This morning’s panel at Semantic Tech & Business was an exciting discussion on emotional semantics and cognitive analysis theory, and how to bring those analyses to work for companies and marketers.

Tom Reamy (KAPS) kicked off the panel with some interesting thoughts around leveraging “full taxonomies” and pairing these understandings with social media analyses. His work with KAPS allows companies to use these full emotive taxonomies to create new applications, giving them more functionality than they would have had with simple positive/negative sentiment analysis.

Reamy brought up a particularly interesting point regarding the differences between the way experts talk about subjects versus an individual less vested in the topic. While individuals tend to focus on high level topics, experts tend to focus on the process by which those subjects function. Leveraging this understanding can give companies and brands insight into how authoritative the author is over the content, and a better understanding of who the author is within a specific community.

Mike Lazarus (Atiego, LLC) shared some interesting examples of “speech acts” and how those varying pieces of language can help companies and developers better categorize content to fit their goals.

Twelvefold’s major differentiating position lies in the fact that we don’t use a fixed taxonomy when targeting content for our brands. Instead of matching brands to a category or a “bucket,” we use Spectrum to surface individual pieces of content that match to a brand, based on their goals and discrete brand qualities.

Dave shared a great case study based on a campaign that we ran with Samsung, following the successful launch of the Galaxy Note at CES. This campaign was a great illustration of how Twelvefold offers a taxonomy free solution, and can target content specific to Samsung’s goals, such as “Consumers Excited about the Galaxy Note” or “Creative Professionals Seeking Digital Tools.”

It was a great session, and thanks to all who came out to see us! To see more photos from Semantic Tech & Business, visit our Facebook Album.

]]> http://www.twelvefold.com/2012/06/05/the-wrap-on-emotional-semantics-semantic-tech-business/feed/ 0 http://www.twelvefold.com/2012/05/31/headed-to-semantic-tech-join-us-for-a-discussion-on-emotional-semantics/ http://www.twelvefold.com/2012/05/31/headed-to-semantic-tech-join-us-for-a-discussion-on-emotional-semantics/#comments Thu, 31 May 2012 17:00:57 +0000 Dave Hills http://www.twelvefold.com/?p=2094 Are you planning on attending Semantic Tech & Business Conference here in San Francisco? If you are in town, or if you are already headed to the conference, I am excited to invite you to a great pannel discussion with myself, Tom Reamy (KAPS Group) and Mike Lazarus (Atiego, LLC), discussing how brands can leverage emotional semantics to capture their target consumers.

Emotional Semantics: Beyond Sentiment
Tuesday June 5, 2012
10:30  - 11:15 am
Plaza A (Hilton Hotel, San Francisco)

Consumers have an array of emotions when talking about brands online, and we need a better way to understand and leverage these varying emotions when connecting with consumers online.  This discussion will cover ways that brands can use emotion to better connect with their target consumers, as well as how page-level analysis can help brands discover nuanced understandings of their customers.  A few key take-aways include:

• How to use emotion and/or appraisal taxonomies
• How to use context analysis to get a nuanced understanding of the sentiment of words and the words that surround them
• Emotion as expressed in Voice Signals
• Neural network approaches

I look forward to bringing Twelvefold’s unique perspective to the table and discussing how brands can gain an in-depth understanding of the emotion and motivations of their target consumers, without the use of categories or fixed taxonomies. 

Hope to see you there!

While traditional video advertising is purchased via category or channel, Spectrum for Video™ finds and ranks the most relevant, influential individual videos through analysis of its MRSS data. The platform focuses on pre-roll and display ad opportunities across precisely matched video content, enabling brands and advertisers to increase engagement and  and improve ad experiences.

With video advertising projected to grow 40% in 2012, we are excited expand our ability to help clients engage audiences across the most important formats and devices—video, mobile and online. If you are interested in learning about the growing video landscape, or discovering how video level targeting increases engagement for your target audiences, we invite you to learn along side of us.

For more information contact us at sales@twelvefold.com.

