Category: Digital Advertising

Google A65 – The new age AR headsets in the making

Google is known to be the market leader when it comes to new age innovations. Be it search engines, Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), or Augmented Reality; its products have captured the world’s attention. The recently concluded I/O conference too showed a glimpse of the key happenings inside the Google tech labs working on the futuristic technology.

An emphasis on Augmented Reality (AR)

One of the exciting highlights of the event was its standalone Augmented Reality (AR) project. It is a headset that goes by the codename “Google A65” and that it will use new Qualcomm chips.

The Qualcomm chips used in the Google A65 – QSC603 – are four-core system chips that are also estimated to be a part of the next-gen Microsoft HoloLens. Google A65 is said to be built by Taiwanese computer giants, Quanta. The project is still said to be in its making stages, according to the documents that have been obtained by WinFuture.

A background about Quanta

Quanta is the same company that was involved in the making of the esteemed Pixel C tablet, which was launched in 2015. It is said that the QSC603 can power an output video at an unbelievably stunning WQHD (Wide Quad HD) resolution, at display 3D overlays and supports other major graphic interfaces like OpenGL, OpenCL and even Vulcan.

Highlights of the AR headset

The headset that Google is coming up with is rumoured to include camera sensors and microphones that allow users to operate the device using the Google Assistant, as reported by CNET. “The headset is supposedly based on custom quad-core internet-of-things (IoT) focused Qualcomm QSC603, supporting up to 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and 1080p and 1030p video capture, 3D overlays, rendering interfaces, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS and the Android neural networks application programming interface (API)”, the CNET report added.

Google is already in the process of manufacturing AR headsets called the “Google Glass,” that comes in with a heads-up display and camera. Google glass was launched in 2013. However, Google A65 is said to resemble Microsoft’s “HoloLens” in ways more than one. Firstly, the operation style, then the advanced RISC machines (ARM) – powered design and lastly the Qualcomm chipset that we have already mentioned about as being a part of the next-gen HoloLens. These characteristics are very similar to the Microsoft AR product.

Bearing in mind the advances made by Google in terms of bettering AR, mainstreaming Augmented Reality in the next couple of years does not seem like an impossibility, especially when companies like Apple and Samsung are also leaping at chances to make the most of this.

There is no confirmed release date for Google A65 (we refer to the codename for now). However, Google assures that this would be made public soon since it is still in its formative stages.

May 31, 2018
Ways to ensure brand safety in today’s world of user-generated content
It gets really embarrassing for a reputed brand when their ad shows up next to what could be called as questionable content. What should you do to avert this crisis? Here are some smart ways to ensure brand safety.

The background about brand safety

Looking at how brand advertising has evolved over the years, brand safety is now a buzzing topic than it ever was. The concern brands have these days is about what content runs alongside their ads. In advertising, looking at things from the eyes of the consumer is pivotal. So when a consumer sees an ad placed next to another, she or he automatically assumes that one endorses or sponsors the other. That is why when you look at some extremely questionable content placed to something entirely irrelevant, the only conclusion a viewer reaches is that this is being done for ad revenues.

The problem arises here. If your brand appears next to something that isn’t appropriate, then it splashes dirt on your brand reputation also. The consumer automatically starts viewing your brand in a negative light too. This happens due to faulty algorithms that falsely place irrelevant content next to each other.

But then you cannot blame the consumer for it now, can you? They practically have no idea behind the functioning of it all. They do not know how the ad targeting scene works. In the wake of crisis brand safety finds itself in, many brands in the tech industry seem to vulture over this. They have come up with tools that aim to monitor your brand’s presence and its exposure alongside explicit or inappropriate content.

What to do when your brand ad is placed next to questionable content?

Before you rush to pull off your ad immediately, you need to collect information so that you can make a well-thought decision about this. Here we present some outlines as a possible procedure for you to follow when such an issue happens.

The first step is to determine how much exposure your brand managed to receive. Some of these questions may be helpful for this:
1. What was the time frame when your ad showed alongside questionable content?
2. How many impressions did your ad garner?
3. How many clicks were registered?
4. Was it a human error or an algorithmic one?
Collecting information from such questions can help you reach the cause of the problem and thereby understand the intensity of the issue.

