LAS VEGAS — Working to stand out in an increasingly competitive—and commoditized—market for advanced video advertising, marketers should turn to a familiar playbook, said Amy Baker, executive VP of strategy and insight for A+E Networks, speaking on a CES panel Tuesday focused on digital advertising.
“What’s old is new again, and what is still important to marketers is product integration. Think about all the different subscription streaming sites that are out there right now that don’t accept advertising,” Baker said.
Moderator Rob Aitken, managing director for Monitor Deloitte, noted that Netflix—which assiduously rejects traditional TV advertising—currently generates around $300 million annually from product integration.
For content companies, Baker contended that strategies including product integration should fit into a larger agenda of “reinventing the ad load,” which in linear format is “really at a height right now.”
Also speaking on the panel, Lauren Wetzel, head of strategy and corporate development for AT&T advanced ad agency Xandr, said the overall ad-supported video industry needs to move to a paradigm where ads are not only relevant, but feel like content.
“It’s not that consumers are anti-advertising, they’re just pro content,” she said. “And good content drives higher CPMs and greater engagement.”
Baker, meanwhile, also highlighted the importance of media companies to own their content as much as possible, while being persistent and creative in terms of its monetization.
She noted the Netflix series You as an example. The A+E -produced original flopped on Lifetime, but has become somewhat of a hit in subscription streaming.
“All I can say is own your own content. Your library can be monetized in significant ways.”