• CMO to CMTO
  

As mentioned by more than one  speaker at this week’s OMMA conference, the marketing and technology are continually becoming intertwined. No longer will brands need CMOs to cast their marketing strategies and global planning, but the rise of Chief Marketing Technology Officers are going to be needed to oversee technology implementations, allowing for true transparency end-to-end into each campaign. Without this integrated technology piece, marketers run the risk of loosing visibility and insights from their campaigns, resulting in over-targeting, under-targeting, and wasted ad dollars.

• Balance of storytelling and use of big data
  

According to Omar Tawakol, CEO of BlueKai, marketers need to be mindful when balancing their reliance on subject matter experts vs. algorithms. He argues, that while experts seem to have a full grasp on the ad technology industry, there are instances where an algorithm can provide superior results. With the growth of big data, there are expanding abilities that marketers can rely on technology and algorithms to dependably provide results. Specifically, algorithms can dependably buy media, target audiences, optimize, determine reach, and frequency. In his opinion, marketing professionals should leverage their expertise to tell great stories with their campaigns, by creating powerful creative and determining excellent strategies to connect with target consumers.

• Scale continues to be a struggle for many advertisers
  

A panel lead by Diane Anderson from WIT Strategy, Skip Rand (Martini Media), Ezra Doty (Think RealTime), Dave Hendricks (LiveIntent), John Kelly (Criteo), and Dave Marsey (Digitas) discussed the struggle that marketers from all ends of the ad tech industry face scale issues. Scaling solutions including having access big to high quality inventory, leveraging customer insights to reach in moments of emotion or passion, and spreading media strategies through as many channels as possible (digital, mobile, video, email). Major pitfalls that advertisers should avoid include over-targeting, or over complicating the experience for target consumers. Keeping media buys fast, simple, and inclusive are the number one way to keep high volumes of target consumers engaged with brands.

• Quality Engagement comes from Quality Content
  

Sarah Keeling (Director of Integrated Communication) and Noah Tratt (GVP, Expanded Media Solutions) from Expedia presented an in-depth case study on Expedia’s ‘Friendtrips’ campaign. This social based campaign had far reaching implications for Expedia, raising bookings for the travel company, as well as their partners, and growing their fan base and engagement rates across their marketing platform. Sarah’s comments on the Friendtrips campaign is one that can be impactful to advertisers, as she indicates “ Quality engagement comes from quality content and quality partners…[and] sustained engagement leads to more transactions.”

As marketers continue to struggle to find the best way to reach their target consumer, behavioral targeting has proved to be a mixed bag: while privacy concerns and cookie-related issues still remain a pervasive reality, behavioral targeting still remains one of the common methods brands utilize to emotionally engage with their target consumers.

If you’re planning to be at ad:tech, this should be a great panel about the state of behavior targeting. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can use this code – SPKRGUESTMY25 to take 25% off a conference pass.

Behavioral Targeting: Still Here … And Here’s Why
Wednesday, April 4, 10:15am – 11:15am

For all the backlash against behavioral targeting, marketers are still reportedly spending upwards of $xxx billion annually on campaigns that target users based on cookies, IP addresses and past online behaviors. That’s because behavioral targeting helps eliminate media waste and cut through the digital clutter. But can behaviorally-targeted campaigns be less “creepy,” more user-friendly … and perhaps, even highly creative? In this session, you’ll see examples of brands that are using a winning blend of behavioral targeting tactics and thought-provoking creative to find, reach and convert their chosen audience segments. Expect to come away with some strategies and tactics that incorporate social, mobile and even offline data to leverage the full potential of behavioral targeting.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to create a custom audience segment from the standard “buckets” that most behavioral targeting companies offer
• Discover how to couple behavioral targeting with mobile and social data to increase campaign performance
• Be inspired by behavioral campaigns that are driven by compelling creative

Jenny Brodowsky, VP of Sales, East

12F: What will you be doing as our new VP of Sales, East?

JB: I will be working with a creative group of talented individuals to bring a much needed highly targeted solution to brands from the Big Apple through the Midwest.

My job is mainly focused on bringing clients exceptional results based on the intricacies of Spectrum, which allows us to utilize layers of targeting that have never been tapped into before – all without dropping any cookies.

