The recent unveiling of Apple’s Vision Pro at WWDC 2023 brought to mind a quote by Ernst Cline, the author of Ready Player One, “For a bunch of hairless apes, we’ve actually managed to invent some pretty incredible things.” This sentiment captures the transformative potential of augmented and virtual reality in reshaping our world. From the widespread popularity of Pokemon Go to Snapchat filters, and Beat Saber, this tech has seamlessly integrated itself into various industries. In this blog, we will explore the exciting intersection of AdTech, virtual reality (VR), and the emerging potential of augmented reality (AR) marketing.

AR and VR are both immersive technologies that offer unique experiences to their users. AR overlays digital information or virtual objects onto the real world, enhancing the user’s perception. VR fully immerses users in computer-generated environments, providing a highly immersive experience. These technologies rely on essential components like headsets or smart glasses, motion tracking sensors, and powerful computing devices, to deliver captivating and lifelike experiences.

Augmented reality: Using a smartphone AR app to see information about landmarks when pointing the camera at them, providing an augmented reality experience for users.

Virtual reality: Using the headset and hand controllers to immerse the user into a physically interactive simulated environment.

Now, let’s take a quick look at the different types of VR.

Virtual and augmented reality has created a world of possibilities, offering marketers and advertisers the ability to engage with audiences through highly unique and captivating experiences. One platform that stands out in this domain is Meta (and its popular subsidiary, Instagram). The social media giant has embraced VR advertising and AR advertising both for its own purposes and as a tool for its business users. In 2022, Meta put out a non-immersive VR billboard in Times Square to promote the release of the Meta Quest 2 headset. In the future, businesses on Instagram Shops that use ModiFace or PerfectCorp technology will be able to offer augmented reality-powered try-ons for clothing, shoes, jewelry, and more. 

As an advertiser, here’s how you should take advantage of both: 

1. Interactive ads:  Users can directly engage with content, such as virtual try-ons, billboards, sponsored mini-games, or immersive environments. This dynamic interaction can enhance exposure and user engagement, fostering a more memorable advertising experience.

In 2022, Coke released ‘Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte’, a digital softdrink, into the Metaverse. The soda was a promotional item players in the Metaverse could obtain after completing a series of mini-games. Coke later launched the physical product to store shelves for consumers to try in real life. 

2. Product placement: Virtual worlds offer a seamless avenue for advertisers to integrate brands and products through intrinsic product placement. Users may encounter branded items or virtual storefronts showcasing real-world products, amplifying brand recognition and potentially driving purchase intent.

Selfridges, the popular London-based department store, partnered with Fondation Vasarely and Paco Rabanne to launch a VR storefront for consumers. Consumers were able to take a guided tour that showcased its NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in chronological order, providing valuable insights into their historical significance, artistic aspects, and more.

3. Personalized and targeted advertising: The immersive nature of VR enables advertisers to collect user data and preferences, facilitating the delivery of customized advertisements based on individual interests and behaviors. This level of personalization increases ad relevance, user engagement, and conversion rates (CVR). 

By incorporating VR and AR into marketing campaigns, brands can transport consumers into interactive virtual environments that showcase their values, products, and services. 

This opens up three key opportunities for marketers:

1. Immersive brand experiences: VR enables the creation of unique and interactive environments that go beyond traditional mediums, allowing consumers to engage with brands on a deeper level. Examples include virtual stores, destination tours, and virtual event participation.

DressX, the largest retailer of digital fashion, offers exclusive digital versions of their clothing to consumers to wear in photos and videos. The brand launched an AR app in August of 2021, allowing their customers to try on clothing items and accessories via their smartphone’s camera before making a purchase.

2. Enhanced storytelling: In VR, marketers can craft immersive narratives that actively involve users, evoking emotions and fostering deeper brand connections. By placing users at the center of the experience, VR offers endless storytelling possibilities and creates lasting memories.

In 2021, Nike partnered with Fortnite to create an immersive fan experience where player’s characters could not only wear a new line of Jordan sneakers, but also take part in a digital treasure hunt for branded ‘artifacts’ exclusive to the digital environment.

