The North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital Limited, has led an enlarged syndicate of private investors to make a further six-figure investment into Azullo.
Lancaster-based Azullo launched its innovative advertising system Respond in late 2010 to solve the problem of ‘banner blindness’, a term coined by Jakob Nielsen after eye-tracking studies revealed most people ignore online ads. Respond works by matching call-to-action buttons to relevant content across a network of websites. The Respond algorithm uses context, location and device to target the right audience at the right time and place.
Publishers using Respond include Trinity Mirror plc and Future plc, in addition to thousands of niche websites and blogs. Advertisers running Respond campaigns include Netflix, Microsoft and BSkyB.
Guy Cookson, Azullo co-founder, comments, “We created Respond to solve the growing problem of ‘banner blindness’. The Respond call to action button is ten times smaller than a banner ad, but has a ten times better response. This means more revenue for publishers, more conversions for advertisers, and no more interruptive ads for consumers.”
David Smith, Investment Director of AXM Venture Capital, comments, “Azullo has reached a tipping point as an increasing number of leading publishers and advertisers use Respond. This investment will help the company scale its team and service capability, and to continue to innovate the technology platform.”
The North West Fund for Digital and Creative is part of the £185m North West Fund financed by The European Regional Development Fund and The European Investment Bank.