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Microsoft tinkering with scary-smart ad spots

by: Allan1, Feb 6 2008 - 10:41pm
Allan1's picture
By Allan1 on February 6, 2008 - 22:41

The web ads are 'scary-smart' because they figure out when and where to insert extra ad content, and for who.

"Microsoft Corp.'s online advertising researchers will spend this year teaching computers to be smart about sticking ads into video clips, and to be even smarter about targeting ads to specific Web surfers.

Microsoft showed off a handful of early-stage advertising projects at its headquarters Tuesday that may or may not turn up as part of Microsoft's Web advertising platform."

See the article at CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/06/microsoft.ads.ap/index.html.

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Dabitch's picture

Najm said spending on search keyword ads will be dwarfed by what marketers spend on other types of online advertising, such as placement based on "audience intelligence" -- figuring out what kind of person the Web user is based on their surfing and searching habits -- and display ads including video.

Ok, I know some people are going to find that creepy. But y'all probably kissed your privacy goodbye the moment you went online anyway.

Microsoft -- along with Google Inc. and other competitors -- is also hard at work on new ways for companies to advertise their brands to Web surfers watching video clips.

One crunched a clip, looking for the most appropriate stretch of time and spot on the screen for an advertiser's "bug," or logo. For example, if a car company wanted to show its logo for 10 seconds in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen, the computer program would find the 10 seconds in which the logo interferes least with the action in the video.

Another used speech recognition to make a transcript of a video, then served up ads -- in the demonstration, they were text links -- alongside the video. As the topics discussed on screen changed, so did the ads.

I hate to admit that I love that. Seriously, logo's that wait until a good spot in the action before showing up? Text ads that match the videos speech? If it works, it's brilliant.

tod.brody's picture

Just imagine the possibilites for people with multiple personalities. ;-)

Wendall's picture

I like the sounds of it, but doesn't making a video overlapping ad unintrusive sort of defeat the purpose?

Allan1's picture

The ads are unintrusive in that they don't damage the current screen real estate, and appear to be integral to it.

Because the ads will change based on what you're looking at, your brain will notice the change, and will focus on the ad and follow its motions for a while. Some people will respond to this more than others.

Don't worry, that ad will get into your head. You may need to see it a few times - but most people will not. It depends on how alert you are. (As opposed to be up to your eyebrows full of Bishop's Finger!)
;-))

Allan...
"Remember, no matter where you go... There you are." (Buckaroo Banzai).
"Hey, barkeep, 2 Rock Over Hip-Hops and 1 Bach Over Vivaldi with ice."

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