Ad Tech Companies Are Testing New Formats Like Virtual Reality and 360 Video

Seventeen years ago, The Blair Witch Project revolutionized movie marketing by turning an indie horror film into a blockbuster with a low-budget viral campaign. Now, just ahead of the third installment of the franchise on Sept. 16, Lionsgate wants to conjure some of the same promotional magic with an edgy VR trailer that will immerses fans in 90 seconds of intrigue and terror. The campaign is the first to come out of Vertebrae, a VR and 360-degree video startup. With $10 million in backing, the Los Angeles-based shop is one example of a growing number of startups experimenting with new ad platforms. Brands and their agencies increasingly are testing the limits of VR and 360 mobile video ad formats on publishers' sites as audiences grow weary of banners and preroll. OmniVirt, a 9-month-old Silicon Valley VR and 360 ad and distribution platform, recently launched a 360 ad for the fast-food chain Jack in the Box on Twitch, adding to a string of campaigns powered by OmniVirt's platform. Others include 360 video campaigns for The New York Times, Vice and AOL. "One thing I'm seeing here relative to the early YouTube days is actually a lot more investment from brands, agencies and publishers," said OmniVirt co-founder Michael Rucker, who spent seven years at YouTube before starting his company. "The creative asset piece is still new, but I've actually seen every brand creating content." Meanwhile, ad-tech companies are busy developing new formats to support the VR push.... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2016-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #great creative #conversion rate #target audience #adweek magazine

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[ Engadget | 2017-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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