The company's algorithms--built to send the right ad to the
right person--also happened to pick the right team in 69% of games
during the regular season. And they're improving: getting only five
wrong over its past two weeks. Now, the Varick algorithim is ready
to make its Super Bowl pick, and it's bad news for Seahawks
fans.
"We're going to pick Denver," said Albert Klyachko, Varick's
director of analytics.
Mr. Klyachko and two others at Varick worked on the project,
developing the algorithims for a pick 'em competition that 83
teams, all run by ad professionals, participated in.
Of the 83, Varick came in first place. Credit some well applied
ad-tech geekiness
Varick inputted a number of football variables into their home
grown data management platform and then weighed each to calculate
its picks. They included passing offense, running offense, passing
defense, running defense, special teams, historical head to head
and home field advantage. A team's run/pass ratio was also
included.
"When we ran this, I was skeptical because a lot of people try
to bet on football games and a lot of times it comes out randomly,"
said Mr. Klyachko. But the algorithm kept getting better as the
season went on.
Eva Johnson, a marketing manager at Varick, said the company is
spending its time picking NFL games because it makes what they do
more "digestible."
"Weighing a bunch of factors with client data and that sort of
thing might not really strike a chord as well as something like
football," she said. "We just thought it would show a little bit
about what we do but make it easier on the ears and eyes."
So Denver can rest easy knowing it's been chosen by ad-tech's
finest, who meanwhile will go back to work picking ad slots on
Monday. Which is, of course, is what they really do.