI algorithm against 10 campaigns that opted out. These campaign sets and audience targets were identical, and the associated creatives were placed on the same digital publisher properties. Key findings of these tests include:
- PQI optimized video ad campaigns yielded a 215 percent lift in Interaction Rate (IR) as compared to campaigns which were not.
- PQI optimized video ad campaign yielded a 90 percent lift in Video Completion Rate (VCR) as compared to campaigns which were not.
PQI ultimately proves that site lists are less important than the actual placement on a page. One site might perform well for one campaign and quite poorly for another. PQI unearths valuable publisher inventory wherever it might exist based on the campaign type and goals.
Placement quality is one of YuMe’s 8 Essential Elements of video advertising for brands, which includes:
- Ad visibility assurance: YuMe’s viewport detection solution guarantees that no impressions will go unseen, so every video ad impression truly extends reach and brand awareness.
- Brand-safe distribution: YuMe ensures ads are associated with safe content to protect brand equity. Since video ad players are portable, YuMe's brand security measures follow the video player wherever it goes to guarantee protection.
- Cross-screen compatibility: YuMe enables marketers to reach any screen their customers are viewing, be it a computer, mobile device, or connected TV. Moreover, advertisers can build their YuMe Ads just once and run them on all screens.
- Premium, 100% in-stream video inventory: User-initiated, well-lit video ad placements on quality publisher properties and applications yield high brand impact and optimal branding opportunities.
- Video ad placement on professionally-produced content: YuMe ensures that the brand message is always paired with high-quality video content for brand credibility via the first-ever Placement Quality Index.
- Highly interactive video ad units: Socially rich ad units drive brand awareness, favorability, recall, and purchase intent for immediate brand engagement.
- Advanced, guaranteed audience targeting: YuMe delivers ads to the right audience using a variety of targeting techniques to meet audience guarantees, ensure relevance, and maximize brand favorability.
- Powerful analytics for brand performance optimization: YuMe provides instant, actionable insight into video ad campaign performance across all connected devices.
About YuMe
YuMe is the software infrastructure provider powering digital video and the next generation of television with its operating system for TV 2.0. Its video advertising technology and services seamlessly connect advertisers, app developers, content distributors, consumer electronics manufacturers, and publishers across the globe. YuMe's patent-pending Relevance Engine powers its premium in-stream video ad network, the YuMe Connected Audience Network, and its industry-leading advertising management solutions, ACE for Publishers and ACE for Advertisers. The YuMe Relevance Engine matches the right ad to the right audience on whatever screen they are viewing—PC, mobile, or connected TV. YuMe is a privately held company headquartered in Redwood City, CA with its European headquarters in London. The company is backed by Accel Partners, BV Capital, DAG Ventures, Intel Capital, Khosla Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and Translink Capital. For more information, visit www.YuMe.com, follow @YuMevideo on Twitter (www.twitter.com/YuMevideo), or like YuMe on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YuMevideo.