NBCUniversal said it has launched a tool that employs artificial intelligence to help plan and buy ad audience-based campaign campaigns across the company’s linear and streaming channels.
The tool is designed to take advantage of NBCU’s investments in automation and data to enable brands to make a single media buy that brings unduplicated reach across platforms.
Ahead of meetings with clients at CES 2024 in Las Vegas this week, NBCU said that it plans to transact 50% of its ad business on strategic audiences — rather than traditional demographics — during 2024.
Already, nearly 60% of NBCUniversal’s advertising clients use audience-based buying for some campaigns, up 25% compared to a year ago.
“NBCUniversal has evolved its business to connect with consumers where they are, while giving advertisers a seat at the table,” said Mark Marshall, chairman, NBCUniversal Global Advertising & Partnerships.
“2024 will be a watershed year for change. Seismic shifts in measurement will throw everyone’s media mix models up in the air, presenting a singular opportunity to transact on strategic audiences and measure real KPIs for marketers,” Marshall said. “With One Platform Total Audience, we are empowering our clients to supercharge their media schedules in a whole new way and maximize the effectiveness of their ad dollars to achieve their business goals.”
In one early test, NBCU said the tool produced increased reach and efficiency with significantly decreased impression waste. Advertisers have seen 25% higher brand engagement than when they used narrow age and gender demographics for the same brands.
The new tool uses machine learning and predictive analytics to produce a single media plan across linear and streaming that targets a specific audience segment a brand wants to target.
NBCU is also incorporating new buy-side automated order and workflow management systems. Budget allocations across platforms can be optimized, with NBCU adding a programmatic guaranteed approach that makes streaming activation simpler.
The can take advantage of NBCU’s own first-party viewer data as well as the advertiser’s first-party data.