3. Comprehensive measurement: Integrating VR into marketing campaigns provides the opportunity to measure user behavior, interactions, and engagement. These valuable insights allow marketers to optimize future campaigns, refine storytelling techniques, and make data-driven decisions to maximize the impact of VR marketing initiatives.

Overall, VR marketing and AR marketing offer significant advantages by creating immersive brand experiences, leveraging enhanced storytelling, and enabling comprehensive measurement. It goes beyond traditional mediums, providing a powerful platform for marketers to engage audiences and achieve their marketing goals.

Despite the exciting opportunities presented by both technologies, there are challenges to overcome. Issues concerning the user experience like comfort, nausea, accessibility, and cost, need to be addressed to ensure widespread adoption and acceptance. Addressing these concerns is essential to ensure widespread adoption by consumers and the integration of this technology into their daily lives.

In addition to the consumer-facing challenges, there is the inherent challenge of the medium itself. It’s new, and that means limited ad inventory options. Unlike traditional advertising channels that have established spaces for promotions, VR and AR aren’t completely there yet. As a result, suitable advertising real estate for brands may be difficult to find, making it harder to reach their desired audience during the early stages of adoption.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or new to the industry, chances are you’ve had to tango with SKAdNetwork (SKAN). The privacy-enhancing technology from Apple provides iOS app marketers with the ability to measure campaign results while maintaining privacy and anonymity for end users on iOS devices. However, the complexity of setting up and navigating SKAN on your own can be overwhelming, leaving marketers struggling to harness its full potential effectively. Our guide is designed to demystify SKAN and empower marketers with the tools to optimize their workflow.

In today’s highly competitive app market, iOS stands out as a dominant force, leading the way in revenue generation for app developers. Despite holding less than 15% of the market share, iOS accounted for an impressive 67% of app consumer spending in 2022. These statistics underscore the undeniable continued influence of iOS in the app market and the revenue potential that marketers who haven’t adopted SKAN are missing out on.

Delaying adoption means more than losing out on money. You’ll also miss invaluable insights that can optimize campaign effectiveness, audiences, and user engagement. Embracing SKAN is not merely a strategic move; it’s a fundamental necessity for marketers to remain relevant and competitive in the ever-evolving app marketplace. Apple’s unyielding prioritization of user privacy has made SKAN the cornerstone of a fundamental framework for ad attribution across all iOS apps. A brand’s ability to adapt and leverage its capabilities will directly impact their future success and privacy compliance. Our guide will help you get there.

The Good

One of the biggest benefits of AI in AdTech is its ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and accurately. This means that AI can help advertisers identify patterns and trends that might not be immediately apparent to human analysts. With this information, advertisers can optimize their campaigns for maximum effectiveness and ROI.

AI can also help advertisers personalize their ads to specific audiences. By analyzing data about a user’s behavior, preferences, and demographics, AI algorithms can create ads that are more likely to resonate with the user. This can lead to higher engagement rates and more conversions. 

Finally, AI can help advertisers automate many of the tedious and time-consuming tasks associated with AdTech. For example, AI algorithms can automatically bid on ad placements, adjust campaign settings based on performance data, and even create ad content.

The Bad

Despite its many benefits, AI isn’t a panacea for AdTech. We must acknowledge its limitations and recognize the crucial role of human oversight. Without it, the potential for bias, limited creativity, and knowledge gaps becomes significant. AI-generated ad copy or campaigns may struggle to match the emotional impact and creative flair that human-made content does. Moreover, AI, like ChatGPT, operates within a limited space of knowledge. While 2021 isn’t ages ago, the rapidly evolving AdTech landscape can render outdated observations and introduce inaccuracies. 

The biggest challenge is the potential for bias. Biased training data can propagate bias within the AI algorithms, resulting in unfair and discriminatory ad targeting. These limitations underscore the indispensable need for human oversight. Human expertise, critical judgment, and understanding are essential in ensuring that content creation remains ethical, accurate, and captivating, catering to diverse audiences. By harnessing the strengths of AI while incorporating human insights and oversights, we can strike the right balance. 

