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Tag: Noelia Amoedo

  • “GenAI is going to play a key role in programmatic advertising”: mediasmart’s Noelia & Nikhil

    “GenAI is going to play a key role in programmatic advertising”: mediasmart’s Noelia & Nikhil

    Mumbai: mediasmart, an Affle Company, is a unified programmatic platform that provides advertisers, trading desks, and agencies ways to integrate consumer journeys across screens.

    Recently, Affle has made significant advancements in programmatic advertising by leveraging Gen AI. Through mediasmart, this technology has been implemented in CTV advertising, enhancing the user journey and creating a seamless experience.

    Noelia Amoedo has extensive experience in the mobile, internet and social  media, with a proven track record of success in developing profitable  business from scratch in international markets. Before becoming CEO at mediasmart, she held multiple  executive positions such as VP of Marketing and Business Development  for EMEA at Palm (acquired by HP), VP of Mobile for the social  network Hi5 and managing director for Buongiorno USA (acquired by  NTT DOCOMO).

     Similarly, Nikhil Kumar currently is the chief growth officer for mediasmart, an Affle company. He is a Consumer Marketing professional with over a decade of experience working in FMCG, Retail, F&B  & Ad-Tech set-ups with global brands like Puma, L’Oreal, Cafe Coffee Day and recently Bytedance  & InMobi. He was voted & awarded as one of India’s Most innovative Mar-Tech leaders in 2019  by World Marketing Congress. With a career spanning over 14+ years – Nikhil has worked across  multiple functions with his domain expertise primarily being Brand Marketing (digital & offline),  Business strategy/ Sales & Go-To Market plan/ execution across consumer goods, retail & startup ecosystem.

    Indiantelevision.com had the opportunity to connect with both Amoedo and Kumar, where they discussed the latest trends in CTV advertising, the innovative strides made in programmatic advertising through the utilisation of Gen AI, and a plethora of other insightful topics…

    Edited excerpts

    On specific advancements has Affle made in programmatic advertising through the integration of Gen AI technology within mediasmart’s platform

    [Noelia] – At Affle and mediasmart, we have a strong focus on R&D to drive innovation for the future of advertising. To strengthen these efforts and vision, we recently filed 15 new patents in India that cover futuristic applications in interaction, training, and integration of GenAI agents. The patents span advanced AI areas such as personalization, recommendation systems, predictive analysis, privacy, and enhanced fraud detection. Our GenAI-powered innovations differentiate us from the rest of the industry, to go beyond cost efficiencies to enable long-term revenue growth and competitive advantages.

    We are also working to enhance the learning and application of GenAI across connected devices. One of the steps in this direction is on our AI CTV Safe feature that assesses ad suitability of CTV traffic to automatically filter out risk categories. This ensures that advertisers benefit from a secure and brand-appropriate environment. Imagine tools based on Gen AI that automatically discard showing ads on entertainment content intended for kids or shows that a brand considers too violent. With GenAI being a fairly new technology, we’re continuing to innovate more use cases around vernacular creatives, interpretation of campaign data, and how to improve the context and relevance of ads

    On elaborating Gen AI technology enhancing the user journey and creating a seamless experience in Connected TV (CTV) advertising, particularly through the mediasmart platform

    [Noelia] – Programmatic technology on CTV, utilizing AI, has powered measurement, targeting, and optimization on a format like television advertising for years. While AI-driven programmatic advertising has made the medium efficient by using sophisticated algorithms that can predict and make their own decisions using a set of rules/predefined goals, GenAI is based on LLMs and,  in addition to the capabilities of AI, it can also create new content. This makes it more trans-formative to allow advertisers to create contextual ads depending on the audiences. For instance, a sports apparel brand can easily create multiple ads featuring visually captivating video of runners in different settings: rural, urban, with friends, in different seasons, etc, depending on where the ad is shown and what kind of household it is targeting. Making sense of unstructured language based information is another area where GenAI can make an impact to offer a seamless experience. For instance, GenAI can identify contexts and create new ones by analyzing the transcript of any given show, which in turn can reduce the dependency on pre-defined content categorization for campaign targeting. While some of this will take time, the personalization possibilities represent a leap in CTV advertising experience.

