Vyking (Berlin, Germany) has developed a suite of interactive video ad formats called ReactivAds. The system observes users’ through the use of a webcam such as commonly found on devices. By identifying user facial responses and gestures, the company claims that it will be possible for advertisers and publishers to judge the emotional state of the user and, based on this knowledge, offer a more personalized ad experience.
“Vyking Emotion analyses micro expressions and the minutest of details on the subject’s face in response to any visual stimuli. It measures and classifies each emotional response and ties all the information together in one easy-to-read dashboard. The software can also detect age, gender and ethnicity.”
Top-level filters can be applied to achieve further information on the user’s emotional state including elation, anger, concentration, attention, surprise and eye retention.
Based on this information, it is possible to identify moments of high engagement and optimize the advertising content.
To initiate an ad “experience” a user has to allow access to their webcam. Since there is a latent privacy issue associated with such access, the company states that it their policy that user related data will be analyzed only in real time.
Vyking has offered two examples of how ReactivAds might work.
- A user is asked to watch an ad in return for accessing otherwise paid-for content. Vyking’s technology determines the user’s location and, based on the facial traits, estimates the user’s age and gender. The system then delivers the most relevant ad. The ad is adapted in response to changes in the user’s emotions.
- An image or other content is merged with a live video feed of the user. The nature of ad content is determined by analysis of the user’s age, gender and emotional state. The resulting content will have the option to be shared via social media.
One incentive for advertisers and publishers to utilize the Vyking system is that it should be possible to achieve greater user engagement. This, in turn, should allow publishers to charge a higher rate for ads. More than that, Vyking Emotion’s APIs allow advertiser’s to add emotion and engagement analytics into existing data platforms.
As a final point, the company states that, using same device embedded webcam, the software is able to recognize multiple faces in a large audience. –Arthur Berman
