Reach boosts ad tech offering with tech platform and in-house workshop

Regional and national newsbrand Reach has launched a data platform and in-house ad tech workshop.

The digital tech platform, Neptune, combines Reach’s pre-existing first-party data platform, Ocean, with data-matching options and custom AI contextual tools.

Reach has previously developed a brand safety and contextual tool Mantis in 2019 which used AI to read and identify topics and tone on a page, for example differentiating between  ‘knife attack’ and an ‘attack on goal’ or ‘nude photos’ and ‘nude lipstick.’

Reach new in-house ‘Ad Tech Workshop’ which will focus on commercial product development which it can use internally and license to other publishers.

This is part of the Customer Value Strategy announced in 2020 to reach 10 million registered customers by the end of this year helped by its data and tech capabilities.

Terry Hornsby, Reach Group Digital Director, commented: “Being ahead of the curve on first party data has given us a great opportunity to continue to experiment and innovate. This latest investment in our in-house workshop and the Neptune platform underpins our approach – trying new things, finding new opportunities for growth, and taking our destiny into our own hands. When we need a tech solution, we roll up our sleeves and create it.”