Old Navy, L?Oreal Paris, Kraft Foods and Mondelez are leading the way when it comes to taking a more targeted approach to mobile video as the launch partners for a new solution that delivers pre-roll ads to specific audiences.

Mobile video ads are often untargeted or targeted based on the type of video content. The new solution ? which comes out of a partnership between NinthDecimal, previously JiWire, and TubeMogul - brings together data from both the digital and physical worlds for audience targeting and integrates this with mobile video ads.

"NinthDecimal builds audiences based on location data, purchase data, device data, content, and client first party CRM data,? said David Staas, president of NinthDecimal. ? This combination enables the creation of standard or highly custom audiences.

?For example, a brand can leverage this data to reach their own loyal customers, engage people who frequent their competitors to build new customers, or create a lifestyle segment for any kind of engagement ? from branding to customer acquisition,? he said.

"Advertising is most effective when it doesn't feel like an ad but rather something of value to the audience. Being able to truly understand audience and know your message is reaching the right audience delivers on that opportunity.?

Tablet viewing
Brands are also looking for ways to move beyond the mobile banner ads as the experience is less than optimal for consumers given the small screen size.

Instead, brands are looking for ways to create rich, engaging experiences on mobile and video is one solution many are looking to because of the significant growth in mobile video consumption.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau reported that in 2013 mobile video ads increased 211 percent and time spent viewing mobile video ads per consumer increased 200 percent.

Mobile video consumption continues to grow, with the tablet serving as the default device for watching video for many younger consumers.

Today, there are approximately 88 million U.S. mobile users who consume video, according to industry research.

Bridging physical, digital worlds
For marketers, numbers such as these mean it is imperative that they be able to deliver compelling, relevant video ads to consumers.

The NinthDecimal, TubeMogul solution attempts to help brands make mobile video advertising more relevant by leveraging data from the physical world with the goal of delivering performance and scale.

The targeting leverages data such as locations frequented, offline purchases, devices used, content consumed and CRM data to deliver video ads that are more relevant to consumers.

NinthDecimal is the new name of JiWire, which recently rebranded to better reflect its focus on precise audience intelligence.

"Mobile video today lacks the sophisticated audience targeting that has been built for mobile display,? Mr. Staas said. ?Most mobile video is content targeted or uses geo-fencing ? approaches akin to mobile display three years ago or the early days on online advertising.

?NinthDecimal's solution provides true 1:1 audience targeting based on demographic, behavioral, and other criteria,? he said. ?Brands can now truly identify their specific audience of existing customers or prospects, reach that audience at scale, and engage them with the highly immersive ad experience of mobile video."

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York