Havas and Adelaide Launch 'Meaningful Ad Unit'

In North America, Havas Media has partnered with attention measurement specialist Adelaide to build a proprietary advertising attention measurement metric called the 'Meaningful Ad Unit' (MAU).

New York-based Adelaide has developed its own AU metric which evaluates thousands of signals to predict attention, and help advertisers understand media quality across their entire spend. Specifically, AU assesses a media placement's probability of capturing attention and driving impact using a machine learning algorithm trained to proxy outcomes. Last week, Yahoo Advertising announced a partnership with Adelaide to introduce high-attention, pre-bid segments through its Yahoo DSP platform.

Havas Media will integrate the MAU measure into its Meaningful Media Marketplace, designed to connect advertisers and publishers with 'media that matters'. In addition, Havas Media North America has started exploring more advanced applications of attention metrics, including Adelaide's AU Flight Control solution. This identifies the AU rating that delivers the strongest correlation between ad exposures and outcomes, reflecting the optimal level of media quality and frequency needed to drive specific KPIs.

Future initiatives include using AU as an input in Havas Media's Meaningful Rating Point (MRP) and Meaningful Media Marketplace, identifying the most meaningful placements for the target audience based on campaign KPIs. MAU will be used as a quality factor in optimizing reach and frequency, and in Havas North America's programmatic trading desk in custom algorithms, pre-bid segments, and through custom private marketplaces.

Adelaide CEO and founder Marc Guldimann (pictured) comments: 'Havas Media US has looked deeper than the 'maximize attention' tactics you see from less sophisticated players, something that has allowed it to weave attention into the fabric of its media strategy. The velocity of this partnership has been impressive, and we are excited to see AU integrated into all aspects of Havas Media's measurement and activation practice'.

Web sites: www.havasmedianetwork.com and www.adelaidemetrics.com .