Exaget set for expansion with €700k investment
London, UK: 02 February 2015 – Exaget, a radio advertising technology company, has begun 2015 with the announcement of a €700,000 investment from a combination of Finnish, Asian and UK investors. The company’s growth is a reflection of the movement in the radio industry where last year adspend was the highest it has been since 2000, up 8.9%.
The investment includes angel investors in the UK, and Finnish venture capital firms Finnvera and Gorilla Ventures. As part of the investment, Exaget also received a government research and development loan from Tekes, the Finnish funding agency for innovation.
“This is a really exciting time for us as a company,” says Shankar Meembat, CEO, Exaget. “Our technology is yielding tremendous benefit to our clients and with our focus on innovation, customer service and expansion, we are looking forward to another successful year.”
Exaget has signed up a number of new broadcast clients to its ActiveRadio network. They include UKRD, French Radio London, RockSport Radio, AWAZ FM and ZoneOne Radio.
The forward momentum has also extended to its operations. The company’s board is being reconstituted with the addition of Hannu Jungman representing Finnvera and Martin Stringfellow from Indigo Capital, representing the angel investors. In addition, Travis Baxter, who has worked in radio internationally with RTL, Advent International and Actera Group in Turkey, will become an advisor to the management and the board.
“This diversity of experience and talent will only serve to complement the board and, of course, the company and its future direction,” says Meembat.
Since inception in 2012, the company has experienced a high rate of growth with offices now in Finland and in London. Exaget provides radio technology for mobile and online, assisting broadcasters in building and monetising mobile audiences through targeted advertising.
For more information visit www.exaget.com
About Exaget Ltd
Exaget Ltd (http://www.exaget.com) is an early-stage technology company headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. Driven by a passionate international team based in Helsinki and London, Exaget is making technology simpler to use for Radio Broadcasters and Advertisers to address the online users. Its patent pending Content replacement technology allows replacement of online content at a highly granular level. Combined with its online ad portal, publishers and broadcasters can easily plan, manage and monitor audio campaigns real time.
The Importance of a Targeted Audience
February 5, 2015
Facebook, it seems, is killing it in mobile marketing. That’s what Kathy Pattison, Vice President of Marketing at Fiksu, thinks. And she’s right. So what’s Facebook’s ingenious marketing formula? Video content, particularly that which is catered to the dimensions of a mobile device, is certainly one ingredient of this growing success story – last year’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge saw video postings per person grow to 94% in the US and 75% globally. But the key ingredient, it seems, is Facebook’s local awareness ad service.
Geo-location targeting
Geo-location targeting is the epicentre of Facebook’s local awareness ad service, and has helped the company see a 69% mobile ad revenue surge in their last quarter. Operating Chief Sheryl Sandberg stated what we’ve already known – that a more relevant ad is a better ad experience for consumers, but also drives a much higher return for marketers. And although a fairly logical mantra, it seems to be one that marketers and advertisers are still slow to clock on to. The traditional cookie has a low success rate on mobile, so mobile marketers have to look at other ways of gathering relevant user data. Geo-location – or in other words keeping it local – allows marketers to do just that.
But that’s not to say that what Facebook is doing is revolutionary in concept, although it may well be in the world of digital marketing. Conceptually, radio is a prime example of geo-location targeting. Long before the advent of downloadable radio apps or the surge of a DAB switchover, local radio stations reached out to and connected with local listeners; ‘local’ is, after all, in their name. National radio stations are recognising the benefits of keeping it local, with some such as Heart Radio, creating local sub-radio stations such as Heart London and Heart Kent. For those national stations that aren’t able to invest in local sub-branches, going mobile is the best option to reach and target local audiences.
Mobile Radio – Marketing Potential
Radio’s ‘keep it local’ secret is out of the bag it seems, and with such a big and influential contender as Facebook encroaching on radio’s tried-and-tested formula, it will have to step up to the plate. Moreover, Facebook has the upper hand of being able to tell the age range, gender, and interests of its targeted audience; factors that contribute to a higher, and better, standard of personalised ad targeting. On top of all that, Facebook offers interaction; you can ‘Like’ the advert, ‘Share’ it, tap on it to be re-directed to the brand’s website for more information. Radio, on the other hand, is lagging far behind. Its upside of geo-location, of an intimacy with its audience, has been copied and pasted by a social-media giant. Before radio can reach competitor level, it needs to catch up first.
One, and we dare to say ‘the best’, way to do this is for radio to tap into its increasing online and mobile listeners. They will be willing to share their personal profile with their favourite stations, which can be used to deliver targeted ads (or other content), thereby combining radio’s intimacy with its listeners with a personal knowledge of its audience. Exaget’s innovative ActiveRadio technology is just that, a seamless partnership between advertiser, broadcaster, and consumer. We help advertisers realise the importance of a targeted audience, and bring to radio stations a physical interactivity with their listeners; while the listener gets the best of both worlds, enjoying great radio with great ads. So why not see what our technology can do for you?
If you are interested in becoming a broadcasting partner, or would like to know what our integrating technology can do for you, contact our Partnership Account Manager Matthew Layton – matthew.layton@exaget.com or +447533517396
If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact the CEO of Exaget, Shankar Meembat –shankar.meembat@exaget.com or +447411130680