Clearstream Delivers Whole Picture for Online Video Ad Measurement

Clearstream Delivers Whole Picture for Online Video Ad Measurement

First to Set an Industry Standard, Clearstream Goes Beyond Metadata to Provide Robust Insight into Video Ad Inventory Placement and Context

Recent advertising industry data shows that 92 percent of advertisers plan to use video ad networks in 2012, according to a study conducted by Break Media. Video ad networks offer significantly more inventory than endemic publishers, but deliver an extremely low level of transparency in terms of ad placement, context and brand safety. To address this issue and set a new standard across the industry, Clearstream, a Chicago-based technology company, takes a deeper dive—going beyond metadata tags provided by the publisher and information on the surrounding web page to analyze the video stream itself. The aim is to deliver an unsurpassed level of verifiable online placement, tracking, auditing and evaluation for online advertisers.

Using the company's proprietary, patent-pending Clearview technology, Clearstream analyzes the content inside of the video stream, evaluating the stream placement, context, alignment and brand safety of a video ad. Where competitors may scan "page level" data , the content surrounding the video player and not the video itself, or may simply pass along publisher-provided video metadata, Clearstream uses object and audio recognition to scan both the surrounding webpage and inside the video player. Clearstream's technology can distinguish objects like logos, guns and fire, as well as recognize and record audio.

“To accurately project and protect brand identity it's essential to know where your content is being placed, and there currently is a major disconnect with publisher-reported indexing,” said Brian Mandelbaum, Clearstream CEO and a veteran of Razorfish, Saatchi & Saatchi, Cramer-Krasselt and AdoTube. “Publishers currently have no standard to classify video. News content can easily be classified as ‘news’ but in reality, the content can feature polarizing or controversial topics that are misaligned with an advertiser’s brand image. Clearstream is out to change that.”

Delivering a True 360-Degree View into Online Ad Placement and Measurement

When buying media through video ad networks and exchanges, advertisers are guaranteed nothing but an expansive reach. With that comes increased susceptibility to wasted impressions and a very low level of brand safety. Advertisers that do decide to compete for premium inventory pay an extremely high price for a higher level of brand safety and transparency, but videos watched on sites like Hulu, NBC, ABC, and CBS only account for very small fraction of videos watched online. Targeting abilities are also sacrificed when buying at scale through networks and exchanges.

Clearstream strives to help advertisers reach the right audience in the right context. Clearstream also evaluates all online video advertising environments, including premium in-stream, in-banner, in-game, auto-play and below-fold placements, factoring in over 150 active data points, to ensure online video campaigns reach their target audiences in the appropriate venues.

To provide advertisers with even more context, Clearstream developed the "Clearstream Score," establishing a standard for online video inventory. Expressed as two numbers ("900/110," for example), the Clearstream Score includes Video Quality Rating and a Content Index, which is based on the IAB taxonomy. The score provides verifiable assessment of publishers' quantitative and qualitative power, as well as how well the content matches advertisers' specifications.

To learn more about Clearstream, including its methodologies, product suites and Clearview technology, please visit www.clearstream.tv.

About Clearstream

Chicago-based Clearstream offers the most comprehensive and verifiable standard of quality for online video advertising site inventory. The company takes the risk out of online video placement for major advertisers and their representatives by auditing sites for content quality, domain trust, viewership, delivery quality and other key success factors. Its “Clearstream Score” is quickly becoming the critical benchmark in the online video segment. Visit www.clearstream.tv for more information.

for Clearstream
Damien Fox, 312.635.8203
Damien.Fox@allisonpr.com