    On GenAI contributing to optimising ad campaigns

    [ Noelia ] – I think Gen AI could be quite disruptive in the area of campaign optimization mainly in two ways. On one hand, by becoming a tool that can empower media traders to set up their campaigns for optimum performance: imagine an assistant that is guiding you along the way while you configure your advertising campaign based on how other similar campaigns with good results have been set up. On the other hand, Gen AI could dramatically change how campaign intelligence is presented and analyzed: imagine being able to ask questions like “how is my campaign performing across cities?” “or “which is the audience that most engages with my video ads during weekends?”. The more time you invest analyzing versus configuring or manipulating data, the more you will learn and the more you can do for the success of your campaign. All this, combined with content generated by AI to make your ads most relevant to the audience, can have a dramatic impact on campaign performance.

    On the recent GroupM’s TYNY 2024 report on CTV’s growth to reach 45 million homes with a YoY growth of 21 per cent in India

    [Nikhil] – It’s undeniable that CTV has cemented its status as a primary source for content consumption for the Indian television viewers across cities and towns. We’re already looking at an accelerated growth rate of CTV’s adoption among Indian households having surpassed previous indications. Interestingly, while CTV viewing is a cord-cutting phenomenon among the millennial’s, for many younger audiences who were cord-nevers, CTV is their primary preferred screen for content consumption. The explosive growth of OTT platforms – 46 and growing – and the appeal of a wide variety of content have also contributed to CTV’s wider adoption. So, CTV is not the future, it is the present!

    This has also reflected in the speed at which advertisers have adopted CTV advertising. With its broad reach, diverse user base, and dynamic content consumption patterns, CTV is an essential component for any planning exercise for an advertiser. Advertisers across industry verticals like FMCG, retail, automotive, electronics, as well as high-end luxury brands are using CTV advertising to deliver targeted, contextual messages. More brand verticals are likely to confidently invest in CTV as ROAS-driven advertising becomes a key focus area and draw efficiency from CTV advertising’s innovative features like Household Sync that offer more synchronized and immersive experiences to integrate consumer journeys.

    On the current global and local implementations of Gen AI in Connected TV and shaping the future outlook for CTV and multi-screen journeys

    [Nikhil] – Globally, major streaming platforms and advertisers are likely to harness the power of GenAI to deliver personalized content recommendations and dynamically insert ads based on user preferences. This not only enhances the user experience but also allows for real-time optimization of ad campaigns, improving efficiency and engagement. On a local level, broadcasters and advertisers are customizing their approaches, leveraging GenAI to adapt to regional preferences and cultural nuances. This localization ensures that campaigns resonate with diverse audiences, establishing a deeper connection between brands and viewers. Looking forward, the future outlook for CTV and multi-screen journeys appears to be shaped by the continued advancement of Gen AI. This includes the promise of even more personalized and targeted experiences, seamless multi-screen interactions, and the integration of interactive elements that make ads not just viewable, but truly engaging and memorable. As Gen AI continues to evolve, it is poised to play a pivotal role in creating a dynamic and data-driven advertising landscape that responds to the ever-changing expectations of viewers.

    On envisioning the role of Gen AI evolving in the future of programmatic advertising, and further opportunities you foresee for further innovation and growth in this space

    Noelia: GenAI is going to play a key role in programmatic advertising. GenAI can be expected to have a significant impact around increasing productivity across many functions, including creatives, media buying, and extracting campaign insights. It can also reduce production costs for creatives and maximize ad relevance, not only through custom creatives but also by segmenting contexts in a much more granular way. I expect a lot of innovation around these areas in the future.

