COD: Solve Media and the Captcha Ad Phenomenon

I've written about Solve Media before, but I thought I'd begin this new series of "company of the day" by starting with them. They offer a solution that replaces those unbloodybelievably annoying Captchas with ads that ask the consumer to type in a brand message where they used to have to type gibberish.

I thought of Solve as I watched my father one morning struggling to read the Captcha on Yahoo mail, then switching to the audio alternative, then switching back to the text, in order to create a new email account. He managed after about 40 seconds, but the opportunity of eliminating that wasted time and palpable aggravation is one of the reasons why this platform is doing so well.

Here's a vid that explains it all better than I can:



Since the last time I wrote, Solve has also launched a video version of their platform, enabling brands to create even richer and more memorable experiences in this low clutter ad vehicle.

Solve commissioned a third-party Wharton School of Business study that showed a 111 percent higher level of brand recall from Type-Ins Wharton School of Business study versus banners, and 12 times the level of message recall. Further, it appears that people are at least as likely to complete a Type-In versus a Captcha in order to get what they seek.

There are a few naysayers -- people who find this sort of advertising too intrusive. I get the concern but really disagree with them. Solves are fundamentally at least as secure as Captchas, and far easier on the compliance front. I'm sure my father would have much preferred typing "Refresh everything" to his Captcha experience. It also enables consumers to "pay attention" instead of "pay cash" for content that they want. Since something like 85% of consumers vow never to pay for online content, the opportunity to do a value exchange with something other than cash will surely be an appealing alternative for them.

Big brands are getting on board in big numbers. It's a great innovation that's worth genuine consideration.

Note: Solve Media is an occasional client of Catalyst S+F.