Charity Freedom from Torture trials ‘smart ad’ fundraising appeal
Freedom from Torture, the UK charity, has trialled a new breed of ‘smart advert’ which harnesses algorithms developed by Sky which target advertising at the televisions of those deemed most likely to donate.
Sky’s AdSmart Technology uses data from Sky+ set top boxes to analyse the household’s estimated income, age, class and location before determining which adverts are likely to have the biggest impact.
The system has been in testing since August and currently has around 30 to 40 advertising partners participating before the trial conclude at the end of the year.
Freedom from Torture is the first charity to join this group and will target its short film, I am Marie; which recounts the tale of someone who is tortured and raped after opposing child trafficking, at pensioners.
Keith Best, chief executive at Freedom from Torture, said: "We rely heavily on the generosity of individual donors and this new AdSmart technology will allow us to reach out directly to people in their own living rooms for the first time and ask them for help.
“Being able to target our appeal specifically to the people who are most likely to donate means that TV advertising is now affordable and available to us for the first time – it presents a golden opportunity to increase donations to fund the important work we do."