New world records. Exceptional skill. Creative athleticism. It’s coming to London. And you don’t have to wait for the Olympics, because it’s all happening May 3 at Ignite 2012 – a new kind of event from MediaMind developed specifically for creative professionals and publishers.


The Ignite roadshow debuted in Spain and was hugely popular, so if you’re interested in seeing and discussing the absolute latest innovations in video, rich media and mobile advertising, Ignite London is the place to be. We’ll showcase the latest IAB rising stars, what’s hot in HTML5, synchronized multi-screen technology and much more – all for you to take home and put into practice on your next campaign. It’s all about giving you fresh ideas, inspiration, insight and practical ways to put the newest, most dazzling technologies and formats to work for your clients.


We’ll also be donning our number-crunching hats to give you a look inside the latest research and trends, like how portals and websites are moving to apps accessed via tablets, and the surprising relationship between ad size and ad success (oh my!). We’ll examine the shift to magazine-style large-format placements with interactivity, and what it means for your creative campaigns or inventory. And then there are all those screens to think about and reach, including tablet and smartphone impressions (which doubled in the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2011 btw) and users who are increasingly consuming TV and digital technology simultaneously.
To help you get a handle on it all, we’ll be featuring case studies of some ultra-high-performing campaigns from this year and last – and what made them winners.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a MediaMind event without cocktails, a treasure hunt, prizes and networking time.


Check out this video (en Espanol) from the Ignite in Spain, then register for the London event before it’s too late!

http://bit.ly/Register_for_Ignite_London

Didn’t snag a ticket to NAB this year? Never fear, the news is here. MediaMind parent company DG, the world’s leading ad management and distribution platform, just introduced a new technology integration that allows content broadcast on the TV to be synchronized in real time to ads displayed on a second screen, i.e. that little tablet or smartphone you just can’t put down.

“When you put technology in a room, viewership goes up, not down,” says Dean Donaldson, AVP of Innovation Strategy for MediaMind and DG.



That translates into more engaged viewers – and happier brands and advertisers. Imagine watching an ad during your favorite show, and then, for example, getting to access an exclusive deal through your second screen – right then and there. The options for richer media engagement are endless.



A great example of  tapping into the potential of dual-screens, mobile tech and broadband provider O2 looked to MediaMind and DG for the industry’s first-ever fully synchronized dual-screen ad campaign, Thinking of You, running on Channel 4’s popular “Million Pound Drop Live”. Viewers of the show can simultaneously play an online version of the quiz using virtual cash to compete against friends on Facebook. O2’s mission was to leverage this phenomenon to break out of the leaderboard format box and build excitement around its multi-channel Thinking of You campaign. (SEE THE FULL CASE STUDY HERE ).



The synchronized dance launched at the NAB between ads on TV and mobile devices is thanks to complementary technologies by DG, MediaMind, and Civolution’s SyncNow. The combined forces allow MediaMind ad servers to detect content ‘fingerprints’ in DG broadcast assets, which trigger and map corresponding online content in real time.



The winning result?  Beautifully synchronized campaigns on a massive scale.

In-Stream video advertising represents a huge opportunity for advertisers. In fact, it’s one of the fastest growing segments of online advertising. Worldwide, around 200 billion videos are watched online every month, reaching a global audience of 1.2 billion people, according to comScore—which means your In-Stream video ads have massive potential for reaching your target audience.



In addition, MediaMind Research discovered that 70% of In-Stream impressions play all the way through – how’s that for an attentive audience?  We also analyzed that users are 200 times more likely to click on In-Stream ads vs. Standard Banners.


Still not sure it’s right for your strategy? MediaMind compiled ten facts every advertiser should consider in our latest research that can be downloaded here.

As advertisers flee from Rush Limbaugh’s show in the wake of his provocative comments about Sandra Fluke, they should take some knowledge with them on their way out the door. There’s a lot that’s instructive about this whole affair and others like it. The biggest takeaway for advertisers is that it matters where your ads appear. It matters A LOT. And never more so than when things go badly. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re trying to get your ad to the right audience:


Guilty By Association
On a normal day, most people couldn’t tell you which ads aired during a program or with a piece of content. But when things go badly, it’s easy to find out which advertisers are associated with the mess, and all of a sudden, your product is being linked with outrage. With that in mind, don’t just advertise on the highest-rated programs or sites without finding out what kind of content is going to appear with your ad. I’m not saying you should never advertise on a controversial platform, but if you do, build yourself an escape hatch in case you end up needing it one day.


