Nearly each measurement supplier is making an attempt to get its arms on extra viewership information forward of the upfronts.

On Wednesday, outcomes-based measurement supplier Affinity Options introduced a brand new client insights platform referred to as Comet, which permits patrons to create customized viewers segments by combining buy and viewing information. These new metrics additionally introduce conquesting capabilities that enable patrons to plan campaigns based mostly on competitor advertisements.

Affinity was based roughly 20 years in the past as an analytics firm that gives retailers with anonymized buy information from banks, reminiscent of credit- and debit-card statements. As of the previous two years, although, the corporate has been engaged on a approach to hyperlink that information to advert exposures, mentioned Damian Garbaccio, chief enterprise and advertising officer.

Now, advertisers can use Affinity’s new platform to plan and purchase customized audiences on TV and video channels, together with linear, streaming and on-line video.

Comet can assist entrepreneurs perceive what their audiences are shopping for and watching and plan video campaigns accordingly. This contains which exhibits to purchase in opposition to, mentioned Clarissa Season, chief expertise officer at Annalect, Omnicom’s information and analytics division, which is piloting the answer.

Higher focusing on additionally helps advertisers justify their TV buys throughout a tough macroenvironment, Season added. This yr particularly, “each bit of information helps us get our purchasers one of the best offers attainable as we head into the upfronts.”

Up on the market

Affinity makes use of buy information from banks and viewership information from Annalect to create viewers segments inside its new platform.

Advertisers now acquire entry to extra granular viewers information, together with viewership information, once they purchase immediately via Affinity’s newest platform versus programmatically, Garbaccio mentioned.

For instance, Annalect can get subscription information via Affinity, such because the TV companies that an advertiser’s viewers subscribes to. Annalect can then hyperlink that subscription data to the kinds of companies viewers store from and goal advertisements in opposition to particular applications that rank extremely with that viewers.

Annalect can even use A/B testing to check will increase in model raise and retail purchases amongst audiences who watched completely different TV exhibits, Season mentioned.

Divide and conquer

This show-level comparability doesn’t cease at a model’s personal campaigns, although. Advertisers can even plan campaigns based mostly on what their rivals’ clients are watching.

For instance, a fast-food restaurant may discover out what kinds of networks or exhibits a competing retailer’s clients are watching and goal these applications. Annalect can then decide whether or not that viewers’s spending habits shifted between the 2 manufacturers and whether or not that change was linked to an advert publicity on a specific present or app.

A streaming service may additionally strive gaining subscribers by focusing on advertisements to viewers it is aware of are paying for a unique service.

Plus, conquesting campaigns make sure dayparts or TV exhibits extra helpful to patrons than publishers may notice. Some exhibits might rank greater with a specific purchaser’s area of interest viewers than a bigger, extra basic viewers, for instance, “which permits us to barter for decrease costs,” Season mentioned.

Be upfront

After Annalect examined the platform for roughly six months, Affinity is making it accessible available on the market in time for the upfront season.

Nonetheless, upfront commitments are much less versatile than programmatic or scatter market buys, the place Affinity is presently seeing a lot of the demand for its viewers segments. It takes time to combine a brand-new platform into TV shopping for workflows at scale, Garbaccio mentioned.

The plan for Affinity is to make use of its new platform to assist patrons with their upfront planning, and based mostly on how upfront buys carry out, information different campaigns immediately that may carry out even higher.

For now, Season mentioned, “upfront purchasers will have the ability to really feel way more assured that they’re shopping for the suitable networks and TV exhibits to drive the outcomes they want.”