“We’re interested in allowing advertisers to open up a new medium for messages,” said Eran Arbel, VP of products for Pudding Media/San Jose, Calif., the company that’s playing ads to people making VoIP calls based on keywords heard in their conversations.
The company launched its ad service on Sept. 24 and is thus far playing only text ads, but it seeks to play other formats in the future. “We’re looking at creating our own inventory that includes banners and video,” Arbel said. “It’s more challenging to deliver video, depending on the speed of the network.”
The company is working with ad networks Arbel declined to identify and has begun playing ads for advertisers he can’t name because they are customers of the networks. “Ads are now playing for buying a car in your neighborhood, you’ll see an ad for a dealer, or for movies, you’ll get an ad for an online ticket buying service,” he said.
The company plays ads based on technology it developed to “recognize a subset of keywords to map into relevant ads,” he said. “We don’t understand things related to health, because it’s a private matter. We lean to sports, movies, entertainment, cars and education.”
Once a keyword is mentioned, the company plays ads in addition to non-sponsored content. For instance if the keyword is movie related, the user will get movie interviews and gossip along with an ad for a ticket buying service.
If the user is making the call on a computer, the content plays on the screen while the call is being made. If the caller is using a mobile phone the content will play on the mobile screen after the call is completed, Arbel said.
Users can go to the Thepudding.com to make free VoIP calls, but the company is providing the free phone service to demonstrate its new ad technology. “It’s not our business model and we don’t want to compete,” he said. “Our goal is to provide communication providers with the technology.”
He said, “There’s a wide gamut of providers from mobile operators like Sprint to Skype and other web-enabled voice services who are having difficulty generating revenue from VoIP. Many companies are offering free services, but can’t monetize it. The technology we developed generates revenue by providing users with relevant ads. We’ve taken the Google AdSense model and applied it to communication services.”
There have been a number of criticisms of the company’s model as an invasion of privacy, with many upset that the company is listening to private calls. But Arbel said, “We don’t know who they are, we don’t ask for private information and we don’t store the keywords they’ve said. We take a look at the ads and match them, and after we display them we forget everything and don’t provide any information to the advertiser.”
He said, “Many people are afraid of what they shouldn’t be, it’s all about perception.”
“Dune: Part Two,” “Wicked,” “The Wild Robot” and “Shลgun” Among Lumiere Award Winners
The Advanced Imaging Society has revealed the winners of the 2025 Lumiere Awards, recognizing outstanding creative and technical achievements in its 15th annual celebration. The awards honor the artists, engineers and innovators whose work continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and cinematic technology.
While the annual Lumiere Awards luncheon was scheduled to be celebrated at the Beverly Hills Hotel, once it became clear that the devastating Los Angeles fires were affecting not only the AIS community, but impacting so many in Southern California, the decision was made to announce and deliver the awards directly to the honorees, and to forgo the luncheon celebration. The Society has honored the results of this yearโs voting body and announced the 2025 Lumiere Award winners today, Feb. 7, the eventโs originally scheduled date.
AIS President Jim Chabin said, โOur hearts go out to everyone in our community impacted by these devastating fires. In recent weeks, weโve been deeply saddened to learn of friends and colleagues who have lost their homes and irreplaceable memories. Yet, amid this hardship, we have also been inspired by the incredible generosity of our members โ opening their homes, providing resources, and rallying together in support. This unwavering spirit of unity and compassion is a testament to the strength of our industry.โ
The Lumiere Awards recognize distinguished directors and professionals in film, television, and emerging media, voted for by members of the Hollywood creative and technology community. Technological advancements expand the possibilities of storytelling, and these awards celebrate their significance for all who love film and television. โOur awards have humorously been called the Oscars for... Read More