New tool helps brands think small

By Wenlei Ma | 29 July 2013
 

Big data? Forget about it. It’s ‘small data’ you could be using daily to tailor digital campaigns in real time. Information such as weather, traffic and the stock market is fuelling MediaCom’s latest tool, mTrigger.

mTrigger is a tool which allows advertisers to create programmatic rules that can affect any sort of digital communications in real time. The ‘small data’ used is from freely available public information which also includes Google search volume and sports scores.

“It came out of me being fed up with big data and the idea that big data was something that could be actionable. It’s not on a day-to-day basis,” MediaCom head of innovation and technology Nic Hodges said. “Big data can be used to uncover insights but it’s top level. I started talking about the stuff that’s actionable and it’s really simple things like what’s the traffic like or where is it raining or what’s the foreign exchange rate?”

Imagine a brand like Claratyne, Telfast or Zyrtec, geared towards the hayfever-prone. Digital campaigns for a hayfever relief brand could be triggered based on the pollen count in a city. Other examples include campaigns whose creative messages can be changed in real time based on sports scores.

Currently, campaign elements that can be tailored include display, search, DSP bid amounts, AdWords, landing pages and eDMs. But Hodges said mTrigger will also be plugged into digital out-of-home and digital radio soon and maybe eventually on TV.

“It’s immediately gotten traction with smaller clients because so far it’s been really good for lower volume spending clients. For bigger brands, the value of the tool is more in the branding cycles. We have it on media plans for larger clients and in a few months we’ll have even more clients on board.”

mTrigger has already had interest from other MediaCom offices around the globe. Hodges said because it’s a technology that can exist outside of the agency, it could be rolled out across others within the GroupM network. But while mTrigger is IP owned by MediaCom which could be licensed externally, he said: “We think the value is in providing really good work for our clients rather than make money through licensing.”

This article first appeared in the 26 July 2013 edition of AdNews, in print and on iPad. Click here to subscribe for more news, features and opinion.

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at wenleima@yaffa.com.au

Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au

Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.

comments powered by Disqus