Boots and Sainsbury's sign up for AI ad pilot from ITV

ITV has launched a new tool for advertisers using its addressable TV platform Planet V, which it claims will provide insights into moods, objects and moments in programmes they can use to fine-tune campaigns.

Dubbed Automated Contextual Targeting (ACT), the artificial intelligence-based scheme has been developed by innovation group ITV AdLabs and has already signed up Boots and Sainsbury’s as launch partners.

ACT uses AI to scan through every show to recognise facial expressions and words spoken. It has allowed the team to draw up three key themes for the pilot: Food, Drink & Mealtimes; Moments of Joy; and Beauty & Cosmetics.

Where an advertiser might previously have bought “Food” as a contextual theme and target shows like Ainsley’s Mediterranean Cookbook, the ACT now gives them the ability to target moods, objects and moments.

That means they can then target Food, Drink & Mealtimes moments when they include ACT within their package, whether it be for a mealtime shown on Coronation Street, or contestants having a dinner date on Love Island.

Sainsbury’s media agency PHD will be targeting Food, Drink & Mealtimes through ACT for the supermarket’s Christmas campaign, which showcases products from its festive food offering.

Meanwhile, Boots’ media agency MediaCom will be targeting Moments of Joy, and Beauty & Cosmetics themes for the retailer’s Christmas campaign which this year is designed to encapsulate the joy of finding just the right gift for the right person.

Boots chief marketing officer Pete Markey said: “Participating in test and learn initiatives with AdLabs has been hugely valuable, not just for our learning but for our brand results. Aligning with contextual moments is hugely important in our marketing activity, but particularly at Christmas, as aligning with those moments of joy is integral to our strategy.”

ITV AdLabs has said it will be adding further buyable categories to its ACT offering in the new year, alongside further innovations for advertisers to trial across addressable products, partnerships and insight.

ITV controller of advanced advertising Jayesh Rajdev added: “More than ever, brands want to buy adjacency to the biggest and most talked about shows on TV, but so do with relevance.

“Following months of development and testing under AdLabs, our ACT pilot utilises cutting-edge tech to help brands fine tune the contextual relevance of their ITV addressable campaigns.”

TOPICS:addressable TV Boots data strategy data-driven marketing ITV Sainsbury's