Once you have identified the cause, you can consider a couple of solutions. First, should you pause the campaign? If the status of your issue is ongoing and there is no immediate way to mend it, pausing your campaign would be the logical step here. Though it may affect your overall mix, pausing the campaign would save your brand from a lot of negative feedback. You would also have to develop an understanding of the exposure of the campaign with your clients. Considering the nature of the issue, there would be a considerable backlash from both traditional and social media.

In conclusion, brand safety is a significant issue, and the more you take it seriously, the better it would be for you or your client.
May 23, 2018
iPaaS – All the you need to know about it
iPaaS or Integration Platform as a Service is a hosted service by a third-party software vendor, who delivers infrastructure and middleware to handle all the company’s data integration requirements. Generally, data integration happens between cloud applications or between a cloud and on-premise application.

iPaaS provides a single platform for data integration, which allows to eliminate the need of huge manpower or specialised software to do manual data entry. Another advantage of iPaaS is simplified software multitenancy. Earlier cloud design models a single instance of a running software application, but with software multitenancy, a single instance can use resource sharing.

Automation of data integration through iPaaS can provide numerous benefits which include;
- Integrating systems through iPaaS enables to share data between teams ensuring they are working with accurate data. The result is that staff can spend less time questioning ‘which data is right?’ and more time taking action on the right data.
- An iPaaS automates the integration process, putting data standardisation and governance procedures in place.
- An iPaaS can connect systems in hours, not days or weeks, resulting in faster time to ROI on a variety of product, marketing and sales efforts.
- Connecting CRM and marketing automation through an iPaaS can eliminate duplicate records and speed up data flow so sales or marketing follow up is more timely and useful.
- iPaaS solutions are targeting business users, who need little or no coding experience to use the platform. As a result, accountability for marketing data integration, campaign execution and results flow in a straight line through the marketing organisation.
- iPaaS solutions are scalable and can manage the growing volume of customer data now being collected by businesses – from SMBs to large enterprises. By automating the integration process, data moves faster into marketing campaigns and sales pipelines, enabling more agile business strategies.
When evaluating iPaaS solutions, your business needs to answer the below crucial questions. This will help you pick the right type of integration platforms meant to solve your specific business needs.
1. What is the project requirement? Do we require a single application or an enterprise-wide solution?
2. What does the application function look like? What is the use case for the iPaaS? Is it to streamline a process or do you have a dynamic infrastructure for your iPaaS deployment need?
3. Who would be the key users of the iPaaS system? Will they be coders or data scientists? Do all these users sit at central location or users are located in different locations with different skill sets? Do all these users require coding experience to use the platform?
4. Will the multiple projects be supported by a team of limited IT resources? Is the self-service option available to a group of users?
5. Does the platform support various connection protocols and data/messaging delivery styles?
6. Are you transitioning from a legacy system or converting all the platforms to a centralised environment? Are you developing an entirely new system?
7. What will be the overall cost of the integration platform over time? How many users are required to maintain this platform? What is the amount of training needed for the user to extract maximum benefit from the system via processes like integration flows?
These questions would let you decide what type of iPaaS would generate the best ROI for your business.
1. Are you a small business owner or a big enterprise stakeholder? Do you want a scalable system?
May 18, 2018
Google Duplex to have built-in disclosure about its ‘Bot’ status

Google’s recent update created quite a stir when it unveiled the AI based Duplex system at the I/O Conference 2018. The system can actually make phone calls in a human voice for tasks like booking a movie ticket or booking a restaurant table. Instead of the reactive chatbot conversation utilised in customer support functions, the Duplex is designed to be more proactive voice assistant to the users.

However, with this news came a public outcry against the ethical implications associated with Google Duplex. The AI-based system will have voice like capabilities to book an appointment on behalf of the user. This has been criticised as it is prone to hacks and abuse. Google has been quick to refute these criticisms by saying that a fully working product was not yet developed. They also mentioned that the AI human-like voice will positively identify itself before making these appointments. This in-built disclosure is said to be a hopeful answer to the ethics and privacy concerns shared by people world over after its CEO Sundar Pichai launched the product on stage at the 2018 annual developer conference.