With a background in the behavioral space and hearing the challenges brands face with cookie based targeting, this is the “end all-be all” solution that agencies and their clients have been searching for. I can’t wait to see to see the industry fall in love with this technology the way I have!

12F: What were you doing prior to joining us at Twelvefold?

JB: I hopped on the data train in the very beginning, when DSP’s, Trading Desks and Data were not words that resonated with most. At my previous organization, I introduced a transparent approach to the behavioral targeting space to clients, agencies, trading desks and DSP’s.

The growth in this space has been exponential and making the right decisions on how to manage the various sales channels in which you offer your services is crucial in building a business in today’s marketplace.

12F: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

JB: A professional ballerina who saved the world one child at a time, very original stuff. Then as the years progressed I dreamed of being a food critic or auctioneer at Sothebys. Good thing I didn’t veer too far from that path…

12F: What made you decide to join the Twelvefold Team?

JB: Besides seeing Spectrum in action and the incredible growth the company is seeing, I would have to say it was the team. I think it’s really important to work for not only smart, experienced leaders in this space who have knowledge of the eco system but the majority of our chief officers have a heavy sales background which is invaluable.  The company culture here seems awesome and I am looking forward to working with good natured people again.

12F: Outside of working, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

JB: Born and raised in NYC I love everything the city has to offer such as taking my bike down the east river, eating at amazing restaurants, live music, sporting events, etc… but I also know it’s equally important to leave often for sanity purposes.  I love to travel to warm, tropical climates in the winter and every year I visit a new country, it’s a promise I made to myself years ago.

12F: Thanks Jenny, for taking a little bit of time to talk with us, and welcome to the Twelvefold Family!

With extensive industry experience and a strong network of contacts, Jenny is a valuable addition to Twelvefold and joins a team of highly experienced, savvy advertising professionals. Jenny’s primary focus will be helping customers to achieve their online advertising goals, leveraging Spectrum’s unique emotive-based targeting capabilities.

Jenny comes to Twelvefold from Cross Pixel Media, where she was Senior Account Executive and then Director of Sales. Prior to that, she held key positions at other notable industry firms.

Read our press release  for details—and please join us in welcoming Jenny to Twelvefold!

Brodowsky has an extensive advertising industry background. She comes to Twelvefold from Cross Pixel Media, where she was first a Senior Account Executive and most recently the Director of Sales. At Cross Pixel, her accomplishments included tripling media sales from 2010 to 2011 via agencies including T3, Mediacom, Digitas, LBI, Mindshare, Maxus, Id Media, Media Contacts, Centro, MEC, iCrossing, Mediavest and Neo@Ogilvy. She also fostered relationships with trading desks, DSPs, clients and data teams to grow data sales.

“Jenny is a valuable addition to the Twelvefold Media team with an extensive industry background and contacts,” said CEO Dave Hills. “She will be instrumental in working with our clientele to help them achieve their goals and reach their audience through emotive-based targeting and advertising.”

Prior to Cross Pixel, Brodowsky was Regional Sales Manager at Searchandise Commerce where she introduced an entirely new and heretofore unknown and untapped solution to manufacturers and their respective ad agencies. Brodowsky also worked as an account executive at Industry Brains (Marchex) and handled aspects of both sales and public relations for P3 International Corporation.

About Twelvefold Media

Twelvefold Media is the only emotive-based media company that helps brands target, reach and persuade engaged audiences by delivering the right ad, in the right place at the right time to the most motivated customers in the right mindset. Twelvefold creates customized digital media packages with proprietary technology that utilizes emotive-based targeting at the page level and real-time bidding—at scale and without cookies—to achieve superior results and insights for brands and advertisers.

Twelvefold’s clientele includes Kraft, Toyota, Best Buy, Microsoft, and Starbucks. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: Twelvefold.com, Twitter.com/TwelvefoldMedia and Facebook.com/12FoldMedia.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (February 15, 2012)– Twelvefold Media (formerly BuzzLogic), an emotive-based media company that helps brands target, reach and persuade engaged audiences, has announced “Spectrum for Mobile,” a new mobile advertising product that brings the relevance of the company’s online targeting capabilities to the mobile environment.

