• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, May 18, 2011

DataXu on Wednesday will officially launch a multichannel demand-side platform dubbed DX Brand. The system measures brand metrics such as awareness, recall, favorability, or purchase intent. Using in-ad surveys, A/B testing and multivariate decision making processes, the system determines the placements and creative pieces most likely to generate a favorable response from consumers who see them.

Identifying consumer attitudes that lead to a favorable response became a top priority for John Gray, senior vice president of Interactive Media at Team Detroit. "Advertisers have been able to identify attitudinal shifts for the past decade online, but the challenge has been getting the data back quickly to act on it," Gray said. "Even if we check in midway, we don't get the data back soon enough to optimize the campaign."

DX Brand lets companies like Team Detroit pipe data directly into DataXu's platform to act on the findings in near real time. The platform generates thousands of responses daily, according to Gray, who explains the offering provided a 9.4% lift in consumer favorability and 5.8% in awareness.

Mike Baker, DataXu CEO and co-founder, said the company has been testing the platform to measure attitude for about six months. "Direct marketers have the ability to optimize shopping cart value conversions online, so what if brand advertisers could get the same exact ultra-high measurement and certainty to move the needle?" he said. "Would it shift more dollars from brands online?"

The promise of finding that attitude shift as the campaign runs continues to be key, Baker said.

Julie Ginches, DataXu vice president of marketing, said it's time for advertisers to stop trying to replicate analog media metrics such as TV's Gross Rating Point in a digital world, and start thinking like a "digital native" such as a scientist.

Advertises need to demand an outcome tied directly to their brand objectives, she said. "That's what makes DX Brand so unique," she said. "It solves the problem everyone said couldn't be done: automated optimization on brand funnel metrics in run time."