Kantar Launches Initiatives in Online and Mobile Video

Kantar Video, Echo Video and Millward Brown tools will address evolving client needs for effective measurement of digital video platforms worldwide

NEW YORK – Kantar has unveiled a suite of complementary video measurement and tracking tools in anticipation of continuing rapid growth in global video ad spend:

Kantar Video develops syndication, tracking and optimisation platform

This initiative marks the launch of Kantar Video, a new unit extending the company’s range of multi-channel data, analysis, and audience measurement services. Kantar Video, based in New York, has developed a proprietary syndication, tracking and optimization platform, Kantar Videolytics, dedicated to effectively and efficiently measuring and monetizing online and mobile video worldwide.

Available on-demand to clients, Kantar Videolytics data will be combined with descriptive, behavioural and attitudinal data from consumer panels operated by other Kantar business units. Delivered via a powerful search engine, the service will be used to evaluate programme content as well as entire campaigns and their components.

Kantar Video is currently rolling out a private beta of Kantar Videolytics and expects to launch the public beta in Fall 2010.

Kantar Video will be led by CEO William A. (“Bill”) Lederer, who has previously served in senior leadership roles at Kantar Media, TNS and Getty Images. Most recently, Lederer served as chief operating officer, Kantar Media Audiences North America.

Echo Video combines data sets for optimal viral video analytics

Kantar Media is launching a viral video analytics solution called Echo Video which provides an in-market way to evaluate and optimize viral video for a brand and compare it to the competitive set.

Echo Video combines behavioural and buzz data, providing measures of reach, user sentiment towards the video and the brand(s), the behaviour of those searched for it and their subsequent actions such as visiting a site, as well as the momentum created in social media pass-along. It is designed to provide a fuller picture of what happens to video and how the virality builds. In addition to providing in-market data for optimization, it can also be used retrospectively going back up to two years in time for learning about best-in-category tactics.

Echo Video combines data sets from across Kantar, including Kantar Media’s social media specialists Cymfony and digital analytics company Compete and will be infused with additional details from Kantar Video analytics. Plans are underway to incorporate additional insights from other sources both inside and outside of Kantar.

New metric from Millward Brown sizes up viral video potential

Millward Brown’s digital unit, Dynamic Logic has been evaluating the effectiveness of online video since the format’s inception, and has measured over 3,000 video ads to date. Dynamic Logic is currently combining attitudinal and engagement measures to identify the optimal content to use in video ads.

Recent Millward Brown research found that fewer than one in six TV ads achieve high viral viewing online. The study analyzed behavioural viewing data from YouTube for over one hundred ads all of which were tested as finished films using Millward Brown’s Link™ copy testing solution. Based on this research, Millward Brown has developed a new Creative Viral Potential (CVP) pre-testing metric to help agencies and marketers predict viral success prior to launching an ad or video.

“These initiatives represent our commitment to market-leading innovation in this critical communications area ahead of what we predict will be dramatically greater video ad spending and investment in the future,” commented Nick Nyhan, Chief Digital Officer of Kantar. “For clients to feel confident shifting budgets into online and mobile video, it has become apparent we need better data and analytics. The ability to merge a variety of data sets using these tools will help unlock the full potential of online and mobile video for marketers and their agencies as well as for content creators, distributors, and publishers.”

About Kantar

Kantar, a division of WPP, is one of the world’s largest insight, information and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of its 13 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 95 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.

About Kantar Video

Kantar Video is the New York-based business unit of Kantar, a division of WPP, the world’s leading media and marketing services company, built to accelerate global online, mobile, and multi-channel video innovation. At general release, its comprehensive Kantar Videolytics online and mobile video advertising and program platform will offer content identity, syndication, tracking, measurement, analytics, and optimization for marketers and their agencies, media companies, and content creators and distributors. Kantar Videolytics is specifically designed for on-demand ease of use and efficient workflow and analysis to promote better decision-making. Learn more at www.kantarvideo.com