Deeper Dive—Inscape, 4C lead surprising ad integrations across TV and digital

Advertising and data are endlessly intertwined, but some integrations between platforms and data sources in the space still have the ability to surprise.

This week, Vizio’s Inscape announced that Altice USA would begin using its opt-in automated content recognition smart TV data for cross-screen, addressable media campaigns on a national and local level.

At first glance, it seems odd that a cable operator like Altice that is investing heavily in set-top boxes that can handle traditional TV and streaming video would want to mess around with smart TVs.

But the deal with Inscape’s smart TV data will be put to use in Altice’s recently launched a4, born out of the company’s recent acquisitions of Audience Partners and Placemedia.

“Partnering with Inscape solidifies our national footprint and allows us to expand our portfolio and capabilities into OTT media and analytics,” said John Povey, senior vice president of marketing and analytics at a4, in a statement. “Adding their data allows us to extend our reach and capabilities beyond linear with near-real time Smart TV insights.”

For Inscape, it’s another in a long line of partnerships announced over the past few months. Last week, the company paired up with comScore to add its smart TV data to its audience measurement platform. Inscape also teamed with Dativa for customer onboarding, partnered with Data Plus Math for its consumer purchasing attribution TV advertising platform, and partnered with 4C Insights to add its smart TV data to 4C’s software platform for marketers.

This week, 4C announced a somewhat surprising new integration of its own when it revealed that clients using its Scope platform will now be able to execute and analyze marketing campaigns with the Amazon Sponsored Product platform.

Amazon is many things: a massive ecommerce site, a grocery store owner, a dominant cloud services provider and an original streaming video content service. But it also has a growing advertising business.

“With the availability of Amazon’s Sponsored Product ads through the Scope platform, 4C provides advertisers with a new way to connect with relevant audiences,” said 4C CEO Lance Neuhauser in a statement. “The Amazon integration further bolsters 4C’s position as a single self-service platform where marketers can manage their advertising across Social and eCommerce.”

4C said Scope platform clients can now use Sponsored Products to place relevant ads on Amazon.com across desktop and mobile. Specifically, they can push out keyword-targeted, pay-per-click ads that appear within and above search Amazon results.

For 4C, the addition of Amazon builds on its platform that allows for ad campaign management across Apple News, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, NBCUniversal, Pinterest, Twitter and Snapchat.

Both new partnerships for Inscape and 4C demonstrate that competition for targeted ad dollars is emerging in all corners of the video and entertainment industry and that more and more data is needed to reach increasingly specific audience segments.