We’ve been doing some stuff based on this concept for the last year or so and have ben struggling on what to call it. The name “reactive ads” sort of emerged over time, and since we recently got acceptet to speak at Web 2.0 Europe with “Reactive advertising” as the topic, and I spoke at Google two days ago and used that term, I figured I might aswell get it out there 
So what is “Reactive advertising”?
Most efforts today in Internet ad technology are focused on one thing – optimizing targeting based on varous forms of data. And sure enough, the Internet has us swimming in data, flooding marketers with opportunities for better targeting, media planning and measurement. However, these improvements overshoots what most marketers are able to utilize. Instead, what now needs to be improved is getting consumers’ attention and creating impact.
Besides being able to collect and structure massive amounts of data, the Internet also gives us the opportunity to tailor our message and the contents and characteristics of our ads to each specific user.
This can’t be done in either print, TV or radio. And it’s a completely different thing than putting up an ad in front of the right person.
Enter “reactive advertising” – ads adjusting the contents to optimize performance based on the conditions of each unique exposure.
Reactive ads shifts the use of data from improving targeting, to improving the ads themselves. It can leverage information that is most often completely useless or too fine grained to be of practical use for media planning purposes, not to find our target audience, but to talk to them in a more compelling way.
Campaign can unfold in ways that are more dynamic and persuasive than ever before. Stories can be told in a way that’s more participatory and dynamic than ever before. With so much advertising these days cluttering our lives and dumb us down, reactive advertising presents a real opportunity to make ads that are not only relevant, but also more intelligent and entertaining.
Reactive ads is the start of a new creative revolution, driven by technology and a world of endless data. We’ve seen from research and the trial campaigns we’ve run using Meme Machine by Burt (still in prototype stages), that reactive ads have the potential to completely redefine how much impact that can be delivered in one single exposure.
In early fall, we’ll be rolling out a beta release for a select number of agencies to try for their clients. If you’re interested in tagging along or just want more information on this concept, send me an e-mail at gustav (a) vonsydow.tv?
