E37: How to Transform Passive Audiences into Active Participants through Ads using SmartTones with Daryl Hemingway

Daryl Hemingway is an entrepreneur, rocket scientist and filmmaker. Daryl is founder and CEO of SmartTones Inc. that is connecting broadcast to mobile, at the cutting edge of the evolution of advertising and media.

Daryl found a gap in time between when people discover  something they want to do and when they can take that action. So he looked for a better way on how to directly connect the audience to the entertainment media they love. The solution is to use silent sign codes in the audio track of the film, TV show, radio song or live events such as sports to connect directly to mobile phones which is where people take action today.

With this, the phone recognizes the content that you are watching and can trigger all sorts of different experiences for you to get what you want, when you want it, and enables you to participate directly in traditional media.  Sports fans can predict the play and win prizes, film buffs can learn behind the scenes secrets, fans can vote for their favourite talent, shop what they see or enter contests, all in real-time and effortlessly on their mobile.

Episode Overview:

A few years ago, Daryl made a documentary film about green energy and his audience wanted to know more about that topic.  Yet, he found that there was not a good way to give it to them. Scrolling a URL or a hashtag on the screen and hoping they remember and go to the website later, was not very effective.

Daryl shares a bit of his journey and how he started SmartTones Inc. and discusses how broken methods of advertising trigger most users to block unwanted ads.  

“The key piece of missing information for those advertisers and content producers was context.”

Traditional media is one to many, digital is one to one, but now we are entering a post-digital world that puts the consumer in control of connecting to their favourite moments.  Right now, ads are still delivered ad hoc based on outdated systems that lack the audience intelligence to auto-filter irrelevant messages. When you do see something you want, there is a lag and many manual steps to get it: remember, search, spell it correctly, find it in a big website, and more.  SmartTones can trigger things to happen with the content that is being consumed rather than waiting for a commercial break or forcing you to watch an ad. SmartTones can also trigger the right message to the right person and at the right time. The future is ad free content that enables you to choose to engage with what you want in the moment.  SmartTones is a solution that recognized and rewards hard won audiences that have been growing increasingly hostile toward ad saturation and interference with their viewing experience: preroll, popups, banner ads etc.

Daryl found out that there are lots of changes going on in the ad agencies when he talked to  experts at film festivals and connected to other people within the industry. In this episode, Daryl also shares what excites him about the future of participatory entertainment.  Sports is transforming into active fan engagement: Play along, score your knowledge, win points and prizes, all in a social environment with friends. Do all the things you love to do in person at the game, from anywhere, and make it all happen with one app.

Resources Mentioned: Lessons Learned:   From NASA ‘There are no limits’ From NASA ‘ Do what it takes to make the mission happen!’  - get out of the employee mindset Tips: Change = Opportunity The future is predictable, if you create it When you’re 70% sure based on your market research, trust your gut and go for it Dial into WII.FM Station Play until the GAME OVER  (PacMan was the discussion) Pacman Analogy - ‘Figure out what dots/pellets that you need to eat to get to the next level’ Failure is not an option Believe in your WHY Do what it takes to accomplish the mission Hotspots: Recroom in Toronto El Catrin - Mexican Food at the Distrillery District About SmartTones Media:

SmartTones Media was founded as an entertainment technology company with one goal in mind – connecting broadcast media to mobile. They believe entertainment should excite audiences and enable them to participate.  This happens when you combine context with precision targeting. Breaking down the old one directional, non-responsive broadcast model creates a new dynamic way of interacting with audiences. With a phone in hand, advertisers and content creators can reach audiences through their mobile devices. SmartTones Media is transforming passive audiences into active participants by igniting their excitement.

The SmartTones Platform provides a frictionless way to encode, create and execute smart campaigns into your current workflow. Their executive dashboard gives you front row access to capture and monitor data in real-time for first party measurement and transparency. Engage your audience and deliver context-driven calls to action. SmartTones instantly immerse people into entertaining experiences they actually want to participate in, engage with and share.

Capture and monitor data in real-time with a comprehensive executive dashboard Integrates into your existing app to enhance your brand and increase users Privacy is always protected

 

Connect with Daryl:

LinkedIn: Daryl Hemingway

Twitter: @smarttonesmedia

Website: SmartTones Media

 

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