Quebecor’s new omnichannel tool enables advertisers to synchronize digital ads with the air times of their TV spots – automatically. Previously, this had to be done manually and involved a lag of one to two hours between the airing of the TV spot and the appearance of the digital ads. With this new tool, the delivery of the ads is precise to the second 99% of the time.

The timing of the digital ad in relation to the TV spot is decided by the advertiser. They can also optimize by retargeting people who have shown interest in the digital ad or visited the website.

The new tool, part of the Quebecor ID product family, really fits with the way consumers watch TV.  Jean-Sébastien Prénovost, Quebecor’s director of data and programmatic, says, “We know people watch TV with smartphones in their hands. I think it’s 65% of Quebecers do that on regular basis. It is an established trend and we hopped on that trend to bring more to advertisers.”

In addition, Prénovost says that after seeing a TV spot, two in five people do search online for the product. The result, he says, is a quicker timeline to see the effects of the campaign. “What we’ve seen so far – it’s basically mixed modelling that doesn’t take a month to adjust. It enables digital and TV to work symbiotically – in real time.”

This tool can be used in two distinct activation situations. First, to synchronize search engine marketing and automatically adjust bids after a commercial airs on TV, thus significantly enhancing the performance of keyword campaigns. Secondly, the synchronization tool lets advertisers adjust their banner campaigns by running their digital advertisements on one or more of Quebecor’s 59 websites and apps after their TV commercials have aired.

Prénovost says QiD is also working on another tool that will help advertisers to extend campaign reach, which it hopes to announce soon.