AdLudio raises $2.5M for AI-based mobile ad platform

Adludio has raised $2.5 million for its mobile advertising platform. That sounds like a story from 10 years ago. But the company says it will combine AI with attention-led and data-driven mobile advertising.

Mercia made the investment, following on an initial investment of $4.9 million, or £4 million, in 2021.

This new funding round will enable Adludio to expand in the U.S. and launch a fully-automated version of its platform. Powered by AI and data science, this will offer marketers a one-stop-shop for the automated design and delivery of ad campaigns that guarantee engagement, the company said.

The company has produced mobile ads for Ford, Land Rover Jaguar, Estée Lauder, Nike, Adidas and Microsoft. Now it hopes to help more marketers win the battle for brand attention. Currently sharing its expertise and technology with the IAB to develop this field, Adludio is redefining attention as a metric for success.

Paul Coggins, Adludio’s CEO, said in a statement, “At a time when privacy regulation is increasingly limiting the use of personal data, our sophisticated and unique combination of creative, media and AI is leading brand performance on mobile. With this additional investment from Mercia, the next stage of our AI-led platform, offering fully-automated capabilities, will provide brands and agencies the chance to translate user attention into profit.”

Founded in 2015, the company now has a presence across five U.S. cities – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit – and also delivers services via resellers in Hong Kong and Singapore.

In 2022, Adludio achieved 50% growth in the U.S. and, across the globe, has continued to increase its revenues. It has also boosted its management team with a number of leading industry figures, including Ian Liddicoat as CTO and Dave Ramsay as CPO. The new version of Adludio’s platform, due to be launched in 2024, will fully automate many of its processes and offer customers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product to manage their own campaigns.

This latest investment comes as the adtech industry contends with continued economic uncertainty and the introduction of stricter privacy rules in many countries as well as the declining use of cookies. Adludio hopes to consolidate its position in the market.

Mercia was investing from its Northern Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Funds. Jason Warren of Mercia said in a statement, “With stricter privacy rules, relying on ‘cookies’ to deliver targeted advertising is no longer a viable option. Adludio combines strong creative campaigns with algorithms that optimize campaigns in real time to engage consumers without using personal data. This investment will enable it to continue its growth in the US and expand its client base with the launch of its new self-service platform.”

The company said that game developers — including designers, artists and programmers — understand better than anyone how to turn a mobile phone into an enabler of visceral, memorable moments.

“They know how to create experiences that are addictive, shareable, immersive and most crucially provoke action,” the company said. “In doing so, the audience changes from being a passive viewer to an active participant in the mobile experience. If brands want to seriously compete for user’s attention, they have to appeal to the same dopamine spikes a video game enables.”