With the internet continuing to evolve, some of the “old ways” of advertising are becoming obsolete. Take print and television ads for example. Many newspapers have ditched their delivery schedules and moved their content online, prompting advertisers to do the same. With the popularity of dynamic creative optimization (DCO), marketers are better able to reach the right customers, the right way. Think of automatic content recognition (ACR) as the DCO of the television world.
Automatic content recognition provides a way for television and internet advertising to work together, utilizing the strengths of each platform for cross-media campaigns that are actionable. What does that mean?
Since many people are now watching television on tablets or other mobile devices, users will be able to synchronize their second screens with their TVs to obtain information about the programs being watched and shows that are similar. ACR will also give advertisers a way to send product and shopping information directly to viewers in real time, increasing commerce potential.
ACR is already being utilized in smartphone apps, such as Shazam. This type of app identifies song titles and artists by using your smartphone’s microphone to listen to the radio, television or other source. During Superbowl XLVI, Shazam expanded its capabilities to include television marketing by displaying interactive icons during TV commercials. Viewers were able to “tag” the icons using the app and gain access to extra information about the products, and sometimes freebies like coupons or recipes.
Automatic content recognition will immerse television viewers in interactivity in the coming years, reshaping the viewing experience and hopefully revitalizing the effectiveness of television advertising. At Transformation Marketing in Lincoln, Nebraska, we work hard to stay up on trends to that we can offer our clients with cutting-edge ideas that will work best for their campaign!