Mirriad, the video technology company and leader in native in-video advertising, announced that Vevo, the all-premium music video and entertainment platform, will become the first digital distribution platform for music videos using Mirriad's native in-video technology. Under the terms of their agreement, both companies will work together to connect leading brands with select, premium programming featured across Vevo's web, mobile/tablet and TV apps.

"Vevo is an essential partner for us as we extend our technology beyond linear television to online digital video and offer brands a powerful new way to affiliate with the world's best video content," said Mark Popkiewicz, Mirriad's Chief Executive Officer. "Mirriad is disrupting the traditional barriers between content and advertising with an innovative solution that allows brands to very precisely integrate brands in a range of online video, in-context and with total transparency. We help marry top brands and quality content and deliver an entertaining experience to the 'skip generation' - those consumers whose viewing skips through many traditional ads and across multiple screens", he added.

Mirriad's computer vision technology was developed by a world-class team of five PhD scientists that won an Academy Award for technical achievement last year. The company’s pioneering technology platform integrates products, signage, and video into professionally produced video content. The native in video advertising (NIVA) ensures contextual authenticity and integrity, enabling brands and advertisers to plan and run multi-title campaigns across all three screens - on air, online, on mobile.

Mirriad's technology, for instance, recently debuted at Vevo's UpFront presentation in collaboration with XIX Recordings/Interscope recording artist Aloe Blacc, which featured a new video from his recent album, "Lift Your Spirit." Mirriad worked with the Levi's Brand to create a native in-video advertisement that is seamlessly integrated in the video for his track, "The Man," which broke into the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the video, the Levi's Brand appears, completely in-context, as a billboard in an urban streetscape.

The leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform Vervo has over 5.5 billion monthly views globally which makes it the #1 music video platform, offering over 100,000 HD official videos, live concert events and original programming with far-reaching scale and multiscreen distribution. Viewers can watch on-demand through Vevo.com, the mobile web and apps for mobile/tablets and TVs, or through Vevo TV, the always-on broadcast-style linear music channels built by expert human programmers. Additionally, Vevo syndicates its catalogue to hundreds of sites across the web giving music fans the option to view their favorite programming anywhere, anytime. It is Vevo's massive scale and reach that has attracted more than 900 brand marketers around the globe since its launch in 2009. And now, Mirriad's technology presents new integrated advertising opportunities to brand partners for the very first time.

"Our vision at Vevo is to continually re-invent music video as an entertainment art form. Over 30 years ago, music videos on television were a linear, one-dimensional experience. Today, connected platforms give fans more interactive and personal ways to engage with their favorite artists," said Rio Caraeff, President and CEO of Vevo. "Mirriad allows us to continue bringing the industry forward and improve our fan's experience by offering uninterrupted viewing while giving brands and content partners a native, creative, scalable and targeted way to come together."

Since Mirriad's native ads have been extensively researched by Nielsen and proven to achieve outstanding increases in awareness, brand sentiment, and intent to purchase, whilst positively impacting the viewer experience, we expect this partnership to be very fruitful for both parties. Especially, when considering a recent report of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers that confirms that video advertising saw the largest leap (55.7 %) year-on-year) of the digital display dollars. Seamlessly uniting the world's best content with the world's finest brands should clearly bring the corresponding success.

By Daniela La Marca