The concern about the AI based Duplex System

Google employs Deep Mind’s new WaveNet Audio Generation technique to mimic a human voice and carry out the scheduling tasks over phone calls. It doesn’t identify itself as a human bot and purposefully trick a person on the other line (for example a receptionist at a haircut salon or the restaurant manager) with surprisingly effective human voice, complete with natural ticks like ‘umm’ and ‘aahh’!

This caused significant outrage from general audience and the followers of the I/O conference the world over. They feel that such AI systems are being created without appropriate regulation or protocols. Tech critics have gone on to say that the development is not positive and the lack of alarm demonstrated by the audience seems troubling.

The workaround to this dilemma

Google has mentioned that transparency in technology is critical. Hence, it will take all steps to ensure that an in-built disclosure is prompted before the conversation. They also said that the demonstration in the conference was an early product demo and is not a full-scale product awaiting launch. Readers would recollect that on-stage, the product demo consisted of a pre-recorded phone call to showcase the product features to the audience.

Another blog from Google Engineers Yossi Matias and Yaniv Leviathan mentions that Google’s prerogative was always on delivering the best customer experience with this product. They wanted to make it clear about what the call’s intention will be so that users and businesses can recognise the value of the system. They wrapped up by saying that Google is yet to figure out how to eventually roll it out and has been testing with quite a few experiments to integrate it with its voice technology based Assistant platform.

What are your thoughts on the Duplex system that makes phone calls on behalf of the users in a human-like voice? Do write in with your comment and let us know.

May 17, 2018
Programmatic For Branding: A Crucial Marketing Tool
Programmatic ad buying is the use of software to acquire digital advertising. Usually, the process of acquiring digital advertising is done by human negotiation and manual insertion orders. But with the digital revolution, it is increasingly being automated.

Over the past couple of years, it has brought about a new change in online advertising. That is why it is so crucial for companies to implement this into their marketing mix.

E.g. Hilton hotels stranded traveller campaign serves real-time location-specific ads based on fight cancellation data in airports. It serves ads to frustrated travellers if they are stranded at a particular place after their flight is cancelled.

How is it better than traditional methods?

Before programmatic ad buying, the trade of digital ads was done by human salespeople. This proved to be costly and inaccurate. Programmatic advertisement technology guarantees to create an efficient and economic ad-buying system, thus eliminating humans from this process altogether. Human work can prove to be inefficient due to a wide variety of reasons such as illnesses or maybe some personal issues. With machines, all these problems won’t be a hindrance.

Does this mean machines will substitute humans?

Well, not entirely. Using programmatic in place of humans does not mean it is one versus the other. What the company is trying to achieve will always remain the same. It’s just that the need for efficiency when it comes to branding is higher with less room for error. The modernisation is in the “how” of it all. That is where the disturbance is happening, and the need for accuracy arises. Over time, programmatic is being looked at as an intensely powerful tool in the world of marketing.

So how will programmatic make a difference to a business?

Programmatic advertising is seen as a conversion driver due to which it is possible to achieve highly effective targeting possibilities. Given below are a few ways to take your branding to the next level using programmatic:
- Putting the spotlight on top-bottom and bottom-top audience approach
As it is, programmatic is excellent at targeting the right audience. In marketing, however, it needs to be more client-specific. Top-bottom approach basically means keeping the client in mind, targeting the audience that visits competitors websites, thus helping you narrow down the target audience.

The bottom-top approach is basically picking the target audience and selecting and setting the budget accordingly. Utilising modern day techniques: the dynamic market is forever coming up with new techniques to find the best marketing mix. When a brand chooses to implement new features in its marketing techniques that is when a brand will be able to use programmatic to utilise its full potential. Double Click’s custom target audience feature lets you use a unique mix of keyword targeting, URL targeting and app targeting to build a powerful audience segment.
- Devote resources to creative development
It is crucial to be open to the idea of new supplier relationships and test out new ways of performing regular advertising. One should always keep in mind that creative development is a dynamic process and the brand should be up to date with its processes.

