FYI

Singapore-based startup signs deal with Publicis Media Russia and VKontakte

Singapore-based artificial intelligence startup AIQ has signed up partnerships in Russia. These are with the local operations of Publicis Media and VK or VKontakte, a Russian social networking site.

AIQ specialises in visual recognition technology which will be deployed in out of home advertising campaigns.

The announcement:

AIQ Pte Ltd, the Singapore-based AI startup with proprietary computer vision AI technology that transforms businesses in today’s increasingly mobile-first, online world, announced new partnerships with Publicis Media Russia, the global leader in marketing, communication and digital transformation, as well as, Russia’s social media networking giant, VK (short for VKontakte). Through this collaboration, Publicis Media Russia has added AIQ’s computer vision and video recognition technology to their portfolio, enriching Publicis Groupe’s suite of agency offerings and capabilities to include multi-channel solutions that connect physical media to digital assets seamlessly.

In a campaign conceptualised by Publicis Groupe, AIQ’s visual recognition technology was introduced to major Russian cities through a unique manner; users interacted with out-of-home (OOH) advertisements to get player incentives for Clever Boy, an online gaming app under VK.com, Russia’s most popular social network.

Julia Udovenko, Business Transformation Director, Publicis Media Russia elaborated, “It is essential for Publicis Groupe to deliver seamless user experience to our audience. And AIQ’s image recognition technology allows contact with consumers at a deeper level and introduce elements of digital-interactive to visual offline media, which according to the Association of Communication Agencies of Russia in 2018, amounted to 248.7 billion rubles (approximately US$3.9 billion). In our campaign, the engagement rate in offline media was three times higher, which shows a high level of audience interest.

In the future, we see vast potential for using this technology both when working with technology companies and with FMCG brands. AIQ’s technology is ideal for FMCG companies that traditionally use offline media on the Russian market and are interested in new ways of connecting offline media with online tools.”

John Ng, Innovation spokesperson, Publicis Media Singapore, and General Manager of the agency’s Singapore Government Business Unit added: “We are extremely excited at Publicis Media’s ability to deliver digital transformation seamlessly across borders with this partnership. With AIQ’s visual and video recognition platform, we are able to overcome the divide between offline and online media. The opportunity to integrate offline consumer behavioural data with online insights greatly enhances our clients’ ability to bring people closer to brands.”

VK.com is the country’s most popular social media platform, and an entity of the Mail.Ru Group with over 100 million downloads since 2011. Its gaming app, Clever Boy, has more than 5 million downloads since its release in March 2018.  

“Our partnerships with Publicis Russia and Mail.Ru underscore the revolutionary work that media agencies and brands are capable of creating; with our visual and video recognition platform we want to work on more of such partnerships to carry out change in both B2C and B2B markets to bring customer interactions and engagements to a whole new level. We are heartened by the results we have achieved in Russia so far and strive to bring our technology to more businesses in Europe and also nearer home,” revealed Marcus Tan, CEO of AIQ.

Source: AIQ press release

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