    Nikhil: The possibilities of GenAI’s impact in programmatic advertising is of course exciting and the industry is looking forward to the innovations in this space. We’ve come a long way from the manual RFPs for placing ads on specific publishers. Programmatic has made the media buying process automated, real-time and measurable. With GenAI, we are looking at further efficiency and impact on media buying through dynamic bidding and AI agents will be trained to interact and integrate to improve how media is bought, ads are placed, and data is stored. Specifically within the CTV ecosystem, GenAI has the potential to not only transform the advertising experience, but also elevate the way viewers experience CTV. With the intersection of technology, creativity, and innovation, we are looking at a brighter future for digital advertising.

  • Will GenAI be a revolutionary force of change in the CTV space

    Will GenAI be a revolutionary force of change in the CTV space

    Mumbai: The world of television viewing has undergone a significant transformation. From the era of linear television, today we’re undoubtedly on connected screens, where most of our content consumption is online. CTV has emerged as a force to reckon with for both consumers and advertisers. For brands, CTV offers a great opportunity to blend the world of engaging storytelling associated with television advertising with the benefits of programmatic technology that offers advanced targeting, optimization, and measurement.

    AI has always been at the core of programmatic advertising and CTV, enabling anything from predictive targeting to anti-fraud protection.  Now, thanks to the emergence of Generative AI and the availability of the models behind it, we’re looking at another transformative era unlocking even more value for brands and advertisers.

    The Current State of CTV & Rise of OTT

    There’s been a surge in OTT adoption globally, which has significantly contributed to the rise of CTV as viewers opt for better streaming quality and bigger screens, while opting out of expensive cable subscriptions. Although this trend started in the United States, it is estimated that 40% of households in Europe’s biggest markets – UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain – use CTVs. On an eastward journey, CTV has also become a 4-hour daily ritual in India where on-demand content reigns supreme.

    Globally, the OTT market is burgeoning due to the diverse variety of local and international content these platforms offer. Industry research forecasts the global OTT video market’s revenue is expected to hit US$295Bn, with an expected annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.29% from 2023 to 2028. Emerging economies like India have also seen a phenomenal growth in OTT video content, both on the back of global OTT players entering the market as well as increased competition among local players offering niche content.

    This shift towards OTT viewing, particularly among younger audiences, has presented a unique opportunity for advertisers to utilize CTV – where OTT content is mostly consumed – for creating highly targeted and engaging ad campaigns. With the viewing audiences spread across OTT apps and through various times of the day, advertisers can craft messages that resonate more effectively with specific demographics. Advertisers on CTV benefit from the enhanced user engagement and attention on OTT content. With many platforms moving to an AVOD model, the CTV advertising market is further expected to grow in the years to come.

    Emergence of GenAI and its Impact on CTV

    Programmatic technology on CTV has leveraged AI technology in many ways since its inception, whether it is to segment and target audiences to maximize engagement, to optimize bid pricing in real time or to identify patterns that are indicative of potential fraud. This “traditional AI” allows programmatic advertising to be super efficient by using sophisticated algorithms that can predict and make their own decisions following a set of rules or predefined goals. Generative AI, however, is different in that it does not need to follow predefined rules and it can instead come up with its own. This is a key difference. Generative AI is based on Large Language Models (LLMs in short) and, unlike “traditional AI”, it can also create new content – text, images and video – based on patterns it learns from the underlying training data. This is what makes it transformative and opens a whole new set of opportunities for increased efficiency and value creation for brands on CTV.

    As with any new transformative technology, there will certainly be an evolution until the full value can be realized, but with so many models becoming readily available and affordable, the industry (and the whole world) is moving very fast. Notably, there are three specific areas where Generative AI can make a material difference on CTV advertising:

    a.    Making sense of unstructured language based information – imagine the transcript of any given TV show, for example – to identify contexts and create new ones just became easier. Thanks to this, the dependency on pre-defined content categorization for campaign targeting or optimization is greatly reduced.

    b.    More engaging and cost effective creatives can be easily unlocked thanks to GenAI. I’d argue that humans will still be needed in the creative process for a long time, but there is no question that the ideation part of the creative process can be enriched by the use of Gen AI tools, and executing new video creatives and variations is today possible at much lower production costs, which also enables much more efficient AB testing to maximize engagement.

    c.    Interpretation of campaign data and communication of value for the brand is another area where I’d expect Gen AI to have a huge impact, sooner rather than later, allowing campaign managers to focus on improvement rather than reporting.

