62 START-UP ALLEY NexD
Words by Ann-Marie Corvin
NEXD
In this month’s Start-up Alley, we take a look at the playful future of online advertising, the ‘wow’ factor of holographic interviews
COUNTRY: ESTONIA/UK STARTED: 2015
NexD claims to offer brands and agencies a platform that allows them to create non- invasive, highly memorable advertising units – something trade associations such as the Coalition for Better Ads and the IAB have long been campaigning for. “The aim when we started out was to overcome all the issues that today’s digital display media has,” says the firm’s CTO and co-founder Erik Tammenurm. Digital units with clunky file sizes that take an age to load, annoying pop-ups and ads that force the brand message on the consumer can be replaced with a more playful, interactive game-like experience, according to NexD. “What we’re trying to offer is a more playful experience by overcoming the barrier of this one-way communication,” says Tammenurm. “If you make ads more interactive, the end user can dictate how they want to experience content and receive messages,” he adds. Tammenurm, who hails from a gaming background, adds that the software-based technology uses a mark-up language based around the WebGL framework to reduce file sizes, without compromising on quality. “Our benchmark is that no ad should be over 200kB – most of our competitors have 2MB or 3MB for something similar,” he says. Like the mark-up language it uses, most of NexD’s technology and templates comprise mobile gaming tech, although the firm is currently working on a desktop version of the app. “With mobile gaming, it’s all about the easiness and stickiness, creating a memorable experience and getting the user to return and want more.” The firm offers clients two options. The first is a self-service environment called AdCanvas, where clients can upload video files and images, choose from different templates and upload assets in order to generate more animated interactive advertisement units.
GAME THEORY NexD has had enviable success for blue-chip companies such as Samsung, Adidas and Nissan
and tech for streamable gaming
WITH MOBILE GAMING IT’S ALL ABOUT THE EASINESS AND STICKINESS, CREATING AMEMORABLEEXPERIENCE
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