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Stay ahead of the curve and at the forefront of ad tech with the Unruly blog, covering stories from across the Unrulyverse and beyond!

  • Programmatic Video #WotW: What Is A DSP?

    Programmatic video is the fastest-growing category of programmatic buying, but a lot of marketers are still struggling to get to grips with the basics. A recent study by the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester found that only 23% of marketers said they understood programmatic and were using it to execute their campaigns. This is despite the fact that more than half of US publishers reported selling their premium video ad inventory programmatically in August 2014 (Adap.tv), while mega-brands like American Express and P&G vowed to shift the majority of their ad spend to programmatic by the end of 2014. There’s clearly a knowledge gap between the programmatic front lines and everyday marketers, making 2015 a key year for programmatic education. As with any burgeoning new trend, one of the

  • What Is the Ideal Length Of An Online Video Ad?

    Conventional wisdom says that the perfect film is two hours long and that the perfect pop song is three minutes long, but how long is the perfect online advert? We encounter video adverts online on a daily basis. Some are promoted on Twitter, others appear in banner ads and others are spread directly across social media platforms or ‘dark social’ like email and IM. And with a spot’s ‘viewability’ (i.e. its ability to not only gain but retain a viewer’s active attention) set to become the industry marker for 2015, you have to wonder: what length of ad is most likely to engage viewers? Ask pretty much anyone if attention spans are decreasing and they’ll say “yes”, before tuning out to check their newsfeed. Every day we’re told

  • Unruly Included In Report Which Celebrates 1,000 Companies To Inspire Britain

    Unruly is one of only 147 companies to today feature in the London Stock Exchange’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain report for the second year in a row. The publication, launched last year, is a celebration of the fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. As part of the launch, Unruly COO and co-founder Sarah Wood (pictured right), was invited, along with Business Secretary Vince Cable and representatives from 50 other companies featured in the report, to the Market Opening this morning.

  • Watch The Ad That Has Angered The Internet

    The Australian Marriage Forum has attracted heavy criticism after its ad campaign attacking same-sex marriage was aired during the country’s biggest gay pride festival. Executives at TV channels 7 and 9 have also come under fire after showing the controversial commercial during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras weekend. The ad asked its viewers: “You hear about marriage equality a lot, but what about equality for kids?” Anti-gay Christian activist Dr David van Gend also adds in the ad: “Childen have an equal right wherever possible to both a mum and dad. So-called marriage equality forces a child to miss out on a father. That’s not equality for the kids who miss out, that’s not marriage.”

  • Viral Review: Ad Council’s Lovely Bones Have The X(Ray)-Factor

    This article was first published in Marketing magazine Brand: Ad Council – ‘Diversity & Inclusion: Love Has No Labels’ Rating: 9/10 The words ‘Public Service Announcement’ doesn’t exactly inspire excitement. Historically cheaply-produced, cheesy and more than a little preachy, the PSA format has the potential to spread vital information, but can fall short of capturing viewers’ hearts and minds. Especially in the age of viral content, when emotional engagement determines more than ever how enthusiastically people share a video with their peers. For all their honourable causes and best intentions, charitable PSAs are still competing against the biggest brands and the shrewdest marketers for users’ attention.

  • General Election 2015: Conservatives Winning The Online Video Ad Race

    The UK’s next General Election is only a couple of  months away. With the voter registry closing in April and the televised debates expected to occur throughout that month, we’re about to enter the most frenzied period of the electoral calendar. While our traditional media outlets typically become swamped with election coverage, Brits aren’t all that used to political advertising. Compared to our American cousins, whose bombastic electioneering shares ad blocks with soft drink commercials, the UK’s policies on political advertising on TV largely swaddles us from the major parties’ marketing budgets. But this is changing. Earlier this month, the BBC asked if 2015 will be the UK’s first social media election. The question was prompted by the Conservatives’ confirmation that the party is spending an unspecified amount on highly-targeted targeted YouTube

  • Disney Stars And Tiny Cars: 6 Branded Vines You Should Watch Right Now

    Brands are quickly recognising the influence of video sharing platform Vine and going head to head to battle it out for the attention of its 40 million highly-engaged users. With just 6 seconds to impress, creativity is key and we’ve rounded up this week’s 6 best branded Vines to show you how it’s done. In this week’s round-up, we have chicken nuggets, spaceship shoes and barista phones. Enjoy!  

  • Live Long & Prosper! A Tribute To Leonard Nimoy

    Star Trek fans around the globe last week mourned the death of Leonard Nimoy. The American actor (as well as director, poet, photographer, sing/songwriter) – most famous for role as Spock in the popular sci-fi TV series and film franchise – passed away last Friday at the age of 83. He was buried on Sunday. Recreating his role as recently as 2013 for the movie reboot Star Trek Into Darkness, there’s little doubt that Nimoy created one of the most popular and famous TV characters of all time.