Validators launches Share of Content™

Validators launches Share of Content

Unique AI tool deciphers brands' marketing strategies

Share of Content gives marketers a glimpse into their competitors’ boardrooms. After a three-year development period, Validators is launching a unique method for coding advertisements based on content and form. It reveals which propositions (or Category Entry Points) are being promoted, with what budget, what resources are being allocated to them, and what the characteristics of these campaigns are. This provides a holistic view of brands’ marketing strategies. Share of Content is being introduced first in the Dutch market, with more countries to follow soon.

The results of this analysis reveal what all brands in an industry are focusing on, as well as where opportunities and threats lie. By taking the step toward content coding, we go one step further, and Share of Content becomes a key factor in strategic decision-making. It directly demonstrates how brands are trying to capture mindshare.

Collaboration with VU

The foundation for Share of Content was laid in 2020 through a collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam under the banner of the Institute for Brand Analytics. At that time, work began on developing a standardized approach to coding advertisements. This laid the groundwork for Share of Content. Manually coding advertisements is too labor-intensive and inefficient, and therefore costly. This is especially true when it comes to tracking and classifying all advertisements from (potential) competitors on a daily basis.

Thanks to the smart use of various AI models, it has become cost-effective to encode detailed information from the more than 1 million advertisements that are directed at Dutch consumers each year.

Initial notable findings: Marketers are copying value propositions

The initial Share of Content AI analyses reveal a striking picture. For example, in the banking sector, we see that nearly half of marketing budgets are spent on sustainable banking. Additional research shows that this factor is far less relevant to a consumer’s decision-making process when choosing a new bank than, for instance, having a good relationship with the financial institution.

Fictitious example of marketing investments by brand and by proposition

“Share of Content is a great example of how AI is set to change the rules of the game in marketing,” says Martin Leeflang, CEO of Validators. “In addition to understanding your competitors’ Share of Spend, gaining insight into their propositions is becoming an essential part of a brand’s strategy. We’re seeing brands competing against each other with the same propositions.”

Drawing on Sun Tzu’s teachings, we are redefining the rules of marketing

The inspiration for Share of Content stems from the teachings of Sun Tzu, a Chinese general who lived around 600 B.C. His philosophy holds that victory requires a thorough understanding of the competitor’s strategy. Share of Content provides this strategic insight. With it, you can identify concrete growth opportunities and uncover the threats lurking for your brand. Will your brand compete on the same proposition, or will you strategically target a different consumer need in your communications?

This article was previously published at: https://dailydatabytes.nl/actueel/validators-lanceert-share-of-content-voor-reclamecodering/