Audi tests personalized QR codes in streaming ads

Dive Brief:

Audi of America announced a partnership with PHD Media and Kerv Interactive, an artificial intelligence (AI) video advertising platform, to become the first advertiser to test Kerv’s new Dynamic Destination ad product, per a press release shared with Marketing Dive.
The new feature allows advertisers to direct over-the-top (OTT) and connected TV (CTV) viewers to unique destinations using QR codes in ads that rely on triggers like location, time of day and weather to generate a personalized experience.
Using the tool, Audi and PHD Media saw one OTT ad generate QR codes directing viewers to dealerships in 115 separate zip codes. The tie-up speaks to the resurgence of interest in conversations surrounding both AI and QR codes in advertising.

Dive Insight:

Personalization at scale has long been the promise of the digital marketing revolution. However, as consumers move across channels and platforms and emerging spaces like streaming grow more popular, marketers have struggled to make the experiences both unique and seamless. However, major partnerships like the tie-up with Audi and Kerv could help pave the way for more widely adopted solutions.

Using Kerv’s Dynamic Destination tool, advertisers can achieve personalization at scale by taking the manual work out of creating unique landing page destinations for consumers. The feature uses technology based on AI, machine learning and image recognition to seamlessly add QR codes to CTV and OTT ads that will generate specific landing pages based on the viewers needs, even taking into consideration aspects like the day of the week and browser.

The first to test the technology, Audi and marketing communications agency PHD Media utilized Dynamic Destination for an OTT campaign that captured the attention of 98% of a total 14.1 million viewers and offered personalized experiences to users based on dozens of zip codes.

“Working with KERV and PHD Media allowed us to quickly and efficiently localize our interactive OTT experiences and guarantee consumers have a more personalized, relevant experience with the Audi brand,” said Kayleen Oblack, media manager at Audi of America, in the release.

Such opportunities come at a critical time for advertisers. According to a 2023 report by Adobe, 71% of retail marketers said the interplay between online and offline experiences makes it difficult to track the customer journey. Measurement has been a topic begging for simplification in the streaming industry, with advancements from Nielsen and the newly formed Joint Industry Committee vying for progress.

As hype surrounding AI soars following the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November, several advertisers have searched for new ways to apply the buzzy tech to its marketing. For example, Coca-Cola in February became the first marketer to take advantage of a new partnership between management consultancy Bain & Company and OpenAI to leverage tools like ChatGPT and DALL.E to enhance its marketing efforts.