Last night we attended the first of many Advertising Week related events. Hosted by PeerSet and the Rubicon Project, last evening was a MadMen themed event, branded right down to the candy cigarettes and bags of Utz potato chips.
There’s a development in Web search coming, and its name (or one of its names) is Semantic Web. Full disclosure: that link leads to a WebMediaBrands owned site called Semantic Web. There, our siblings discuss the evolution of search and report news on the issue.
So what is Semantic Web? It’s AdWords, evolved to understand more than just keywords — it knows what you’re thinking. Sorta. For example: if you write on your Facebook status that you’re in the mood for some Utz, a Semantic Web savvy algorithm like PeerSet’s could understand that phrase and serve up some Heineken ads, and maybe one for MadMen too.
I’m taking the idea a bit far, but that’s essentially the scope of PeerSet’s work. So where then does the Rubicon Project fit in? The firm just acquired Others Online, a smarty-algorithm company that studies what you say online — an addition Rubicon Project hopes will improve their ability to accurately place excess ad inventory online. That’s a mouthful.
Think of this as SEO meets 2010. Web 3.0. It’s not the whole picture, but it’s part of it. If you’re a brand seeking to get more attention online, you’re wise to keep your eyes partially fixed on Semantic Web.
From WebNewser: “Is Web 3.0 the Next ‘Industrial Revolution?’”