The first cloud service of its kind, the technology is based on proprietary 3D Facial Imaging technology that analyzes facial micro-expressions and eye movements with unprecedented accuracy and scale. The reactions are then analyzed against a library of reaction patterns giving businesses a scientific measurement of people's reaction to branding and messaging.

For example, using the nViso software running on the IBM SmartCloud, a consumer packaged goods company could determine the impact of a potential advertising campaign, and the emotions it would evoke for their brand.  To begin, a group of people would agree to participate in an online survey from nViso. With their computer's web camera turned on, they would watch the advertisements. nViso's software would capture their instantaneous reactions on a second by second basis. The reactions are then anonymously compiled and assessed for one of seven basic emotions. The sentiment analysis could be compared to reactions to competitors' campaigns or sorted by demographic such as age or gender. 'Marketing is increasingly driven by visual impact and emotional experiences, and in this context, nViso's 3D Facial Imaging technology running on the IBM SmartCloud can help our clients collect richer data to make better business decisions,' says Felix Bernet, Senior Project Manager Media / Online Research of LINK Institute, Switzerland & Germany.

Traditional consumer sentiment research relies on respondents' ability to remember and describe subtle emotional reactions--an increasingly complex task in today's cluttered media environment. Now, with the nViso and IBM solution, businesses can quickly determine the impact their brand and messages are having.

Building the service on the IBM SmartCloud allowed nViso to deploy an architecture that was technically superior, secure and scalable over other public cloud offerings. Additionally, by eliminating the need for major investments in IT infrastructure, the IBM SmartCloud has resulted in significant cost savings benefits for nViso and its clients.

'The IBM SmartCloud is designed to give innovative businesses like nViso secure access to enterprise level service in order to leverage existing investments and open new doors to productivity and innovation,' said Lauren States, CTO of Cloud Computing, IBM. In addition to providing access to emotion recognition technology, the nViso service features online visualization and charting tools that let users drill down and segment specific reactions to marketing stimuli, identifying when a respondent's surprise, happiness or sadness was most intense. The emotion data generated is compatible with IBM SPSS analytics tools, allowing a deeper understanding of what is driving consumer behavior and enhancing the predictive capabilities of data analysis.