Finding All the News That’s Fit for Advertisers

With many campaigns on connected TV being targeted using contextual signals and executed using programmatic technology, news programming’s share of ad dollars is smaller than its share of viewers, according to a new report from Wurl.

Wurl argues that advertisers should take another look at the way they judge the brand safety of news content. In its CTV Trends Report, Wurl says advertisers define brand safety broadly, which means they avoid entire programs, genres and publishers.

This is a problem for news producers and for advertisers, a more careful look at what content they’re willing to be in might create an opportunity, the report says.

Wurl says news accounts for 8.6% of viewing hours across free ad-supported streaming television (FAST). A lot of that is produced by established news operations, including the big broadcast networks. It says that 35.7% of news scenes are fully brand safe.

Some sub-genres are particularly rich in brand safe content. In financial news, 86% of scene minutes were classified as fully brand safe.

For political news, Wurl found that 48.3% of blue-leaning news is brand safe, compared to 45.5% of blue-leaning news. The report notes that red-leaning news is more often associated with wars and conflict, as well as derogatory content. Blue-leaning is more heavily driven by death, harm and violence.

The report concludes by noting that news delivers consistent viewership and that a more precise approach would let advertisers access more impressions in news programming without sacrificing brand safety. “For advertisers, the opportunity in this is straightforward: move from broad avoidance to selective access, and capture value that has been there all along,” it said.

Viant Aims to Open CTV News to More Brands

Viant said it made a deal with Ad Fontes Media aimed at making more brands comfortable advertising during news programming on connected TV.

Ad Fontes has data on the reliability of news outlets as well as the political slant of their programming. 

"We use Ad Fontes Media to ensure our advertising reaches all audiences across the political spectrum because we make cars for everyone," said Shenan Reed, global chief media officer at General Motors. "Ad Fontes Media also helps ensure that those ads show up in reliable publications." 

Viant will use Ad Fontes’ information to help advertisers buy news programming, which has attentive and engaged audiences. Studies have found that ads in news environments receive 20% more attention and drive 77% higher brand recall.

Despite that, the way many buyers set their brand safety filters, news programming is not considered for campaigns, especially when being executed programmatically.

"Through Viant's partnership with Ad Fontes, advertisers can reach the most relevant audiences while ensuring their ads appear in trusted, high-quality news environments,” said Richie Hyden, senior VP of publisher solutions at Viant. “This puts premium supply back to work at scale. For brands that have been sitting on the sidelines of news, the calculus has changed." 

Retail Data Boosts Sales for CPG, QSR Brands

With the ad world focused on outcomes, The Trade Desk and Attain released a case study showing that using retail data boosted sales for a test group of 11 consumer packaged goods and quick-service restaurant brands.

With Attain acting as the measurement layer, eight different retail data sets were employed. The retailers included groceries, big box stores and specialty shops.

According to the case study, all of the campaigns tested produced measurable incremental sales lifts, with 90% having new-buyer return on ad spending above Attain’s industry benchmarks. On average, they outperformed the benchmarks by 122%.

Using retail data also led to a 23% increase in the average transaction value with attributed consumers. 

According to the report, the difference between knowing someone bought a product is a better signal for targeting a campaign that behavioral data alone. 

“Retail data is quickly becoming one of the most powerful signals available to advertisers,” said Jennifer Ng, GM of advertiser insights at The Trade Desk. “When paired with transparent, closed-loop measurement, it allows marketers to move beyond assumptions and directly understand what's driving real business outcomes — from new customer acquisition to incremental revenue.”

Vevo Tunes Into Disqo

Music video network Vevo said it expanded its relationship with Disqo, making Disqo its preferred provider of brand lift and outcomes measurement.

Vevo said that Disqo can tell advertisers how sponsoring content drives engagement and conversion. 

“By connecting exposure on Vevo to real consumer behaviors like search, site visitation and purchase signals, we’re giving our advertisers a more complete picture of how premium music video drives impact across the funnel,” said Laura Vanison, VP, research & measurement at Vevo. “More importantly, our work with Disqo marks a shift from reactive reporting to proactive strategy – turning deep-funnel data into a competitive advantage for clients.” 

Beta tests of Disqo’s outcomes measurement found an increase in add-to-cart conversions for a holiday smartphone campaign on Vevo and a lift in store locator store visits for a campaign by a marketer in the beauty category.

“With Vevo, we are delivering exactly that, connecting ad exposure to consumer attitudes and behaviors across every stage of the journey to capture the full behavioral impact of their premium content. Disqo is proud to be named Vevo’s preferred measurement partner and to provide the clarity that moves brands from directional signals to actionable proof of outcomes," said Armen Adjemian, founder and CEO of Disqo.