In the coming weeks, marketers are poised to gain insights into the evolving landscape of video advertising through the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s NewFronts and spring upfront presentations. Traditionally, these events have been pivotal for major brands and agencies to forge deals. However, this year’s spotlight is on a new platform targeting the next 100,000 buyers of TV ads, primarily e-commerce businesses yet to embrace advertising on TV screens.
Universal Ads, unveiled before the Consumer Electronics Show in January, represents Comcast’s initiative to streamline TV advertising. It aims to simplify premium video buying, appealing especially to small- and medium-sized enterprises accustomed to social video but ready to expand their advertising horizons. “We want to replicate the way you buy YouTube for premium TV,” stated James Grant, General Manager of Universal Ads.
Simplifying TV Ad Buying
The transition from online to TV advertising necessitates innovative tools and access to premium video content as a unified category, moving away from a fragmented, publisher-specific approach. To achieve this, Universal Ads has recruited talent from the digital advertising sphere to develop solutions familiar to digital advertisers. The platform leverages FreeWheel, a connected TV ad server, to standardize audience targeting. Among the digital-first team at Universal Ads is James Borow, known for his work on Snapchat’s ad manager, who emphasized FreeWheel’s critical role in modernizing TV transactions.
Expanding Partnerships
Initially, Universal Ads launched with partners such as A+E, AMC Networks, DirecTV, Fox Corporation, NBCUniversal, and others. Recently, it expanded to include Estrella MediaCo, Fuse Media, LG Ad Solutions, and more. This expansion reflects advertisers’ desire to engage diverse audiences, with each partner offering unique viewer segments. “The reason why we have all these partners participating is that what we’re doing is incremental. It’s net-new, reaching a population of buyers that we know are spending money that we are better suited together to go after,” explained Grant.
Focus on Results and Measurement
With ad-buying increasingly focused on results, Universal Ads teamed with Measured to offer incrementality-based media measurement for advertisers prioritizing sales attribution over traditional TV metrics like reach and frequency. “Measured is a major leader in that space,” Grant noted, highlighting the importance of bridging measurement gaps for e-commerce advertisers.
AI and Future Developments
Looking ahead, Universal Ads plans to collaborate with technology firms to aid e-commerce advertisers in creating TV commercials efficiently. The platform will provide AI-supported creative production, echoing Roku’s previous initiative of repurposing social content for TV ads. This approach could eliminate barriers for smaller advertisers lacking TV-ready commercials. The technology also enables dynamic creative, allowing brands to update ads with best-selling products, akin to dynamic ads on digital platforms.
“Because we’ve spent years being a neutral trusted partner to a lot of those businesses, it was a relatively easy pitch,” Grant remarked. The existing trust in Comcast and FreeWheel positions Universal Ads as a valuable extension for businesses venturing into premium video advertising.
Note: This article is inspired by content from https://www.marketingdive.com/news/inside-universal-ads-plan-to-reach-the-next-100k-buyers-of-tv-ads/746757/. It has been rephrased for originality. Images are credited to the original source.