London-headquartered Adfonic is getting into the video side of the mobile ad business today with the launch of its first video ad units.
Chief Marketing Officer Paul Childs says that as smartphone and tablet usage grows, advertisers should be able to treat mobile as just another channel for their campaigns — so Adfonic wants to provide an easy way for them to bring the video content they’re already creating for TVs and movie theaters onto mobile.
Adfonic is also touting the seamlessness of the experience. Viewers aren’t pushed to YouTube or another video player to watch the ad. Instead, they activate the video by tapping on a banner, then the ad takes over the screen via the native iOS or Android player, and they return to exactly where they were in the app or mobile website once it’s over. Adfonic provides an engagement score for each ad based on how long people watched them, as well as other metrics like clickthroughs. The company says the data is delivered in real-time, so advertisers can see how their videos are performing as the campaign runs.
Last fall, the company raised a $7.5 million round from Gordon Shields and other angels.