MTV Taps Visible World For TV, Online Targeted Ads

MTV Networks has enlisted Visible World to help its advertisers customize and target both television and online video ads in real time, the companies said Monday. Visible World's technology is designed to help advertisers target, tailor, monitor, and adjust video ads in seconds. With it, MTV Networks' advertisers will be able to pre-program and edit multichannel campaigns across MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT, Spike TV, Comedy Central, TV Land, Nickelodeon, and Nick at Nite.

Media buyers applauded the deal, saying MTV's interest in highly flexible, highly targeted, multichannel ad-serving technology makes perfect sense.

"A move like this absolutely makes MTV more attractive to buyers," said Mark Egan, account director for the Media Contacts division of MPG. "A media company like MTV needs to be continually relevant to a young audience that has so many marketing filters."

"MTV might also need another reason to justify the premiums they charge," Egan speculated. "Generally, they're a plus 20%."

"We've been working to change the game with audience targeting, commercial pod formats, and now, through Visible World, the customization of our advertising solutions," explained Hank Close, president of U.S. ad sales for MTV Networks.

One result of the partnership might be multiple versions of a movie trailer edited to highlight themes, actors or scenes relevant to audiences of different MTVN shows, or to include real-time updates of reviews and box office results.

Other potential applications include content relevant ads that directly reference MTVN live programming including award shows, or serialized narrative ads that audiences control by texting live votes on how a story line should unfold.

Since its founding in 2000, the New York-based Visible World has grown on the strength of its IntelliSpot system, which enables advertisers to simply and inexpensively create custom versions of TV commercials targeted to discrete cable viewers.

Last month, the company--which has attracted investment from WPP, Comcast and Time Warner--branched out into the Internet with a Broadband & Wireless Division.

Next story loading loading..