On Wednesday, Comcast will start mailing customer notification letters to its digital subscribers in the Baltimore area in regard to a six-month addressable advertising trial.
According to a story yesterday by DSLReports.com, Comcast said it will use “standard, widely available demographic information” to determine which ads users will view.
A spokeswoman for Comcast Spotlight, which is the advertising division of Comcast, said subscribers in the pilot area can opt-out by telephone, mail or online if they prefer not to participate . The trial will last six months and will impact only 2 percent of the ads that will be shown on several digital TV channels.
The trial was first announced in April of this year when Comcast Spotlight and media agency Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) said they were teaming up for a second trial in Baltimore after an initial trial in 2006 in Huntsville, Ala.
Comcast Spotlight is using technology from Invidi, called Advatar, to deliver addressable ads in the Baltimore area. Comcast Spotlight said that SMG will continue to be the media agency partner for one year and will “play a central role in the Baltimore area trial.”
For the full story on the initial announcement, click here.
Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox and Bright House Networks have invested $150 million into Project Canoe, which was formed to create a nationwide platform for addressable, or targeted, advertising. The cable industry is working on addressable advertising in order to get “the right ad to the right viewer at the right time,” which will make the ads more relevant to the viewers while providing better reporting metrics to advertisers. For more on Canoe Ventures, click here.
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