    Even if full automation is still not possible and much human interaction is absolutely necessary, what we can do with AI tools today to personalize creatives, making them more dynamic and engaging, already represents a material leap. Some of this will take time, but imagine how a sports apparel brand can easily create multiple ads featuring a visually captivating video of runners: in a rural or urban setting, featuring a family or a group of friends, in winter or summer with the ads being shown depending on the households targeted, and strategically placed during content most relevant for the target demographic. Or imagine how a food brand in a multi-linguistic country like India can leverage GenAI tools to make vernacular advertising easier and automatically target different regional consumer groups. This not only improves the relevance of ads but also maximizes the effectiveness of ad campaigns, ultimately boosting value for advertisers and revenue for content providers.

    By the same token, GenAI can also be used to identify and preempt contexts to ensure ads are being placed in a brand-safe environment for a particular audience. Imagine tools based on Gen AI that automatically discard showing ads on entertainment content intended for kids or shows that a brand considers too violent.

    Looking to the Future

    GenAI is not just an incremental step forward; it represents a paradigm shift, potentially redefining the CTV landscape and its strong players. Brands leveraging it are already one step ahead of the game. GenAI promises to elevate the CTV experience for viewers and advertisers alike. A promising future, with the intersection of technology and creativity in advertising helping reach new heights.

    The author of the article is mediasmart CEO Noelia Amoedo.

  • Affle board appoints four additional directors

    Affle board appoints four additional directors

    Mumbai: Technology company Affle on Monday announced the appointment of four additional directors to its board. The new members include independent director Lay See Tan, executive director Vipul Kedia, non-executive director Noelia Amoedo and non-executive director Elad Natanson.

    Vipul Kedia has been associated with Affle for 16 years and is currently serving as chief data and platforms officer and head of MAAS Platform in India.

    Noelia Amoedo is the founder and CEO of mediasmart, now part of the Affle Group. She has extensive experience in mobile, internet and social media, with a proven track record of developing profitable businesses from scratch in international markets.

    Lay See Tan is a seasoned finance professional who has served as CFO of public-listed companies on Singapore Stock Exchange, NASDAQ and led hyper growth tech start-ups across various industries.

    Elad Natanson is the CEO of Appnext, now part of Affle group and has been at the forefront of mobile and internet innovation for more than 20 years evangelising several companies in the digital sphere.

    With this, Affle’s board will now comprise 10 directors led by an independent non-executive chairman and will include four women directors. The additions are designed to support Affle’s accelerated growth momentum, provide greater accountability to the senior leadership and reflect upon the company’s commitment to maintain highest standards of corporate governance with enhanced depth of expertise.

    Affle non-executive chairman and independent director Bijynath said, “I am pleased to welcome new directors to the board where their years of invaluable experience, skills and diversity of opinion will help us on our journey ahead. This will further enhance our overall corporate governance, risk management processes & thought leadership enabling holistic organisational development and sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders.”

    Affle managing director and CEO Anuj Khanna Sohum said, “These appointments come at a time when we are amidst our accelerated growth trajectory, embarking on several innovations and I am elated to welcome the directors joining our board at such a pivotal phase of Affle. The directors’ unique and entrepreneurial perspective will further augment our strategic differentiation, global market position following the highest levels of transparency and governance. We look forward to leveraging their scientific and strategic expertise while keenly promoting our Affle 2.0 culture of diversity, equity and inclusion across the organisation including at our board of directors.”