Unruly to offer Japanese advertisers 'emotional targeting'

The tool, EQ Targeting, draws on consumer data to identify those most likely to connect emotionally with a video. In a press release, Unruly points to findings that show campaigns that used its targeting tool resulted in significant increases in brand favourability and purchase intent.

In Japan, New Balance is the first brand to use the service. Its Hellcat campaign reportedly experienced a 34 percent completion rate when employing emotional targeting—113 percent higher than without.

In the release, Takeshi Suzuki, senior manager of New Balance Japan, said the tool helped identify people with specific interests relevant to the video, such as car lovers or gamers. The video was initially skewed towards a female audience, but based on Unruly’s recommendations, New Balance decided to adjust its targeting to include more male consumers.

Unruly’s Japan country manager, Haruyo Kagawa, said that advertisers are now able to understand “how, why, where and with whom their ads are resonating”.

Relevance to viewers is key when it comes to video advertising. The use of ad blocking software is relatively low in Japan; according to the Reuters Institute, it stands at 10 percent, compared with 24 percent in the US. But a study by Unruly earlier this year found 94 percent of respondents in Japan would consider using it.