A Movement In A Minute
With social media, it’s easy to spread a message like wildfire; you could have an entire backlash movement organizing before you even know what happened. Brands need to monitor their social media like a hawk now more than ever, and it’s not enough to just keep an eye on your Facebook page and Twitter feeds – be aware of trending topics out there and how they affect your business. One proactive response is worth ten reactive ones.


Target, But Don’t Exclude
You may choose to place an ad somewhere because you share a target audience with that publisher. But not everyone who sees that ad is going to fall within that target audience, so while your message should be directed, it shouldn’t be exclusionary. For example, even if you’re advertising a product to men, women are going to see and hear about it. And with their ever-increasing purchasing power and the fact that they make up half of the world’s people, alienating women would be a less-than-savvymove. You can speak to men without alienating women, and the same goes for any combination of groups. So tell your target audience why they’d appreciate your product, but don’t do it at anyone else’s expense – they might want to know about your product too.


Damage Control
If your product ends up linked with an unfortunate incident, you need to be ready to pull your ad if the public comes looking for a head on a platter. “I didn’t know my ad was running there” has not proved to be a satisfactory response; consumers’ answer to some of Limbaugh’s advertisers has been along the lines of, “Now you DO know. What do you plan to do about it?” If you are going to pull advertising and issue a statement, respect the audience enough to tell them why you decided to advertise there in the first place and why you won’t be doing so going forward. Be careful when explaining why your ad ran there in the first place; this is NOT the time to defend yourself or try to shift the blame to someone else. Take responsibility, give a full and thoughtful explanation and regain trust by outlining your plan for dealing with this in the future.


Having your ad associated with something undesirable is something advertisers should plan for in case of emergency and react swiftly to if and when it happens. In a climate where incivility means bigger ratings, it’s becoming less of a remote possibility.



Andrea Bridges-Smith, MediaMind Technical Engineer

The online video ecosystem has exploded.  Consumers have more options than ever for watching video online: YouTube channels, TV shows and movies on sites like Hulu, original web programming from Yahoo and Netflix, plus sites for the hundreds of network and cable channels out there. In short, online video is an avalanche.
Advertisers are looking to get into this boom through In-Stream ads. But just like the digital world was once a mystery to those who only knew print, In-Stream is new territory for those who may only know standard banners. And adding to the complexity are all of the devices where In-Stream content can now be viewed – desktops, tablets, smartphones and even internet-connected TVs. What kind of ad can you make with In-Stream? How can you best take advantage of the medium? Who’s going to see your ad and where and how do you scale it? While consumers may be overwhelmed by all the new opportunities to view video online, advertisers might be getting overwhelmed too.



So how do you take control of the situation and make your In-Stream ad stand out in this sea of content? Here are a few recommendations based on experience and hard data:


1. Make it easy to share

This one’s a no-brainer these days; if you’ve got a great ad, make sure it’s easy to spread the word by linking to Facebook, Twitter or other social media. Your ad can’t “go viral” if it’s been socially quarantined. Bonus: while people are clicking to share, your interaction rates are rising, and you didn’t have to write any ActionScript. It’s a win-win.

2. Entertain while informing

Think about the videos that your friends post in your Facebook newsfeed. What do they have in common? Most of them probably feature humorous content or something being blown up. So if you’ve got a video that showcases your project in an interesting way, now’s the time to make it the centerpiece and build content around it that enhances the experience.


3. Maximize your assets

Most of those dipping their toe in the In-Stream pool for the first time don’t have a robust, interactive video-based experience just lying around. But with a few videos, photos and logos, you can put together an ad that features video and photo galleries, throw in a quick poll, top it off by bringing in your Twitter feed, and voila – a video-based ad experience that engages and excites with just the assets you already have lying around.


4. Integrate across screens

A recent Razorfish report indicates that 80% of respondents are mobile multitasking while watching TV, and a recent Nielsen/IAB study revealed that nearly 75% of consumers remember an ad when viewed across media platforms as opposed to 50% on just TV alone. This means that you need to engage the user in a whole new way because they’re not just watching anymore – they’re participating. You could show the same video across TV and online In-Stream platforms, but you’d be missing out on a chance to make the most of your opportunity. Instead, show that video in both places and then build content around the online version, whether in a canvas or with non-linear and companion ads that add to the message of the video.


5. Get with the VAST/VPAID program

Making your ad compatible with VAST and VPAID ensures it can be played across the largest number of players possible. This will help you scale even further across all of the rapidly multiplying touchpoints for your ads.

In-Stream advertising is a huge opportunity for advertisers, but there’s no need to be intimidated by it. Take your video and create an experience around it; the only mistake you can make is not taking full advantage of the medium.

Contributed by Andrea Bridges-Smith, Technical Sales Engineer, MediaMind
* Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in Fourth Source