Today’s traditional mobile ad solutions target audience based on category, such as “automotive” and “lifestyle;” in-apps like Angry Birds and FarmVille; or targeted to keywords such as “healthy snacks.” This results in broad, generic and unfocused audience reach.

Alternatively, Spectrum for Mobile is far more precise and targets audiences seeking more specific content such as – easy-to-make, healthy snacks for kids that contain whole wheat and are loved by moms.

Spectrum for Mobile delivers this by finding and ranking the most relevant, influential content on the Web down to the page level, for example http://www.womenspub.com/lifestylecategory/top-10-wholegrain-snacks-for-kids versus http://www.womenspub.com/lifestylecategory.

“Spectrum’s level of targeting in the mobile environment is unprecedented,” said Julia Briggs Parsons, Twelvefold Media Vice President, Product. “There has been a degree of contextual targeting on tablets and mobile phones, but it’s much less precise than what Spectrum offers. Now advertisers can drill deeper to reach their specific target audience and deliver consumers much more relevant ads that speak to what they are looking for.”

According to a comScore report from October 2011 entitled “Digital Omnivores: How Tablets, Smartphones and Connected Devices are Changing U.S. Digital Media Consumption Habits,” a significant portion of all online traffic is fed from mobile devices. Per comScore, the share of non-computer traffic for the U.S. stood at nearly 7 percent in August 2011, with approximately two-thirds of that traffic coming from mobile phones, and tablets accounting for much of the remainder.

This growth in online site traffic originating from mobile devices drove Twelvefold’s effort to broaden its ad offerings to include the mobile space.  The company’s ad tech platform, Spectrum, is unlike others in that it is emotive-based in approach. With it, brands can target, reach and persuade engaged audiences by delivering the right ad to the most motivated customers in the right mindset, resulting in much higher engagements.

The Spectrum for Mobile ads works across Android and iOS systems, are formatted by device, and matched to the most relevant content for reaching target customers.  Ads are served in a variety of manners based upon the format of how content is viewed on mobile web browsers, such as at the base of the browser screen for a page read on a smartphone or directly within a page being viewed on a tablet.

A video walkthrough of Spectrum for Mobile can be viewed at http://youtu.be/ve8M9g4SlEM. A full walkthrough of the Spectrum platform, including mobile, is available upon request. 

About Twelvefold Media

Twelvefold Media is the only emotive-based media company that helps brands target, reach and persuade engaged audiences by delivering the right ad, in the right place at the right time to the most motivated customers in the right mindset. Twelvefold creates customized digital media packages with proprietary technology that utilizes emotive-based targeting at the page level and real-time bidding—at scale and without cookies—to achieve superior results and insights for brands and advertisers.

Twelvefold’s clientele includes Kraft, Toyota, Best Buy, Microsoft, and Starbucks.  The company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: Twelvefold.com, Twitter.com/Twelvefoldmedia and Facebook.com/TwelvefoldMedia.

For more information about Spectrum for Mobile and Twelvefold Media, visit http://twelvefold.com.

It’s official:  Spectrum has gone mobile.

In yet another industry-transforming development, Twelvefold Media has announced the introduction of Spectrum for Mobile—a new advertising product that brings the relevance and insight of our online targeting capabilities to the mobile environment.

Early indications are that advertisers and brands will flat out love this new product, as it leverages the power of our Spectrum platform in the rapidly growing mobile ad space.

Unlike traditional mobile ad solutions that typically target audiences by category (e.g., nutrition), Spectrum for Mobile is far more precise and targets audiences seeking more specific content (e.g., easy-to-make, healthy snacks for kids that contain whole wheat).

As with all our solutions, Spectrum for Mobile is built around the concept of content relevance, influence, authority, and consumer mindset—down to the specific page level.

The result? An unprecedented level of targeting that connects brands with consumers and delivers ads that speak directly to what they’re looking for.

And now, with online traffic from mobile devices at an all-time high, Spectrum for Mobile further enables advertisers to place the right ad, in the right place, at the right time.

We’ve created the following video demo with more detail.  And of course we’re always available for a walkthrough and to answer questions directly at sales@twelvefold.com or by phone 415.913.2600.