In conclusion, programmatic will prove to be the future of advertising and effective branding if utilised to its full potential. It is certainly an amazing tool for branding.
April 19, 2018
YouTube to Discontinue Third-Party Ad Support in EU with GDPR Roll-out

With the GDPR kicking off on May 21st, YouTube has declared that it will discontinue third-party ad serving based on reserved buys in the continent of Europe. This means that brands which are not using YouTube’s Double-click Campaign Manager will have to retraffic their ads by May 21st just so that they do not experience any issues while displaying video content on the platform. YouTube has also decided that it will significantly reduce pixel tracking for external advertisers post the given date.

Why has YouTube decided to take this step?

The answer to that is GDPR. The General Data Protection Regulation is a parameter of the European Union law which will protect an individual’s data and data privacy for everyone residing in Europe. It aims at giving citizens and residents control over their data. The cut-off date for GDPR is May 21st after which; the citizens will enjoy new privacy rules in their favour.

What is Google doing to be GDPR compliant?

Google stated that it would be evaluating recertification of specific third-party vendor’s pixels. In 2017, Google said that it would be regulating the number of vendors that would be able to measure YouTube ad performances. So as a part of their GDPR compliance, they are trying to impart more information pertaining to external companies’ advertising measurement and are going to make changes in the way ads are presented to viewers.

They also said that once GDPR comes into effect, publishers would need to decide which vendor they want to partner up with to monitor the performance of ads shown on their websites. They also stated that in the near future they will be providing publishers with new applications which they can utilise to opt for GDPR-passed vendors.

What do marketing companies have to say about this?

Marketing companies feel that Google may be using GDPR in their own favour. This transformation would mean Double Click Campaign Manager will have control of serving and tracking ads. Sources expressed concern that Google may be preventing third-party pixels from aiming at its audiences by using Double Click Bid Manager.

Marketers have an array of needs based on their KPIs, objectives and financial plan. The marketing network has evolved but the competitive network of technologies that bring the insight into advertiser spending and publisher properties. Google’s decision to restrict third-party ad serving will give agencies and marketers fewer choices making it difficult for marketers to make targets.

GDPR will now make it mandatory for companies to have a legal basis to collect and process personal data henceforth. This includes cookies, pixels mobile advertising IDs and IP addresses. Primary legal bases which any company depends on are user authority and genuine interest. Although GDPR has recognised the importance of marketing, it is essential for the user to express interest when it comes to his private data being used as part of a marketing study.

Basically, it is the lack of knowledge about GDPR policies that have raised this problem. That is why there is no way of securing first-party data and permission to utilise it. In order to resolve this, companies should collaborate and have an industry-wide educative approach to clarify concepts about GDPR policies and maybe then, marketers will be able to advertise without breaching any rules.

April 18, 2018
Voice Clip Now Available In Facebook Status Update

Facebook takes cognisance that a voice clip is easier to create than a video, yet it is more intimate than mere text for a Facebook user. This underlying principle is driving the social media giant to introduce voice clips as a part of its status update feature present on the Facebook page.

While users will view this as a radical new move, the update was bound to happen, considering that a whopping 60.5 million Americans currently use digital assistants. Facebook is not one to be left behind with all the hype generated by voice technology. Hence, this move doesn’t seem very surprising from a purely business perspective. (more…)

March 8, 2018
How Voice Technology will Impact Podcasting

In our personal lives, voice or conversation has always been the primary mode of communication. Right from birth, we are taught to hear and recognise voices. Now with tech advancements, it is no wonder that this “conversationalist” approach is coming to the digital landscape as well. With the rise of voice tech, things are primed for a wide array of use cases in voice technology.

One such interesting application of voice technology is its use in developing and distributing podcasts. Let’s see some notable work happening in this arena.

1 – Podible

It is interesting to note that voice tech market leader Amazon doesn’t lead in this space. It has been observed that the market share of the e-commerce giant has declined from 90% at its peak to roughly more than 50%. A good reason for this is the unsatisfactory AI powering the podcast recommendation algorithms. As a result, user experience remains a lot to be desired.

