Global UK technology company Group IMD is transforming the speed and convenience of video advertising management and distribution through its IMD Cloud platform.
The IMD Cloud platform has been fully rolled out internationally and is believed to be the fastest TV and video ad distribution service in the world. Clients can now deliver to around 14,000 TV stations globally. Group IMD’s proprietary technology enables clients to quality check commercials and deliver to stations immediately (IMD Cloud’s unique ‘Immediate’ service reaches stations in as fast as just a few minutes).
“It’s not just about being able to deliver content quickly” explains Aleyna Le Fevre at adam&eveDDB creative agency. “By changing the ad delivery process, new creative ideas and advertising opportunities become possible. Our client, Waitrose, wanted to show the ‘live’ welfare conditions of their livestock, so we decided to shoot and air the very same day, on a Saturday and Sunday. Whilst this is possible online, there are barriers with TV. Thanks to IMD Cloud’s 24 hour service and immediate delivery, we were able to shoot, distribute and air the same day. We believe it’s an industry first and were very excited to be a part of it.”
The speed of IMD Cloud is already enabling retail and betting clients to change price points and odds quickly to be more timely and relevant on TV. This new technology has enabled Group IMD to welcome over 400 new clients from around the world in the first half of 2016, including advertisers such as Johnson & Johnson, Paramount and Coca Cola. At its peak, IMD Cloud has delivered over 8,000 ads in a single day. Ad delivery is the ‘last mile’ after large creative and media budgets have been committed, so it’s important for agencies and advertisers to know their ad delivery system is resilient.
Ashley Botten, Group Sales Director, said: “Creative agencies, media buyers, post production, advertisers and media owners now benefit from working together in a single platform, making video advertising distribution easier, more transparent and faster than ever”.
Simon Cox, CEO, commented “IMD Cloud was built from the ground up rather than developing legacy systems or using third party components. This strategy has facilitated the speed and scalability of IMD Cloud and enables configuration to satisfy the unique needs of every market. Clients can now upload a single file format into IMD Cloud and watch it automatically convert and deliver to stations around the world. We listen to our clients and we release product updates nearly every day and we are delighted that we are making a real difference – the feedback has been fantastic.”
Group IMD is a UK company that has grown into over 30 markets and services over 100 globally. Much of the company’s growth has been driven by international expansion and investment in leading technology for clients worldwide. As Digital and TV converge, IMD Cloud is already integrating with more and more digital platforms, including social media, programmatic advertising, monitoring, asset management and other systems already used by advertisers and agencies, as a single solution for linear TV and digital media.
Automating advertising workflows and connecting everyone allows advertisers to not only deliver content quickly, but to subsequently access, repurpose, quality check and move it to other media destinations. This is an important step in a future that looks increasingly programmatic.
