Online video ad solutions provider Hiro Media has been rolling out a new tool that enables its agency partners to target ad campaigns using URL sniffing rather than cookies, and already media firms such as Universal McCann Digital Israel have signed on.
We recently spoke to Hiro's Rinat Sherzer, director of product marketing, about the company's approach and its new patent-pending targeting tool.
Many in the online ad business are not fond of cookies because they track user behavior, but URL sniffing relies on recognizing the content and then serving up approriately targeted ads.
"It allows us to indicate on which content the user is watching the video so we can target the right ad without any need for cookies at all," Sherzer explained.
Hiro can then match the content with ads for the appropriate demo. "It's the ability to realize in which content the user sees the video so we can recognize who the show is aimed for."
Tel Aviv-based Hiro was founded in 2006 and Sherzer explained that the company's secret sauce lies in its union of TV ad strategies with new media strategies to deliver online video campaigns for both the sell and buy side. In addition to ad serving and optimization, Hiro also provides detailed analytics, Sherzer said. "We make sure the right ad gets into the right content with a high CPM," she said.
In addition to the Universal McCann deal, video-on-demand provider Viewster also recently signed on with Hiro. Hiro expects to announce more buy and sell side deals shortly.
Daisy Whitney