This is the challenge that Podible wants to tackle with its beta launch in March this year. It claims to be the only truly AI-centric app platform to give personalised recommendations for podcasts. The underlying principle is simple yet smart. The podcasts are transcribed to text which is then processed by machine learning topic modelling to add topic to ‘Podible Genome’ a huge database that shows how podcasts intersect.

In order to provide accurate recommendations, Podible looks at the user’s listening history. These may comprise of elements like saved episodes, ‘following’ episodes, and played episodes. Of course, on the anvil, is a more efficient monetisation system to help content creators earn from their collaboration with Podible.

2 – Voxsnap

Today, one in six Americans own at least one voice activated smart speaker. This stat is expected to improve dramatically in a matter of just a few years. What this means for businesses is that they need to find a way to transform existing collaterals and documentation into voice products. Well, as they say, there is an app for that!

Voxsnap announced the launch of its platform that serves to transform text to human voice. Things like blogs, whitepapers, case studies, and articles can now be easily converted to voice and thus help retain users and find new ones using voice tech.

Listeners can tune in to Voxsnap platform to get access to informative content on a wide range of subjects including finance, technology, health, marketing and even self-improvement. There would be multiple ways to enhance a wide distribution of the voice content. Users can embed the audio into blogs; they can use it as podcasts, use it with Alexa, or even utilise other voice channels to distribute the voice content.

The reach of podcasts listeners is expected to surge from 67 million in the US in 2017 to 112 million in 2021. This presents a massive potential for businesses to embrace voice tech to the fullest and be ready for the next big tech disruption. If you are wondering whether the ecosystem is prepared for this change then these two use cases show that work is happening (and happening fast) around voice tech space such as podcasting. This, in turn, will help businesses to leverage voice technology to gain maximum yields.

March 7, 2018
Weekend Digital Media Round-up: Double delight for digital India, DoubleClick Bid Manager, Snapchat’s new snap store and more..
1. Union Budget 2018: Double delight for digital India
The NDA government’s last Budget before the Lok Sabha polls has kept up the focus on Digital India by doubling allocation for the programme to Rs.3,073 crore in 2018-19. Finance minister Arun Jaitley acknowledged the emerging technologies in his Budget speech on Thursday by announcing that the Department of Science and Technology will launch a Mission on Cyber Physical Systems. [Source: INDIA TODAY]
1. Foreign or local, digital services companies equal before tax law
The Budget has proposed an enabling rule, which broadly says that a MNC could have a business connection in India even without a physical presence in the country. [Source: The Economic Times]
1. DoubleClick Bid Manager testing features to improve digital & TV campaign coordination
Google has announced two new features in DoubleClick Bid Manager to help advertisers activate campaigns across multiple screens and bridge digital and live TV efforts. [Source: MARTECH TODAY]
1. Snapchat’s new Snap Store teases in-app commerce potential
Today the company opened the Snap Store, which lives in the Snapchat app’s Discover section and lets you buy Snapchat merchandise, like a $20 Dancing Hot Dog Plushie or a $30 Dog Lens T-Shirt. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Google lets users ‘mute’ remarketed ads
The internet giant has updated its ad system so users can mute reminder ads on a per-advertiser basis for 90 days.[Source: net imperative]
1. WhatsApp hits 1.5 billion monthly users. $19B? Not so bad.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on the Q4 2017 earnings call today that WhatsApp now has 1.5 billion users and sees 60 billion messages sent per day. That’s compared to 1.3 billion monthly users and 1 billion daily active users in July. [Source: TechCrunch]
1. Google Assistant Go launched on Play Store: Designed for Android Go phones
Google Assistant Go is now officially available on the Play Store, and this version of app is compatible for all Android Go smartphones. [Source: The Indian Express]
1. Alphabet Unveils New Cybersecurity Business ‘Chronicle’ To Prevent Cyber Attacks
Alphabet, better known as the parent-concern of the world’s biggest network Google has come up with some great news for business owners! The company has decided to help entrepreneurs deal with cybersecurity issues and safety threats.[Source: LOGICSERVE DIGITAL]
1. Facebook Introduces Branded Content Tags With New Proviso For Misuse
Facebook has emerged as one of the most compelling, efficient, and dynamic platforms for business marketing. If you plan to catapult your venture to great heights, Facebook will certainly play a crucial role. The company dropped restrictions on ‘branded content’ and rolled out a unique tagging system. [Source: LOGICSERVE DIGITAL]
1. Instagram now allows businesses to schedule their posts
Instagram today made a long overdue change to its product that social media managers have wanted for some time – it will allow businesses on Instagram to schedule their posts. [Source: TechCrunch]

