Houston-based LogoBar has created an advertising model that doesn't annoy the viewers. Getty Images

Steven Jones knows people dislike ads. Actually, he reasons, it's less that they dislike ads, but more that they don't like having those ads interrupt what they're doing.

"They want to be in control of their experience," he says. "And we've nearly always had things that allow consumers to skip ads – the remote control, where you could change the channel; now there are DVRs that let you skip them. That's all about control."

Jones knows, however, that consumers do want the information ads contain. And he thinks one of the best ways to give that to them in this splintered and ever-changing media environment is for advertisers to concede that concept of audience control. That's what LogoBar aims to do. Where a traditional commercial on television or before an online video might be 15 or 30 seconds, LogoBar features a company's logo or a product it's selling at the bottom of the video. The ad or logo will also appear when the viewer hits pause (or some other engagement) on the video. The viewer, if interested in the product can then choose to engage with it by clicking on the offer that's being advertised or on the product itself, which would then take that viewer to the advertiser's site.

The goal, says Jones, is two-fold: get the products and services in front of potential buyers, and allow those buyers to be the ones who determine if they want to engage.

"It's not intrusive at all," says Jones about the concept. "It allows a brand to be seen, which can spur interest. But keeping control in the hands of the intended audience is the key. This allows advertisers to think about their brands as a call to action. And this method of delivery aligns with the experience the viewer is already having."

Jones realizes that many people view ads as interruptions. He says that one of the reasons Google began making three-second ads right about 2015 was to capture on the shortening attention span of viewers who, he says studies show, were looking to skip ads the second they appeared.

LogoBar created digital technology that allows its clients to create its own ads. LogoBar installs the tech and then the client's team can build on it. But LogoBar can also create the advertising from end to end as well. The tech plugins work across multiple platforms including Brightcove, Kaltura, Flowplayer, and native iOS/Android players. By building that compatibility into its technology, Jones says that LogoBar can be easily and widely used.

"I think of us as still being an early startup," he says of the company. "But we have a strong team of five here, and I see us growing the business and the team across the next few years."

LogoBar has worked with ESPN+ and other local and national clients. And he believes LogoBar is poised to create what thinks of as a win-win for consumers and advertisers alike.

"Firms are still creating 30, 60-second 'stories' in their ads. Those aren't going to go away. And people will watch them – when they want to, on their own time. What we're offering is something that complements traditional advertising and gives consumers both an interactive experience and control over their viewing and time."

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California-based healthcare co. expands to Houston with new bioskills lab

med skills

Axis Research & Technologies, a California-based healthcare innovation solutions and medical research company, has expanded into the Houston area via a new 10,800-square-foot bioskills lab in Shenandoah last month.

The facility includes a main lab that’s configurable into a single space with over 20 stations, two more lab suites for specialized bioskills training, a conference room for presentations and a large multipurpose area.

Medical professionals can simulate a fully functional operating room in the lab for training and education. It also has the capability of handling cadaver specimens.

The company says the new facility aims to serve surgeons, medical device companies, hospitals and research institutions.

Axis was attracted to Houston thanks to the Texas Medical Center and other world-class medical groups, according to a release from the company. The facility in Shenandoah will be near medical facilities in The Woodlands.

“We are thrilled to expand into the Houston market,” Jill Goodwin, COO of Axis, said in a news release. “This new facility was driven by demand from our clients who have expressed a need for a high-quality bioskills lab in Houston. We repeatedly heard this feedback at the most recent American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) conference, which reinforced our decision to bring Axis to the region.”

Axis hosted its first lab event at its Houston-area venue on Feb. 22. The facility is currently accepting bookings for medical trainings, research collaborations and use of its bioskills lab.

“Our goal is to create an environment where groundbreaking medical advancements can take place,” Goodwin added in a news release. “Houston is home to one of the largest medical communities in the country, making it a perfect fit for our expansion.”

Axis' other bioskills labs are located in Nasvhille; Irvine, California; and Columbia, Maryland.

Texas institute grants $12M to bring leading cancer researchers to Houston

cha-ching

Rice University has recruited a prominent Swedish cancer researcher thanks to a $6 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

It’s among $68 million in research grants recently awarded by the state agency, and six recruitment grants totaling $16 million to bring leading cancer researchers to Texas.

A news release from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) describes Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede of the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, as “an accomplished and highly gifted biophysical scientist tackling complicated biological questions regarding the role of metals and metal dysregulation in various diseases. She pioneered a new research field around the role of metal ions in the folding and function of metalloproteins.”

Metalloproteins account for nearly half of all proteins in biology, according to the National Institutes of Health. They “catalyze some of the most difficult and yet important functions in [nature], such as photosynthesis and water oxidation,” the federal agency says.

Wittung-Stafshede, a professor of chemical biology and life sciences at Chalmers, is a former professor at Rice.

Aside from the money for Wittung-Stafshede, Houston recruitment grants also went to:

  • University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: $2 million to recruit Rosalie Griffin of the Mayo Clinic
  • Baylor College of Medicine: $2 million to recruit Dr. Nipun Verma of the Yale University School of Medicine
  • Baylor College of Medicine: $2 million to recruit Xin “Daniel” Gao of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In Houston, cancer research grants were given to:

  • Baylor College of Medicine: $7.8 million
  • M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: $20.7 million
  • Rice University: $ 1 million
  • University of Houston: $1.2 million
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: $4.5 million

“The awards … represent the depth and diversity of CPRIT funding for cancer research in Texas,” says Kristen Doyle, CEO of CPRIT. “These grants develop new approaches to preventing, diagnosing, treating, and surviving cancer for all Texans.”

See the full list of awards here.