It’s also a more efficient and effective way of transferring the data (and brand message) because the ads don’t play unless they’re in view for the end user, Riley explained. When they do play, they’re streamed directly rather than being uploaded and downloaded—the same way a streamer like Netflix transfers HD video. SeenThis also adjusts the resolution based on what’s necessary for the viewer to get the most out of the ad and what bandwidth is available to their device at the time.

The push to decarbonize media

Alongside green private marketplaces (PMPs) that cut out high-energy publishers and supply path optimization tools that avoid unnecessary data transfers, the SeenThis tech is one of many efforts across the ad-tech ecosystem to reduce the energy intensity—and relative climate impact—of media buying.

GroupM’s partnership with SeenThis follows another release earlier this week in which the agency announced new precautions to avoid made-for-advertising websites that are often more data-intensive with little to no reach to the advertiser’s target audience.

“Anytime, across the industry, we can do anything to reduce emissions, it’s great,” said Frank Maguire, vp of insights, strategy and sustainability at supply-side platform Sharethrough. “What can we do to reduce emissions? There’s lots of different ways to do that.”

Maguire buckets carbon accounting actions into three areas: measurement, reduction and compensation (or offsetting). SeenThis falls into the crucial reduction category of actions, Maguire noted, which is where the industry must make the most progress if it’s to reduce its overall impact on climate change.

“[We need to] be more mindful of the resource that we’re using in this machinery of the internet: That is data,” said Simon Johansson, sustainability lead at SeenThis. “We need to make sure that if and when we send data, it adds value, and it supports the outcomes and the performance that you’re expecting to reach. And by doing that, we can help brands reduce their carbon cost of their outcomes—probably also their financial cost of their outcomes.”