Why image intelligence is a key concern – RezF´s Brian Killen @Ad:tech NY

The web is becoming increasingly visible – oftentimes images replace text based communications. One should think „memes“ on Facebook but also sharing product images to indicate that one loves this stuff or just bought it. This still relatively new, dynamically growing world of image sharing brings many benefits, many changes and also so many challenges.

One case we all know. Its two a.m. and all the sudden all the Facebook friends get updates about how awesome the mood is in the pub down at the corner. Or someone finds this hilarious spring-break photo of you from a few years back and shares it with all your friends. Posts that one might regret later. Posts that we would like to track and take off the internet. But how would you possibly find where those pictures ended up to be? These are very individual, personal cases of exposure to what the age of content explosion means. But think about the business impact.

Resolution Foundry CEO Brian Killen

You are a fashion brand and post your collection on your website and to a few select bloggers – knowing it will find its way into Pinterest, Tumblr and the likes. And of course you love it, because this gives you direct access to a huge audience. But how would you know where else your pictures have been posted? People copy and paste them from your site, save as new files – and now you have no idea. Do these pictures link back to your page, so you can sell your collection? Or do they point to counterfeit fraud shops that stole your designs and now stole your copyrighted brand images as well? Making you lose revenue?  

Obviously, this idea you can turn around and say: „Hey, people who buy fake versions of my stuff probably cannot afford the real deal – but still want it. So they are a twisted kind of brand ambassador“. But that should be your choice, really.

Look at it from the marketing perspective. Your communications team has a list of bloggers that love your stuff. Still, the competition is selling so much more. How do they do that? Chance is, you reach the wrong bloggers with your direct communication. Knowing who is actively sharing your images across the public internet unlocks this vault valuable information: You can see who is promoting your designs and adjust your communication to reach those brand ambassadors who really bring you forward. Too bad such solutions rarely exist.

Brands need tools to track their content  – tools like Resolution Foundry, which is the global leader in Image Intelligence and allows to track where an image has been posted in the public internet, by who and when.

The Marketing Director of the global Ad:tech conference, Kimberly Dunn, said:

„In the age of content explosion, brands are forced to find the balance between sharing valuable content, while protecting intellectual property – its a tough line to walk.“

With Resolution Foundry´s Founder & CEO Brian Killen adding:

„We are the only ones mapping all images on the public internet – to enable brands to not only protect their copyrighted material but also to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their brand communication“.

Its a great thing that companies and conferences in the industry alike are looking not only on the up-sides, but also on the flip-sides of hyper sharing and an increasingly blurring  sense of copyright in social media. A prime example is the opening Key Note at the Ad:tech New York conference on November 05 focusses on „Best Practices for Protecting your Branded Content“, with Brian Killen of Resolution Foundry, James Mazlen of AMC Networks and Jeremy Levine of Live Nation. The panel could not be better.