The Automated

Perhaps the biggest benefit of AI in AdTech is its ability to automate many of the tasks that advertisers would otherwise need to do manually. This includes everything from bid management to ad content creation. By automating these tasks, advertisers can save time and resources, allowing them to focus on higher-level strategic decisions.

However, there are risks associated with automation as well. If an advertiser relies too heavily on AI to make decisions, they might miss out on valuable insights that can only be gleaned through human analysis. Additionally, if an algorithm goes awry, it can cause significant damage to a campaign or even an entire brand.

At this point, you might be wondering what other questions you have about AI and AdTech. To help you out, I’m going to ask my friend ChatGPT for some quick answers.

In every transaction, whether we consciously realize it or not, we have an innate desire to feel good about the purchases we make. We actively seek trust and authenticity not just in the clothes we wear, the food we eat, or the shoes we walk in every day, but in every aspect of our consumer experiences. These interconnected factors hold immense significance, shaping the relationship between consumers and brands in a profound and tangible way. Now, let’s delve into this connection and explore the pivotal role that AI will play in shaping the future of AdTech consumer-brand relationships.

Building Trust

Trust forms the very foundation of every healthy and lasting relationship, and this holds true for the dynamic world of AdTech as well. To build trust, transparent practices, relevant ads, and consumer control are paramount. Personalized ads, powered by AI algorithms, play a pivotal role in cultivating trust, while placing a high priority on data protection serves to fortify it even more.

The Quest for Authenticity

Consumers crave genuine experiences and connections. Authenticity, in this context, lies in organic, relatable content. Brands that share compelling stories, embrace transparency, and engage in meaningful conversations with consumers cultivate a deeper sense of authenticity. 

AI-Enhanced Authenticity

AI empowers brands to analyze consumer data, further enabling brands to tailor strategies for enhanced authenticity and relevance. Companies can use AI to help identify pain points, deliver personalized recommendations, and create content that fosters stronger connections and more impactful experiences. 

Transparency and Consent

Championing transparent information about data practices and providing opt-out options  is essential for long lasting consumer-brand relationships. These practices empower consumers by giving them back control of their data while cultivating trust as a brand that prioritizes transparency and consent.

AI has the potential to revolutionize AdTech, but it’s important to understand its limitations as well as its capabilities. By using AI to analyze data, personalize ads, and automate tasks, advertisers can achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in their campaigns. However, it’s crucial to ensure that AI algorithms are trained on unbiased data and that they are used in conjunction with human analysis and creativity. With these precautions in mind, advertisers can leverage AI to achieve their AdTech goals while minimizing the risks associated with automation.

If you’re looking to broaden your knowledge and proficiency in AdTech, make sure to explore the Kochava Learning Center. Our online hub is the ultimate destination for your digital marketing and analytics education. The digital space is always changing, so stay informed about the latest advancements by subscribing to our newsletter. 

For more information, visit our website or reach out to us at support@kochava.com.

How much is your attention worth? Five dollars a minute? Fifty? Every moment you spend online equates to a dollar amount somewhere to someone. As people increasingly turn to digital media for entertainment and connection, the line between social media and connected TV (CTV) is beginning to blur. Advertisers are seizing the opportunity to tap into the powerful human connection that exists between these platforms. Social media giants like Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat have revolutionized how people connect and share information. At the same time, CTV devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV have transformed how people consume television. In this blog, we’ll explore how the convergence of social media and CTV is creating a digital gold rush for advertisers and how they can engage in this trend by leveraging each platform’s unique strengths to connect with audiences in new and engaging ways.

Source: https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-advertising/social-media-advertising/united-states

Social media and CTV aren’t just changing the advertising game – they’re also transforming how we shop. As more and more consumers shift to online shopping, physical malls are becoming less relevant.  Social media platforms are helping to drive this growth by offering new opportunities for businesses to reach customers and sell products. For example, Instagram’s ‘Shopping’ feature enables users to buy products directly from the app, while Facebook Marketplace allows users to buy and sell items within their local communities. Meanwhile, CTV devices are opening up new opportunities for retailers to reach audiences in the comfort of their own homes. By combining the power of social media and CTV, retailers can create immersive shopping experiences that engage customers and drive sales. Say ‘goodbye’ to physical malls, and ‘hello’ to the future of digital retail!

