Cavai, the leading conversational advertising cloud, has developed an innovative ‘Avatar’ format for its client Havas Media NL and French multinational tyre manufacturer, Michelin.

It leverages the Michelin Man, the official mascot of the tyre company – a figure consisting of stacked white tyres, and one of the world’s oldest trademarks.

In this new conversational ad execution, the avatar beckons web users in, offering advice, and pointing audiences to the ‘perfect’ tyres for their specific car model, with an easy-to-use and intuitive interface. “Don’t let harsh winters stop you,” the brand says at the end.

Cavai has experienced rapid growth over the last two years and has built the world’s leading global conversational advertising cloud, working closely with brands, publishers and agencies to enable conversational experiences which boost audience engagement.

Founded in 2018, Cavai helps marketers to deliver chatbots in programmatic buys. Cavai’s clients are already experiencing massively increased ROI thanks to these non- interruptive ad formats which enable two-way dialogue.

The 'Avatar' went live on autoblog.nl and on publisher network Mmedia and can be viewed here.

Rogier Lammers, commercial director, Central Europe, Cavai comments: “While Nespresso has George Clooney and Dior has Charlize Theron; and while Comparethemarket’s Meerkat and McDonald’s clown Ronald are as instantly recognisable as Michelin’s very own Michelin Man, advertising industry pundit Mark Ritson recently shared his view on the power of characters in unlocking branded recall in this article on the power of distinctive brand assets. This execution is the perfect blend of the most forward-facing and the most iconic forms of marketing.”

He added, “Conversational advertising is one of the few untapped territories in the media world, with huge potential for brands of all shapes and sizes to boost engagement and connections with their audiences via original, attention-grabbing campaigns which uncover deep insights. The technology exists today to deliver so much more than standard web banners and display and Havas Media NL and Michelin are really leading the charge."

Cavai works with companies such as HP, Coca Cola, Nordea, Daimler, Nissan and Unilever.