Ensuring the Appropriate Placement of Ads. GroupM Partners with OpenSlate

Much has been written about advertising placed in in appropriate, controversial or objectionable YouTube video content.  But there are companies that are employing advanced technology to help to provide a level of confidence in message delivery placement. OpenSlate, a social video analytics company, focuses on measuring the nature and quality of content and they recently formed a partnership with GroupM to help safely monitor clients’ ad messages on YouTube. 

I sat down with Mike Henry, CEO OpenSlate, and asked him about the details of that partnership and other initiatives for his company:

Charlene Weisler: Tell me about OpenSlate’s recent partnership with GroupM.

Mike Henry: We’ve partnered with GroupM to help ensure that their clients’ ads are only running in content that those clients deem appropriate. Our technology will provide a more robust and also more customized filtering of ad-supported content on YouTube. We’ll also deliver more granular contextual reporting so that they can get smarter about where their ads run on YouTube and how content impacts performance.

Charlene Weisler: What data is made available and how will that be used in the business?

Mike Henry: Contextual targeting and analytics include YouTube video level data about quality (our SlateScore - a propriety metric from 1-1000), content, and audience data. OpenSlate has a unique focus on producing actionable data about the vast body of content on YouTube and how it should or shouldn’t be used by advertisers. Our contextual targeting and reporting data will be made available to GroupM for use in current and future campaigns. 

Charlene Weisler: What about other announced initiatives - can you talk a bit about how your data is being used and how your company adds value?

Mike Henry: We work with hundreds of advertisers and dozens of the biggest agencies as well as MCNs. In the past year, our data has been used to power thousands of campaigns in the U.S. and 20 other global markets. Most recently, we announced $7 million in funding from North Base Media and welcomed two ad tech veterans JoAnna Foyle and Brian Quinn to our executive team as COO and President, respectively. The company is poised to grow exponentially in business, engineering, data science and client management in the U.S. and abroad. 

Charlene Weisler: How has your examination of YouTube data evolved to better assist in choosing safe video content?

Mike Henry: About six years ago we started by thinking about what good content looks like online when it doesn’t look like a TV show. The scale of YouTube demands a data-driven solution, so we started building various quality and brand safety algorithms to figure that out. We now have years of historical performance data which helps predict what content channels will likely produce and the likelihood of being brand safe in the future. Using this intel, we can help advertisers decide where they don’t want to be, but also where they do want to be. 

Charlene Weisler: What advice would you give an advertiser who is interested in advertising on YouTube?

Mike Henry: If advertisers are looking to reach millennials and Gen Z, there’s no doubt YouTube is where their ads need to be running. But with more than 300 million ad-supported videos on YouTube, advertisers can be selective about where their messages run. Data and analytics about the intersection of content and audience will help advertisers lean in to the best videos for their message. 

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

Measuring TV Inventory in the Digital Space. A Discussion with OpenSlate CEO Mike Henry

CEO Mike Henry describes OpenSlate as a social video analytics company that focuses on measuring the nature and quality of content. Concentrating strictly on the measurement aspects of digital video, specifically YouTube, has given the company a unique perspective on the treatment of TV inventory in the digital space. 

He explains, “Our quantitative approach to measuring and scoring the value of content to brand advertisers has made OpenSlate the industry standard for social video data. Today, we power YouTube media targeting for many of the world’s largest media buyers.” 

Charlene Weisler: What type of measurement do you use?

Mike Henry: OpenSlate has a proprietary metric called the SlateScore that quantifies the value of content for advertisers by measuring a channel’s engagement, consistency, influence and momentum. We also have metrics on content quality, brand safety and subject matter expertise. And which creators are the most proficient in developing content in a certain genre. In addition to content metrics, we have demographic data from YouTube such as age, gender, device and geography.

Charlene: Age and gender? Are all 18 year olds alike?

Mike: No, I am sure that they are not. But advertisers still buy on age and gender. OpenSlate data can help advertisers reach their target audiences for sure.  What makes us different is that we ensure that advertisers reach that key demo within the highest quality, brand-safe content on YouTube.  We have the ability to drill down to targeted content as well – so not just Beauty & Fitness, but Fitness specifically – and within Fitness, Yoga & Pilates.  This gives advertisers the ability to target the best environment for their message and provides additional data points for optimization.  You can learn more about the different viewing habits of key demos in our latest report, How Content Powers Share Shift. 

Charlene: What is your company’s role in moving TV ads to digital?

Mike: Advertisers are moving from TV to digital anyway, especially to keep up with younger audiences. They are using OpenSlate to understand how to best access these audiences and develop creative in order to engage more with these viewers.

Charlene: What advice can you give regarding creative development?

Mike: Our data shows what content your audience likes. An example might be 13-18 year old boys viewing sports. They may prefer extreme sports to professional sports – which would definitely impact messaging strategy.

Charlene: What data do you collect?

Mike: We collect data on more than a million YouTube channels, 200 million videos and billions of daily aggregate data points. We also cull data from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as performance data for campaigns. We also look at ad completion and cost-per-view to see what is more effective for an advertiser. 

Charlene: OpenSlate has been around for 6 years. Have you seen any changes in your business in those years?

Mike: Over the last two years, we have seen more agencies and clients interested in spending in online video. We might have been ahead of the curve six years ago – it might have been a little too soon. However, the last two years have been active on all fronts.

Charlene: Can you give me some predictions on your business for the next five years?

Mike: Facebook and Snapchat will become more video-centric and usable for advertisers. Online video will offer even more programming but all media will be in each platform’s own sandbox and advertisers will need to treat each individually. Finally, video influencers will become even more important and the industry will produce more content with them.

This article first appeared in www.MediaBizBloggers.com