Emodo built a solution for context and creative to support brands as they create immersive mobile advertising experiences through augmented reality (AR), 5G, 3D and 360-degree video campaigns. 

As 5G technology expands, brands want to build more immersive experiences, said Alistair Goodman, chief executive officer and general manager at Ericsson Emodo, the telecom company’s ad-tech division.

“We worked with Amazon Audible, where they were using 5G, which uses so much more bandwidth, but when you opened your new 5G phone on Christmas Day, you had the ability to pull up their content,” he said. “We saw huge interaction, much more so than what we’ve seen in the past.”

Goodman said the company plans to expand internationally this year.

“We’ve had a great partnership in the U.K. with Mobsta for many years, but now we’re starting to see increasing demand in other geographies,” he said. “This year we expect to be in Asia-Pacific and broadening our footprint in Europe.”

Changes also include the ability for campaigns to operate in an ID-less environment.

“The company grew 100% last year and 70% the year prior,” Goodman said, all since transforming from a location-based DSP to a fully integrated platform for advertisers.

During the past two years the company built a fully integrated ad-tech stack that includes a data management platform (DMP), demand side platform (DSP), and last year added a supply side platform (SSP), Axonix, a mobile first ad exchange, to ensure less waste and enable advertisers to buy media whatever way they wish.

“Axonix was the key piece,” Goodman said.

Goodman attributes the growth to “latching” on to changes in addressability and targeting. “We’re all aware of the changes Apple and Google are making,” he said. “We saw the changes coming a couple of years ago when GDPR was implemented. We assumed it would head toward a world where ID went away.”

He also sees a renaissance in “immersive creatives” as advertisers lose access to IDs to target ads. During the past year, Emodo has leveraged 5G and AR. The traction seen in the business is a result of capitalizing on the changes and moving toward technology like aggregated predictive targeting rather than rely on individual user data. It harnesses contextual signals. It combines deterministic, predictive, and contextual data.

For example, he said, Emodo created an immersive creative ad experience that let patrons enter into and see clips from Broadway shows as a call-to-action to buy tickets.