by Ilana Messika/TPS
When the 89th Academy Awards are awarded overnight between Sunday and Monday (Israel time), an Israeli start-up will be paying special attention to check the accuracy of its predictions.
The Israeli company ‘Taykey’ analyzes hundreds of millions of data points per day to discover what’s trending for targeted audiences and how those interests change over time. The information then permits digital advertisers to react appropriately and adjust their ads in real-time.
A model engineered by the company has tapped Jewish actor Andrew Garfield for Best Actor for his role in Hacksaw Ridge (86% positive comments), Isabelle Huppert is expected to win Best Actress for her role in Her (76%). Mahershala Ali is lead Best Supporting Actor for his role in Moonlight (82%) and Viola Davis, lead Best Supporting Actress for Fences (89%).
According to CEO Amit Avner, the technology uses artificial intelligence to measure the type and intensity of the feelings expressed by online surfers when discussing nominees.
“We noticed that last year’s Oscar winners were those who triggered the strongest feelings within the majority of users,” said Avner. “For example, Leonardo DiCaprio, who won Best Actor, garnered 80% positive talk backs from all the online chatter about him. On the other hand, from all chatter around actor Matt Damon, who lost in that very same category, only 53% was enthusiastic.”
The company made waves last October after Donald Trump Jr. tweeted an image that compared Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles, asking: “If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.” Taykey Marketing Coordinator Sara Ben-Ezra responded to the tweet with a report, Good Judgement Sweetens Potential Controversy for Two Popular Candy Brands, analyzing the response made by the brand and the positive trend generated by the tweet. That, in turn, led to a massive increase in consumption despite its negative context.
“If Skittles abstained from the conversation, they would likely have emerged scot-free,” stated the report. “However, by addressing this negative trend proactively, the large volume of social conversation around the controversy actually served to strengthen their brand.”
This analysis paved the way for a collaboration with the Huffington Post which aimed at examining which SuperBowl ads and fans generated the most buzz during the game and from there to a business deal, announced last week, with candy giant Mars, Inc., according to which Taykey’s role will be to measure the international trends of the super brands “Skittles” and “Juicy Fruits,” both of which belong to the Wrigley Division of Mars, Inc.
“Israel is a renowned startup nation,” Avner said. “There is an exceptional spark here in people which creates a myriad of successful large technology companies. Israel has proven itself to be top three in the world in creating successful tech start-ups.” Avner was not at liberty to disclose the details of the deal or what it meant for the company in terms of growth and exposure.
The New-York based company currently employs 60 people between Israel (Herzliya) and the United States and has managed to raise up to $32 million in funds from Sequoia Capital, Sofbank Group and Eric Schmidt, among others. Amit Avner has also been included numerous times in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 prestigious list ranking the best of the world’s under 30-year-olds among 15 different fields (technology, science, law, culture, etc.).