Marketing firm MediaCom to track consumer emotions with UK tech startup Realeyes

In December, Realeyes revealed the ten most engaging Christmas adverts from British retailers. The 1,500 consumers involved in the experiment generated more than 11.5m frames of facial expressions, while Harvey Nichols came out on top.

Realeyes’ tech analyses the facial reactions of viewers via webcam to determine how engaged consumers are when observing content, based on four metrics – attraction, retention, engagement and impact.

MediaCom will now have the means to use the tech in a deal that spans the globe. The partnership will see Realeyes introduce the emotion measurement process into content and media planning for MediaCom’s clients.

Dubbed “the first of its kind for a media agency”, MediaCom will be able to verify the emotional connection each video develops with the audience, whether the material is produced in-house or by partners.

US government scientist joins UK emotion recognition firm Realeyes

The goal is to ensure all messages are as rich as possible, engaging the consumers to generate receptive results.

Palle Finderup Diederichsen, head of EMEA at MediaCom Beyond Advertising, said:
“Incorporating Realeyes’ technology enables us to take a smarter data-driven approach to creativity and planning, ensuring that our clients are building the most engaging branding experiences.”

The Realeyes tech will be embedded into MediaCom’s main content hub, so the team’s producers and planners can include emotion analytics as they see fit. It also means they can benchmark content against other campaigns, whether in their own market or overseas.

Finderup Diederichsen continued: “Tools such as Realeyes allow us to get behavioural information upfront, so we can optimise and measure content before launch. This enables us to deliver more effective video and more efficient distribution, making the message more impactful and delivering increased business advantage for our clients.”

Realeyes was launched out of Oxford University and successfully closed a €3.64m European Commission grant in April 2015. The capital was raised to help the firm develop the understanding of webcams it relies on.

“MediaÇom fully understands the central role of content in successful marketing but was looking for a quick and economical way to assess which content strikes the right chords with the right audiences,” added Mihkel Jäätma, Realeyes’ CEO.

“Emotion analytics provides quicker and deeper intelligence than traditional methods and, as it scales easily across global markets and cultures, it makes it easy to roll out centrally – even within large and sophisticated organisations such as MediaCom.”

By Zen Terrelonge

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