Our British ‘emotion AI’ client, Realeyes, is now setting up its own Japanese operation – on the back of our business development programme which has secured it a robust market position.
Realeyes provides artificial intelligence to revolutionise the effectiveness of ad campaigns and video content. It uses webcams and machine learning to analyse viewers’ attention and emotions as they watch ads, helping brands and agencies to optimise creative and media buying strategies.
With existing offices in London, New York and Budapest, its customers include ad agencies, market research firms and brands including Publicis, Warner Media, Coca Cola, AT&T, Expedia and Mars.
The innovative, London-based company hired us last summer to drive its expansion in Japan as part of a $12 million investment programme. We’d been recommended by its investor, NTT DOCOMO Ventures — the venture capital arm of Japan’s biggest mobile operator.
Since then, our Tokyo team has had the fulfilling, year-long assignment of using its market knowledge and connections to introduce Realeyes’ technology to Japanese corporations and marketing agencies.
‘Emotion AI’ was a new concept to many companies, so awareness raising was our first task. We quickly engaged the biggest players – cementing close relationships for Realeyes with Japan’s top five ad agencies – and secured 10 deals for our client.
Realeyes has also agreed a major partnership with Japanese electronics giant NEC to develop and distribute emotion analysis tech globally, with particular focus on the media, entertainment, education and healthcare sectors.
This strong base of clients, prospects and partners has now enabled Realeyes, with our support, to set up its own Tokyo entity and hire its own Japanese team.
According to Realeyes’ CEO, Mihkel Jäätma: “Intralink has played an invaluable role in securing us a solid foothold in the Japanese market. Despite already having Japanese investors, we knew we needed to be represented by a hands-on Tokyo team with the knowledge of the digital media sector to drive sales for us. The Intralink team has provided extensive local connections, Japanese business expertise and meticulous support, securing considerable commercial success for us within an impressively short space of time. As we now move on from their business development programme to strike out on our own in Japan, we know we couldn’t have got here without them.”
If you’d like to discuss the prospects for your digital media business in Asia, please contact Michal Waszkiewicz on michal.waszkiewicz@intralinkgroup.com