Consumer brain feedback from 5,000 devices will optimize online campaigns

GlassView, the world’s largest independent video advertising distribution and performance platform, is making a strategic investment in brain health startup Cogwear to advance a new neuromarketing headband. The patent-pending device, designed to look and feel like a comfortable athletic headband, senses emotions and other physiological feedback directly from the brain in real time. It can gauge audience affinity for products and brands shown in digital video advertisements, so that advertisers can optimize creative content.

As part of the agreement, GlassView will outfit thousands of volunteers with 5,000 of Cogwear’s patented headbands in the coming 12-36 months. Volunteers will wear the headbands while streaming digital advertising content.  As each ad unfolds, the devices will collect clinical-grade, neurofeedback from participants. GlassView expects to acquire tens of millions of anonymized data points during the initial roll out in the US.

Unlike eye tracking and other biodata, which can indicate attention but not affinity, Cogwear’s headband directly measures a user’s engagement, emotion and memory straight from the brain. GlassView and its customers will use the data to finetune ads and drive engagement, creating a more enhanced experience for target audiences and more effective advertising for brand owners.

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“An ad can’t be effective if it doesn’t first engage the consumer. But afterward, it must make them feel.  Studies have repeatedly shown that directly measuring the brain for engagement, emotion and memory in even just a handful of volunteers can predict the behavior of millions of people along a variety of dimensions from click-through-rates to sales. It’s the trifecta of consumer psychology,” explained Dr. Michael L. Platt, Cogwear’s co-founder and a new member of the GlassView advisory board. Platt is also the director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative.

“Engagement alone is dead. From now on emotion will be the most important metric in advertising. With neuro-data we can shape campaigns and truly connect with people at scale. It will create a better online experience for both brands and consumers,” said James Brooks, CEO and founder of GlassView.

GlassView’s investment will also support Cogwear’s research and commercialization in other areas, including health and wellness, which are Cogwear’s primary markets. The startup is preparing to pursue FDA clearance for use of its headband as a clinical diagnostic tool for anxiety, depression and Alzheimer’s. Cogwear also has a commercial agreement in place with an athletic equipment company for headgear that monitors focus, fatigue and potential brain injuries in high impact sports.

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“Cogwear is about health, peace and performance. This strategic investment from GlassView will help us accelerate growth in our core markets, while expanding into a promising new segment,” said David Yonce, Cogwear CEO.

GlassView will not have access to any personally identifiable information, nor specific information about the biological and neurological health of customers. Additionally, all volunteers will explicitly opt in to participate. Cogwear is governed by the strictest privacy laws that govern the healthcare industry, including but not limited to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as well as state and local laws.