blurbIQ Launches iPaQ: Suite of Unique Cross-Platform Interactive Video Overlay Units

New Formats Drive Unparalleled Increase in Viewer Engagement and Interaction with Video Advertising

Las Vegas (20 Mar 2013)

blurbIQ Inc., whose patent-pending technology allows advertisers and publishers to overlay rich interactive experiences on video, today launched a suite of new interactive overlay units supported by its advanced metrics, reporting and analytics system. Collectively called the blurbIQ iPaQ (Interactive Performance Advertising), a number of the units have already been certified, tested, or executed by leading networks, including adMarvel, Break Media, Grab Media Networks, iVillage, Mojiva, Specific Media, and the Wall Street Journal and today are being made available to all brands, agencies and networks.

blurbIQ iPaQ enables brands to engage users within the video frame using interactive messaging sequenced to their video assets in a variety of ways such as selecting the storyline of a video ad, selecting product features to view personalized built products, choosing how to watch a carousel of brand videos, skipping video ads by typing in brand messaging, and earning reward points by answering quizzes on brand highlights. blurbIQ has also integrated brand site search functionality into the video frame, a full range of social media features as well as interactive consumer experiences triggered by clicking on icons that appear only when viewers touch (or mouse over) the video frame.

“blurbIQ iPaQ offers a more powerful creative and video solution that uses gamification and interactive elements to drive consumers to engage with the videos and brand messaging like never before,” says Scott Reese, CEO of blurbIQ Inc. “Our technology helps brands entertain and engage their consumers, and maybe more importantly, enables them to measure every viewer interaction to help optimize completion rates, brand recall, message retention and brand lift.”

“Tens of millions of impressions of the blurbIQ iPaQ units have been executed across the CPG, automotive, financial, and entertainment verticals. The performance metrics speak for themselves with up to 81% video completion rates, interaction rates 60x higher than standard video, and a click through rate of up to 5.86%,” adds Mr. Reese.

“blurbIQ is successfully defining new ad formats and monetization models in the mobile interactive video ad space,” says Jack Hallahan, VP of Innovation at Mojiva. Their strategy is simple: deliver quality interactive video overlay experiences that get viewers deeply engaged with brands. blurbIQ is getting to market first by innovating based on a data-driven qualitative and quantitative approach.”

The blurbIQ iPaQ interactive units are easily deployed and measured in most all IAB standard ad formats. In particular, blurbIQ’s creative canvass is well positioned to take advantage of the growing excitement among brand advertisers for the IAB’s Digital Video Rising Stars formats. 

Furthermore, the units can be executed, as interactive pre-roll, interstitial, or in-banner units, across devices (desktop, mobile and tablet) and across channels (apps, websites, social media, interactive television). blurbIQ’s clients utilize the company’s intuitive drag-and-drop tools, or work with blurbIQ’s creative team, to create and customize interactive overlays on their own video assets. All customers can measure the performance of overlay units with quick-time analytics dashboards that track viewer interactions for every live campaign.

“blurbIQ’s innovation with interactive video is consistent with the IAB’s vision of driving greater consumer engagement with branded video campaigns,” says Peter Minnium, Head of Brand Initiatives at the IAB. “Marketers are excited about the opportunity to make digital video interactive and the IAB Rising Stars lay the groundwork for that to happen.”

 iPaQ Suite

iqVideo adds engagement with pre-roll by overlaying relevant brand and survey questions on the video to drive the viewer to understand and retain the video messaging. The pre-roll video is “gamified” and the viewer is scored at the end of the video. Customizable in video tabs can also be inserted within the interactive pre-roll unit. If a viewer clicks a tab, the pre-roll can stop and the viewer can explore the full in-player experience before returning to the pre-roll and then the video.

Link To Example 1   Link To Example 2

iqAdventure allows the viewer to choose their own video experience by selecting the sequence of video assets to view. Custom storyboarding or video thumbnail selection turn a 30 second TV spot into a longer, immersive engagement that can be shared across social media. Link To Example

iqBuildIt allows the viewer to build their own product. An interactive overlay of product questions invites the viewer to respond as the video streams. At the end of the video the viewer is presented with a view of the product with the features they have selected. Link To Example

iqChoice allows the viewer to choose between playing a 15-second ad with a sequenced survey overlay or watching a 30-second ad. A single advertiser slate appears prior to content asking viewers to choose an ad to watch before content runs. If no choice is made, a default ad runs. Link To Example

iqeCommerce Advertiser’s video asset is overlayed with call to action to shop or buy. Viewers can shop and purchase within the ad unit without having to exit to a new webpage. Link To Example

iqSkipAd allows the viewer to skip a pre-roll ad by responding to survey questions or by typing in the brand messaging the advertiser wants the viewer to receive.

Link To Example

iqSocial allows advertisers to direct viewers to various branded social media pages through their pre-roll units. Advertisers can add the logos of up to four social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest and can control at which point the logos appear. Note iqSocial components are standard on all iq ad models .

Link To Example

iqSearch allows the viewer to search product information using a brand’s site search functionality, or by utilizing a major search engine, integrated into the video frame.

Link To Example

blurbIQ (http://www.blurbiq.com ) is the leader in interactive experiences on video across the digital marketing spectrum. The patent-pending technology overlays video with interactive brand messaging sequenced to a brand’s video assets and uses gamification to get viewers involved. blurbIQ turns video commercials into interactive "games" that dramatically increase viewer engagements, video completion rates, brand recall and message retention. blurbIQ’s interactive units work seamlessly with pre-roll, in banner, mobile, tablet, and social media ad units. The company’s platform provides quick-time analytics so brands can measure every viewer interaction with their interactive video content like never before. Since launching in July of 2010, blurbIQ has executed cross platform campaigns with some of the biggest brands in the world such as AT&T, Campbell’s Soup, Jamba Juice, E*Trade, Duracell, Church & Dwight, General Motors, Focus Features, and Universal Pictures.