Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) has partnered with D-Wave Quantum to research and develop quantum-computing applications for campaign optimization, Marketing Dive can exclusively share. The news is indicative of growing industry interest in technology areas like quantum computing, a field that guarantees to solve complex, data-intensive problems — including those related to generative artificial intelligence (AI) — at a faster pace than classical computing methods can achieve.
The deal will mix the software provider’s Leap quantum cloud services with data drawn from IPG, which is running this system out of its emerging technology group. Together, the businesses aim to help clients discover high-value audiences and deliver more tailored messages at the precise time and in the precise setting, leading to improved personalization and performance. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“At IPG, we understand that each customer is exclusive, with very personal passions, behaviors and motivations,” said Philippe Krakowsky, CEO of IPG, in an announcement. “By working with D-Wave and adopting quantum technology as a part of our tech stack, we imagine we are able to uncover an excellent greater collection of data-driven insights to deliver more relevant and effective marketing for our clients, at scale.”
Digesting the info
Taking a quantum-computing approach to campaign optimization is one other example of how advertisers and agencies are pondering outside the box as they contend with the deprecation of identifiers which were key for targeting ads, including third-party cookies. Google will begin phasing out cookies for a select variety of Chrome users starting early next 12 months.
As ad signal loss intensifies, marketers have focused on first-party data acquisition, but struggles persist in effectively managing and deploying troves of customer information. In the D-Wave announcement, quantum computing was positioned as a way to get more utility from a high volume of information.
“We’re excited to work with IPG to bring the ability of quantum to promoting optimization, more efficiently harnessing a large amount of information to create hyper-targeted campaigns that drive desired outcomes for brands,” said Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave, in an announcement.
IPG has been piloting the D-Wave capabilities with a top 20 client, applying optimization equations to enhance marketing efforts in a retail environment. The agency declined to share specific outcomes from the experiment but said that the mathematical modeling used was broadly applicable outside of retail, with results which can be “very promising and repeatable.”
The next wave
At the high level, quantum computers run on quantum bits, or qubits, to operate. Qubits can exist in a state, often known as superposition, of 1 and nil concurrently. That differs from classical computing, where bits exist in a binary state of either one or zero. The gist is that quantum computing’s processing power can solve problems that may take classical computers an impractical period of time to work out.
Quantum computing has been positioned as a stepping stone to lowering the enterprise costs of resource-intensive and pricey tech like generative AI, which has also been within the highlight for agencies following the explosion in popularity of ChatGPT. WPP, an IPG rival, on Monday announced a take care of chipmaker Nvidia around a recent content engine supported by generative AI that can help its creatives produce and scale promoting assets faster.
D-Wave formed a relationship with IPG in the primary quarter of this 12 months, according to an earnings statement. Other customers of the Canada-based firm include Unisys US and POLARISqb.
Founded in 1999, D-Wave bills itself as the primary industrial supplier of quantum computers and the one company “constructing each annealing quantum computers and gate-model quantum computers.” The firm went public via a SPAC merger last 12 months but has had a bumpy time on the general public markets. It was warned by the New York Stock Exchange over a possible delisting in March, The Register reported.
For IPG, the partnership is one other way to get a leg up on data and analytics know-how that has develop into essential for agencies. The ad-holding group in 2018 acquired the data-marketing unit Acxiom for $2.3 billion.
IPG saw net revenue down 2.3% year-over-year in Q1, hampered by weak demand from tech clients and restructurings at some digital specialist shops. The group’s media, healthcare and data-marketing offerings, including Acxiom, performed well over the period. IPG more recently was named lead creative partner for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, a serious account win.
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