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have developed apps that can be accessed through CTV devices, enabling users to watch videos, engage with content, and interact with their favorite social media accounts on the big screen. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can implement a CTV/social media strategy.

Live streaming is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for people to consume content on social media and CTV platforms. According to Statistca, Twitch had a total of 5.71 billion hours of watched content in the third quarter of 2022. Here are some actionable steps that advertisers can take to leverage this trend for their advertising campaigns:

• Identify relevant live streaming platforms and creators that align with your brand values and target audience.
• Work with these creators to develop branded content that integrates seamlessly into their live streams.
• Utilize influencer marketing strategies to promote your brand and products to their followers.
• Take advantage of CTV devices’ live streaming functionality to reach a larger audience and create a more immersive advertising experience.
• Continuously monitor and analyze the performance of your live streaming campaigns to ensure they are effectively reaching your target audience and delivering meaningful results.

As with any advertising strategy, success in leveraging social platforms and CTV requires a deep understanding of your target audience, the platforms they use, and the creative strategies that will resonate with them. Advertisers must continually monitor and analyze their campaigns to ensure they are effectively reaching their target audience and delivering meaningful results. By staying on top of emerging trends and technologies, taking a data-driven approach to targeting and creative decisions, and experimenting with new formats and channels, advertisers can harness the power of social media and CTV to create immersive, engaging campaigns that deliver real results.

Whether you’re a streaming service with an OTT app, or a performance marketer looking to drive growth through OTT, Kochava can help. Stay up-to-date with all the latest in adtech by subscribing to our newsletter. 

For more information, visit our website or reach us at support@kochava.com.

The mobile app industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies and trends emerging daily. Keeping up with these changes can be a daunting task for app developers and marketers. Fortunately, there are companies dedicated to making this process easier. Kochava, a leading provider of real-time data solutions for omni-channel attribution and measurement, is one such company.

Recently, Kochava has partnered with Appalgo, a performance marketing agency, and programmatic platform. This partnership integrates the strengths of both companies to provide a comprehensive suite of tools and services for app developers and marketers. In this blog post, we’ll explore the details of the partnership and the benefits it offers the mobile app industry.

In this partnership, Kochava provides Appalgo with its expertise and advanced mobile app measurement and fraud prevention technology. With access to Kochava’s platform, Appalgo can now deliver even more accurate and actionable insights to its clients, including comprehensive install tracking, in-app event tracking, and advanced technologies such as machine learning and big data analytics for fraud prevention. Kochava’s expertise in this area was demonstrated by its success in helping Uber recover millions from an ad fraud scheme.

Appalgo is the ultimate performance marketing agency and programmatic platform powered by data, combining bold creative pinpoint audiences for results that make an impact. Their mission is to help ambitious developers and brands acquire the users they need while reaching their goals at the same time. By simplifying and maximizing user acquisition (UA) targets, Appalgo enables clients to focus on strategic decision-making and achieve explosive growth. Appalgo’s activities consist of two main elements including their agency services, as well as programmatic media buying. 

Appalgo offers a range of agency services for mobile apps, web, and desktop products, including:

• Performance UA
• Creative Studio
• Branding Development
• Transparency
  
• Cost + Agency Fee Model

Ad inventory is acquired across pay-per-click, social, and native advertising platforms such as Facebook, Google, Apple Search Ads, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, Taboola, Outbrain, and more. They deliver targeted ads that acquire users across multiple channels, reaching a wider audience with incredible impact.

 Appalgo’s second activity is focusing on programmatic media buying – performance-based user acquisition for mobile apps, optimizing every step in the funnel, including CPM, CPC, CPI, CPA and post-install events and targets. But what truly sets Appalgo apart is their unwavering commitment to their clients. Their partnerships with leading exchanges ensure clients get both quality and quantity. With Appalgo, clients can rest assured that their user acquisition needs are in the best possible hands.

