NumberEight Partners with Otonal to Deliver Contextual Intelligence to Audio Apps in Japan

NumberEight’s contextual intelligence platform will empower Otonal’s audio publishers to deliver the right ads to the right audience at the right time.

NumberEight signed an exclusive deal with the Japanese digital audio ad company, Otonal Inc. Otonal will begin sales of NumberEight’s platform in the Japanese market over the coming months, enabling audio app publishers to analyse users’ context in real-time and maximise the value of their inventory.

To date, the advertising industry has targeted users based on their interests and the content they consume. Targeting based on real-time behaviours and environmental context has been challenging because the required technological infrastructure was not yet in place. Furthermore, rapidly evolving privacy regulations have increased users’ awareness and shifted their privacy expectations, highlighting the need for ID-less and privacy-conscious targeting solutions. 

NumberEight’s intelligence platform addresses both of these issues, by using edge-AI to analyse mobile sensors and detect users' mobex (mobile context). Since all data computations are made locally on the device, data leakage is minimised, no IDs are needed, and users’ privacy is safeguarded. 

How does that work?

NumberEight transforms mobile sensor data to predict over 200 live contexts and 70 ID-less behavioural audiences. All computations happen on-device, for a privacy-by-design solution. 

In addition to enhancing targeting capabilities, NumberEight’s platform also allows publishers to analyse audience behaviour for various user events within the app, such as ‘podcast played’ or ‘song skipped’. This provides publishers with new ways to increase retention, user engagement, and conversions of in-app purchases.   

NumberEight CEO, Abhishek Sen, said: “When content is delivered based on the listener's current context, its effectiveness is maximised. Audio, as we all know, is a unique format where content is consumed throughout the day, across different devices, in the background and foreground. This gives audio publishers the opportunity to continually surprise and delight listeners with contextual experiences - be it through ads, playlist recommendations, or user interface optimisation based on the users’ current needs. 

Advertisers have always dreamed of delivering the right message to the right audience, at the right moment. No more dreaming.

Through NumberEight’s strategic alliance with Otonal, Japanese audio publishers will be able to maximise the value of their ad inventory through in-moment targeting opportunities based on unbiased behavioural data. This will allow audio advertisers to reach relevant audiences in the moments that matter most, without any reliance on PII or identifiers, for the first time.” 

Japan is a key market for NumberEight, especially due to the high percentage of iOS users, standing at 66%. That means that the market feels the commercial impact from Apple’s iOS 14.5 release and the ATT privacy framework more acutely than others.  Additionally, Japan has a strong technological and mobile foundation, making it a prime focus for NumberEight.

Otonal CEO, Taisuke Yagi said: “Through NumberEight’s service, users’ information can be analysed in real-time, so they’ll be served relevant ads whilst their privacy is protected.”

Audio content, unlike video and web content, doesn’t require users to look at the screen whilst consuming it. That means users are often doing something else whilst hearing the ad. NumberEight capitalises on that synchronicity by allowing audio advertisers to deliver ads relevant to users’ live activities, leading to superior mobile experiences.

By using NumberEight’s technology, both users and advertisers can have a better experience, as it allows them to deliver advertising that resonates with consumers more. Audio ads are effective for increasing brand awareness and, as such, NumberEight can be used to further enhance listening situations and the targeting of specific users.

Taisuke added: “I believe that this strategic alliance with NumberEight is a giant leap for the development of the audio ad market in Japan. This move align with Otonal’s mission to pursue new audio ad technology solutions, to help develop the audio ad market and maximise profits for its clients.”