Oath summit 2018: Predicting the future of advertising technology

Oath Summit 2018 was held on 6 November with keynote speakers giving inspiring speeches at the conference, predicting a number of future advertising technology trends. Oath's chief scientist Niklas Karlsson predicts that AI advertising technologies such as AdLearn technology and Predictive Audiences, will help brands significantly improve the ROI of advertising campaigns; Yahoo TV Hoonie programme producer Bull Hsu introduces virtual celebrity Hoonie, who stirred a storm in Taiwan and Japan, and the virtual KOL phenomenon, first time in Hong Kong; and local startup Origami Labs have also shared their courage to TechCrunch Disrupt SF Startup Battlefield and their experience being in the top 5 finalist of the competition.Rico Chan, managing director of Oath Hong Kong, Japan & INSEA said, "Today I am very pleased to announce Oath's new 'Brand AI' digital advertising strategy. 'Brand AI' stands for “Brand Advertising Intelligence” and it represents three irreplaceable core values of Oath's advertising solutions, including Oath's more than 30 media and technology brands that matter to users; the world-leading advertising technology, and the power of our unique data. With the 'Brand AI' framework, combined with our local expertise, infotainment on the Yahoo Hong Kong network, video content and live-streamed programmes, Oath continues to connect brands and reach out to the most targeted audience, enabling more advertisers and partners to capitalise the benefits of our word-class AI technology through 'Brand AI' and Oath Ad Platforms. With trusted data, premium content, innovative digital advertising experience and industry-leading procedural algorithms, the efficiency of digital marketing will be greatly enhanced."AI shining through in advertising technology in the future Oath's chief scientist Niklas Karlsson predicted in the keynote speech, that AI would definitely make its mark in advertising technology in the future. He said, "Predictive Audiences is one of the highlighted features in the Oath Ad Platforms. It is so powerful, that thanks to our 30 scientists, half of who have doctoral backgrounds in various disciplines such as electrical engineering, mathematics, big data, research, information science and many more. With its laser-focus on Conversion, this new AI feature not only anchors the target consumer groups, but it will also select the ones who have the higher potential to convert or to purchase. From an advertiser’s point of view, ROI can be expected to increase significantly. On the other hand, using AI technology can provide more in-depth insights or provide more precise projections, which greatly assist advertisers to make decisions on planning and budget allocations. " The evolution of wearable technology As our mobile screens grow bigger, our wearables are shrinking, says Kevin Wong CEO and Co-Founder of Orii, the first-ever Hong Kong Startup that got into the finalist of the TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 2018. Similar to a smart-watch, the smart accessory handles texts, phone calls and other commands through voice-assistant and bone-conduction technology. "What we saw on the market is that existing voice systems are always restricted to a space – whether it's your dashboard, in your kitchen or in your smartphone – but the ring lets you interact with your voice system privately and discreetly." Since its inception, Wong's company has already sold 7000 rings and has garnered global partners like Softbank, CSL, T-Mobile as well as collaborations with the likes of Chanel and Burberry. Currently, The Peninsula Hotels and Four Seasons Hotel are using them for internal communication. "As a start-up, it's all about the never-die resilience, which is the Hong Kong-spirit. Like with Orii, all of us will find a voice." The rise of the virtual celebrity Bull Hsu, Yahoo TV Hoonie programme producer in Taiwan, aka "Father of Hoonie", shared with audiences at the "Oath Summit 2018" in Hong Kong for the first time today, on his creation of Hoonie, a virtual celebrity, and the daily challenges he faces when producing the programmes. He said, "Virtual celebrity is a brand new digital experience and technology. Compared with the real-life Tuber, a virtual celebrity needs to acquire a distinctive characteristic and personality. It also inherits the style of a 2-dimensional character that can be able to conduct real time interactions, and not just conforming to the world on the screen. The virtual celebrity trend is still pretty much at the beginning in Taiwan. However in the future, Oath Taiwan will be strengthening the application of AR/VR technology to enhance user experience."With Bull's natural curiosity on matters, he devoted himself in producing Hoonie programme across an array of topics, staging Hoonie as a key influencer in Taiwan and Japan. Bull has successfully converted an experimental project into a trendy, prosperous and creative virtual KOL programme. Hoonie is now Taiwan's first virtual celebrity, and was first released in early July as a short online video. It quickly became a massive hit in Japan and its success has reached Taiwanese shores. It is currently ranked 127th in the world and has cumulated about 30,000 followers on online social platforms. The monthly number of viewers is about 50,000, with half coming from Japan.Best Practice Sharing by Four Big Idea Chair Award Winners Aside from inspirational keynote speakers, we also invited a few Big Idea Chair Award Winners to share their success stories: how Trip.com stripped itself of the local stigmas that come with being a subsidiary to a Mainland Chinese company; APTA's creative use of content marketing; HGC's evolution into a local brand that truly cares about the city; and finally, how Yaz challenged student marketers at Yahoo University."Oath Summit 2018" was held at The Mira Hong Kong, and is one of the largest digital marketing conferences in Hong Kong. The conference brought together a group of outstanding brands and marketing professionals, inspiring more innovative campaigns in the future by sharing their outstanding digital creativities.This article is brought to you by Oath Hong Kong.