The partnership between Kochava and Appalgo offers numerous benefits for mobile app developers and marketers. With Kochava’s expertise in real-time data solutions and advanced technologies for omni-channel attribution and measurement, combined with Appalgo’s dynamic performance-driven UA solutions, clients have a comprehensive toolset to ensure success for their products. Advertisers can access actionable insights and leverage Kochava’s fraud prevention solutions to protect their investments and deliver trustworthy ad experiences to consumers. With the support of Appalgo and Kochava’s industry-leading technology and expertise, mobile app developers and marketers can confidently and safely achieve their goals.

If you’re an agency interested in becoming a Kochava Authorized Partner, please contact us today. The process involves a series of educational Discovery Sessions on various topics, including:

*Measurement & Attribution session required, plus two additional sessions selected by the agency. Once agencies become a Kochava Authorized Partner, they will be listed as such in the Kochava Media Index, the largest advertising database in the world.

Realtime Agency, a global digital performance media agency with expertise in scientific methodology, has officially become an authorized partner with Kochava – the leading attribution and analytics platform. From ad operations and media channel management to performance creative, audience sourcing and measurement, Realtime Agency provides  data-led solutions that drive real results. By joining the ranks of Kochava Authorized Partners, Realtime is now competitively positioned as a preferred choice for advertisers who trust Kochava for their measurement and attribution needs. The partnership empowers Realtime to utilize the Kochava Marketers Operating System® (m/OS) to its full potential on behalf of the brands they serve. In this blog post, we’ll explore Realtime Agency’s unique suite of services and highlight how this newly formed partnership will enhance their client’s digital performance.

As data privacy concerns continue to impact the industry, the need for data-driven advertising solutions is more crucial than ever. Realtime Agency’s investment in seasoned data scientists and top technology helps clients extract hard-to-reach learnings and beat competitors across the funnel. The agency offers a comprehensive range of services, providing clients with everything they need to succeed in the fast-paced world of digital advertising, including but not limited to:

Realtime’s measurement and audience services provide clients with reliable data and effective targeting segments, even in the face of platform privacy updates and tracking limitations. With the help of their in-house data team and proprietary tools like the Realtime Kinetic Score, they offer marketing mix modeling, more accurate optimization, conclusive learnings, independent brand and conversion lift studies, forecasting, attribution modeling, and tracking solutions to help clients optimize their advertising efforts.

Additionally, Realtime’s audience team leverages over 70 data vendors and their own audience database to build high-value targeting segments that are not reliant on cookies or pixels. Through this newly formed partnership with Kochava, Realtime can further enhance its measurement and attribution capabilities to help clients achieve even greater success in their digital performance.

Realtime Agency’s suite of services, combined with Kochava’s attribution and analytics platform, provides clients with actionable insights for the measurement and optimization of digital campaigns. The Kochava Marketers Operating System (m/OS) delivers a range of features that enables Realtime Agency to track and analyze campaign performance across all channels and devices. This includes advanced fraud detection and prevention, custom reporting, and integration with major ad networks and platforms. By partnering with Kochava, Realtime Agency is equipped to provide clients with the insights needed to make informed, data-driven decisions about campaign strategy and optimization. This partnership also delivers a more seamless, streamlined experience for clients, reducing the time and stress required for measurement and attribution.

If you’re an agency interested in becoming a Kochava Authorized Partner, please contact us today. The process involves a series of educational Discovery Sessions on various topics, including:

*Measurement & Attribution session required, plus two additional sessions selected by the agency. Once agencies become a Kochava Authorized Partner, they will be listed as such in the Kochava Media Index, the largest advertising database in the world.

