DiO, a new biometric creative insight platform, which measures the emotional response to films, TV shows, adverts and games, using a combination of facial coding, biometrics and deep audience profiling, has announced its launch out of private beta.
DiO has confirmed the appointment of LoveFilm Founder and former Amazon Chief Creative Officer, Simon Morris, as their chair. He starts immediately, working alongside co-founders Ade Shannon and Rick Curtis.
DiO uses its proprietary i4 artificial intelligence platform, combining facial coding, biometrics, and electrodermal activity, alongside its PressPlay audience panel, to capture and process an audience’s conscious and subconscious response to their viewing experience. This enables emotions and levels of immersion for any creative content or stimuli to be mapped moment-by-moment, scene-by-scene, to commercial outcomes.
DiO insights can be employed through from development and financing, through production and post-production, to marketing and media planning.
Co-Founder and CEO, Ade Shannon brings together a leadership team that includes Rick Curtis (Th_nk/Amaze), Claire Smith (VP Strategy, Liverpool FC), Derren Seqeuira (Google/Meta) and Tanya Easterman (Odeon/Disney/Sony). The team will “bridge the gap between art and commerce to answer the fundamental question at the heart of all creative industries – why do audiences react in the way they do?”
Professor Stephen Fairclough has joined DiO as its Head of Innovation, bringing over 30 years of applied research on psychophysiology and neuroscience. DiO also has a long-standing relationship with Hartree Centre in Liverpool, one of Europe’s largest multidisciplinary scientific research organisations, and home to “some of the most advanced digital and AI technology experts within the UK.”
At launch, DiO has announced its first industry partnership with Molinare Creative Group.
Commenting on the partnership, Nigel Bennett, CEO, Molinare said “Molinare has always been at the forefront of technological and workflow efficiencies, to better serve filmmakers in bringing their stories to life. This partnership will allow our clients and creatives to leverage DiO’s transformative approach to audience insight, ensuring testing is no longer seen as a necessary evil but a valuable addition to their creative toolkit.”
Another early client is Picturehouse Entertainment. Sara Frain, Director of Marketing and Distribution said “We were excited to use DiO’s unique emotional response analysis as it helped us hone-in on and refine our strategy, optimising our marketing budget to reach the right audience and exceed box office expectations.”
Shannon concluded “Within any creative endeavor there is a tension between art and commerce, but I have never believed they are mutually exclusive. The problem has been the tools used to guide creative decisions. I get lots of feedback that this process has often felt like creatives are ‘having their homework marked’ with their work being given a ‘score’ that’s just far too reductive. It’s enormously frustrating for the complex relationship between art and audience to be boiled down to just one thing. It’s not just about eyeballs on screen or attention, this is about understanding how people really feel. DiO solves this by decoding the silent emotional reactions we all make, validating a creative’s intuition to maximise commercial success. Whilst our roots are in film and media, we’re on a mission to empower creativity everywhere.”
Jon Creamer
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