And in an exclusive interview with Ashutosh Asthana, Assistant Editor, Thinking Aloud, our Co-founder & CEO, Prasad Shejale, speaks about the challenges he faced as an entrepreneur and his mantra for success. Click here
February 2, 2018
Alphabet Unveils New Cybersecurity Business ‘Chronicle’ to Prevent Cyber Attacks
Alphabet, better known as the parent-concern of the world’s biggest network Google has come up with some great news for business owners! The company has decided to help entrepreneurs deal with cybersecurity issues and safety threats. Business owners will definitely get better opportunities to identify and resolve such issues. If you are planning to deal with security issues, Alphabet’s offering ‘Chronicle’ will prove to be the perfect support system.

Previously a part of Alphabet’s X Moonshot Group, ‘Chronicle’ happens to be one of the standalone ventures under ‘Alphabet’. Stephen Gillet happens to be the Chief Executive Officer of the new-found company. Let’s take a look at what Chronicle promises to offer:

The focal points

Gillet, who used to work for Symantec before joining as Chronicle’s CEO talks about the new venture. According to him, the business will have two crucial and prime components:
- A security and cyber intelligence platform for companies across the world. That will help companies to deal with their internal data and ensure security in a smart way.
- The firm reintroduces VirusTotal, which happens to be an anti-malware tool bought by Google in the year 2012.
Most of the companies suffer because of security negligence. They are completely unaware of the potential threats and also ignore the blind spots. Chronicle aims to eliminate these gaps, identify the pain points, and ensure optimum data security for many ventures across the globe.

From the CEO’s Desk

If the statements circulated by Stephen Gillet are anything to go by, Chronicle promises to be the one-stop solution for data security. He further goes on emphasising the importance of Chronicle in the following way:
1. Improving speed: The venture will make sure your security teams work comprehensively. As a result, both the speed and performance will increase.
2. Strengthening the impact: Make sure you strengthen your security’s impact. ‘Chronicle’ will add to your strength thus ensuring optimum data security.
3. Cost-effective: Chronicle aims at identifying security signals and can also help you work on them. These signals were unidentifiable at the beginning, as the identification process is highly expensive.
4. Investigating attacks: Security attacks can occur anytime. It’s highly imperative to identify the right sources before implementing the quick fixes. Chronicle makes the investigation process easier than ever. You will find the most crucial resources from the existing data systems and infrastructure.
Chronicle helps you identify the most crucial information from a pool of data. Your existing security tools will speak a lot about your enterprise infrastructure, and that’s where ‘Chronicle’ will help you out.

The mechanism

The entire application works on ML and Alphabet’s infrastructure. You will also get the opportunity to analyse your enterprise’s security data. Cloud integration will follow suit, as that will help ‘Chronicle’ grow and scale up with an enterprise. Or else, it might become difficult to manage and handle critical data sets.

Foreseeing the future

On that note, it’s high time we take a look at the future. Chronicle is here to stay and will ensure optimum data security and safety for enterprises across the world. You just need to understand how it works and integrate it into the existing infrastructure.
February 2, 2018

► Necessary Cookies Always Active

Necessary cookies enable essential site features like secure log-ins and consent preference adjustments. They do not store personal data.

► Functional Cookies Remark

Functional cookies support features like content sharing on social media, collecting feedback, and enabling third-party tools.

► Analytical Cookies Remark

Analytical cookies track visitor interactions, providing insights on metrics like visitor count, bounce rate, and traffic sources.

► Advertisement Cookies Remark

Advertisement cookies deliver personalized ads based on your previous visits and analyze the effectiveness of ad campaigns.