The mobile app industry, particularly the gaming vertical, has experienced significant growth in recent years. According to reports by Statista, in 2022, the most popular app categories in the Apple App Store and Google Play were games, accounting for 12.68% and 13.8% of all available apps, respectively. To meet demands, it’s imperative that app developers and marketers have access to advanced measurement and development solutions to optimize users’ gaming experience and monetization opportunities. Luckily for them, through the Kochava Authorized Partner Program, Persona.ly now offers the combined expertise and technology to take mobile gaming to the next level for their clients. This partnership provides a comprehensive suite of tools and services to support developers and marketers in creating, measuring, and optimizing their mobile gaming apps. As an authorized partner, Persona.ly can now utilize the Kochava Marketers Operating System® (m/OS) to its full potential on behalf of the game developers and brands they serve.

Kochava is a leading provider of mobile measurement, attribution, and fraud prevention solutions. With these services, mobile gaming developers and marketers can access a comprehensive understanding of their audience and user engagement, allowing them to make data-driven decisions. Kochava’s suite of tools helps track and analyze user behavior, including real-time analytics, user acquisition reporting, retention tracking, and fraud prevention. These tools are designed with the user’s journey in mind, from impression to conversion. Kochava’s solutions have been tested and proven effective, with a track record of success in the mobile app industry, serving clients such as Sandstorm Interactive, Funovus, Uber, and more.

Persona.ly is a programmatic demand side platform for mobile user acquisition and retargeting. Trusted by industry leaders across multiple verticals, including but not limited to gaming, fintech, and services, they utilize proprietary machine learning algorithms to offer transparent, performance-driven, targeted user acquisition and retargeting solutions at scale. With Persona.ly’s capabilities, mobile gaming developers and marketers can access a full range of services to help them grow their apps by optimizing the UA and re-engagement campaign performance. 

The major platform features are:

Persona.ly provides next-level solutions for its clients by use of its proprietary machine learning algorithms. The speed and efficiency of their bidder are unparalleled. Processing over 2.5 million ad auctions per second, and analyzing 60 data points before serving each impression, Persona.ly can reach a diverse audience worldwide. With a global reach, Persona.ly can launch a campaign in almost any market within hours, providing its clients with a truly comprehensive solution. 

Persona.ly’s portfolio includes industry leaders like Ubisoft, Nexon, ASAP (ex. Waitr), Papaya Gaming, Rapido (Bike-Taxi app), and many others.

TapBlaze – Measurement & Attribution

TapBlaze, an innovative gaming company with over 150 million app downloads, needed to acquire quality players with a solid lifetime value while optimizing their return on advertising spend. They integrated Kochava as their mobile measurement partner to provide attribution of app installs and in-app purchases across campaigns on Facebook, Google, Unity Ads, and other advertising partners. With the Kochava SDK, TapBlaze tracked every in-app purchase with built-in purchase receipt validation for the App Store and Google Play store and sent postback events to their advertising partners for campaign optimization. This enabled the team to accurately calculate and optimize user LTV, redirect ad spend toward the highest-performing campaigns and achieve a higher overall ROAS.  

McDonald’s Australia x Spotify – Kochava Foundry & MediaLift

McDonald’s Australia enlisted the help of Kochava to access the true incremental lift of their customized Spotify campaign strategy in the MyMacca’s app. The MediaLift study by Kochava Foundry showed positive results in driving new rewards, registrations, and food and drink orders in the app with nuanced performance responses across target audiences. Learn more about this case study here. 

Uber – Fraud Detection & Prevention

Uber enlisted the help of Kochava’s fraud solutions team to conduct an in-depth fraud audit. After successfully processing over 58 billion transaction records, the solutions team found significant evidence of ad fraud and violation of Uber’s IO terms. Kochava provided expert testimony in court and helped Uber recover over $6 million in damages. Learn more about this case study here.

While Kochava’s case studies demonstrate the company’s ability to deliver data-driven solutions for mobile apps, another player in the field, Persona.ly, is making waves with its unique approach to user acquisition and engagement.

If you’re an agency interested in becoming a Kochava Authorized Partner, please contact us today. The process involves a series of educational Discovery Sessions on various topics, including:

*Measurement & Attribution session required, plus two additional sessions selected by the agency. Once agencies become a Kochava Authorized Partner, they will be listed as such in the Kochava Media Index, the largest advertising database in the world.