Tag: a+e

A+E Networks To Develop Original Content Series For Snapchat

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
A+E Networks announced on Friday that it will be developing an original dating series for Snapchat, as the ephemeral messaging app continues its transformation into a mobile video content destination. The series, titled Second Chance, marks the app’s first network-produced show not based on an existing TV franchise. Snapchat has ordered eight episodes, which will be available for its users in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia in April. The show is the first of a larger multi-show development deal between A+E, its in-house branded content agency 45th & Dean, and Snap Inc.

What Brands Need To Do
As Snapchat’s ad business start to catch up to its popularity, the company now has more resources to spend on content so as to not only compete for more ad dollars with not just from leading sellers of digital ads like Facebook and Google, but from TV advertisers as well. And with this original series and more to come, it is surely betting big on video content. Therefore, it is time for brands to reconsider their media mix and consider adjust the ad budget to include emerging global channels like Snapchat so as to reach a global audience at scale.

 

 

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Facebook To Target Streaming Viewers By Linking User Profiles With IP Addresses

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Last month, Facebook announced a partnership with A+E and streaming startup Tubi TV to bring Facebook ads to OTT streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV. Now a Bloomberg report reveals that the social network has been testing personalized ad targeting in this new program by linking Facebook profiles tied to the IP addresses of the streaming set-top boxes. Facebook customizes commercials based on the user data and certain A&E shows they are watching, and it is testing ads for nonprofits or its own products along with a handful of name brands, according to a company spokesman.

What Brands Should Do
The update better illustrates Facebook’s ambition in expanding its ad product and reach into the living room and onto the streaming devices. As we noted when this OTT partnership was announced, Facebook’s venture into streaming ads should provide brand advertisers with better targeting capabilities to reach OTT viewers and cord-cutters by bringing the same audience data that powers the rest of its ad network to the set-top boxes. And that looks like exactly what they have been doing. With more and more viewers choosing on-demand streaming over linear TV, brands wishing to reach consumers at scale should start exploring the advertising opportunities on the ad-supported streaming services.

To read more on how brands can deal with TV’s shift toward streaming platforms, please check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Bloomberg

A+E To Broadcast Branded Content Created By Hearst

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Following its partnership with ecommerce site Wayfair to reinvent TV shopping, A+E Networks is diving deeper into incorporating branded content with its broadcast programming with a new partnership with publishing giant Hearst. This deal allows brand marketers to work with the digital divisions of Hearst magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Elle to create branded content to be aired during commercial breaks on A+E’s cable networks and digital properties. The network is also planning to open up its “enthusiast” blocks, which are hours of themed programs A+E launched this summer, for brands to sponsor.

What Brands Should Do
This partnership provides a new distribution channel for the branded content that Hearst is creating for marketers, which currently lives on its own sites and on social platforms. As we pointed out in the Ad Avoidance section of our Outlook 2016, branded content serves as a good way to engage increasingly ad-avoidant consumers, and more brands should take advantage of this opportunity to reach fans of A+E shows. For example, to fully engage its target audience, a fashion retailer may sponsor a fashion-themed content block on Lifetime and punctuate it with branded videos on hot fashion trends created with Elle.

 

Source: AdAge

A+E Networks Partners With E-retailer Wayfair To Reinvent TV Shopping

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
A+E Networks is teaming up with home decor and furniture ecommerce site Wayfair to create its first-ever “fully shoppable” TV show. Billed as its most ambitious branded content push, A+E will start airing this lifestyle and home improvement show titled The Way Home this weekend on the Lifetime channel. Every item that appears on the show will be available for purchase on Wayfair’s site. After each segment, the hosts will direct viewers to check out Wayfair.com, and the show will feature on-screen pop-up animations to drive viewers to the Wayfair site.

To better measure the show’s impact on sales, A+E Networks and Wayfair are also teaming up with advanced TV analytics firm Samba TV, which will provide cross-platform measurement and report how effectively on-air marketing drives viewers to the show and how the show drives engagement on Wayfair’s website.

What Brands Should Do
This show still serves as an interesting example of how traditional media companies can work with online retailers to reinvent TV shopping by introducing ecommerce into the living room via branded content. There is also the potential of integrating mobile as a touchpoint to direct viewers to the Wayfair site in a more targeted way. With more and more consumers opting for the ad-free experiences enabled by subscription-based services and ad blockers, it is imperative that brands and media owners work together to engage audiences in new ways, such as sponsored content and native ads.

For more information on how brands should leverage interesting branded content to earn consumer eyeballs, check out the Ad Avoidance section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: AdWeek

A+E Networks Embraces Programmatic With AOL Deal

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
A+E Networks has struck a deal with AOL that will allow the Disney and Hearst-co-owned networks to use AOL’s programmatic ad platform and other digital publisher solutions. A+E will use AOL’s programmatic platform, ONE by AOL, for display and video ads on its digital properties. They will also use Gravity, AOL’s content recommendation engine for personalized content and ads, on History.com. The deal, however, does not include a TV component at the moment. A+E Networks has agreed to an upfront ad commitment across AOL’s properties including Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Moviefone, and Microsoft’s Xbox.

What Brands Need To Do
This wide-ranging deal includes video, display and personalization elements, and A+E is expected to leverage AOL’s great host content outlets to push for awareness and use their first-party data for improved targeting. Digital advertising continues to move towards programmatic as the platforms and ad tech mature, and this deal shows that the media owners are also fully embracing programmatic ads. Therefore, brands would be wise to consider trying new programmatic solutions to keep up with the industry and achieve improved ad effectiveness through automation.

Source: AdWeek