Clinch Launches Dynamic Circular Ads for Connected TV

Clinch, an omnichannel AI-powered personalization platform, launched Thursday morning a hyperpersonalized advertising product that brands can use to convert offline and app-based promotions to digital, social, video, and connected TV. The ad format allows for real-time personalization and contextual optimization in CTV ads.

The New York-based company is launching its new Dynamic Circular Ads product at a time when more brands are looking at how they can engage shoppers across multiple channels and screens. CEO Oz Etzioni says he believes Clinch is the first to implement this ad type across CTV, expanding on the personalization technology that’s used in the company’s shoppable video solution.

Dynamic Circular Ads lean heavily into circumstantial cues, like weather data and whether a consumer lives in an area that supports product delivery, to trigger ad variants that promote specific products or services. Etzioni says the solution offers brands a better way to capitalize on real-time deals and offers by bridging the gap between online and offline product discovery. Adding CTV to the mix gives advertisers access to one of the fastest-growing digital media channels.

“It’s a great upper-mid funnel awareness play — advertisers can combine weekly deals with maps that show a viewer the store closest to them, and the specific deals that pertain to that individual store,” Etzioni says. “The Clinch platform also provides a feed setup and management service to ensure dynamic elements within creative are appropriately mapped and function across whatever channel we are running in.”

Analytics and insights will help advertisers understand their audience on a deeper level, and this same data can be applied to other ongoing campaigns across different channels and platforms.

Etzioni says the Dynamic Circulars product furthers Clinch’s commitment to creating smarter shopping experiences that engage consumers across multiple channels and screens while adding a higher level of relevancy through hyperlocal deals and discounts.

Given the supply chain issues that many brands are facing this holiday season, Etzioni says now is a particularly opportune time for Dynamic Circulars’ debut. Dynamic Circulars, and the Clinch platform more generally, offer retailers the flexibility to quickly update creative to reflect inventory and availability across all channels. 

Another important factor at play is the rapid growth in CTV, which continues to exceed expectations for both consumers and advertisers. CTV ad spend passed $16 million per advertiser in the U.S. in 2020, marking an 8% increase year-over-year. More than half of buyers are moving ad dollars from broadcast and cable television towards CTV, according to IAB’s Digital Video Advertising Spend Report. Etzioni says being able to extend offers across CTV enables brands to connect with consumers across an especially valuable touchpoint.

“When we talk about personalization, it’s more about helping brands provide a relevant experience for their customers, versus knowing who someone is,” Etzioni says.

As we look into the future, Etzioni believes we’ll see more brands with physical retail sites adapting digital solutions to their stores. This is already happening in the apparel and retail space, where dressing rooms have digital screens that recommend clothes that a shopper may have missed out on the store floor. Brands in other verticals are increasingly looking at how they can adapt the same hyperpersonalized technology to their needs.

“This is just the beginning,” Etzioni says. “It’s no longer a matter of proving the value of personalization — it’s now a matter of figuring out how to achieve ‘personalization everywhere,’ in a way that is useful and welcome, and drives a fair balance of value for both brand and consumer.”

​​Stephanie Miles is a senior editor at Street Fight.