LAS VEGAS — In just hours, the massive Consumer Electronic Show (CES) will commence, with attendances expected to return to the pre-pandemic numbers that have made this a monster event that’s attracting more broadcast media leaders than ever.
Ahead of CES 2024’s start, NBCUniversal has unveiled how it is changing the media industry’s interpretation of cross-platform, audience-based advertising by bringing a full-scale launch of its much-hyped One Platform Total Audience platform.
NBCUniversal’s AI-driven planning and activation technology is what the Comcast arm is calling its latest “evolution” within the company’s One Platform offering. In particular, NBCU says it will “leverage new investments” in automation and data to provide brands unduplicated reach through a single media buy across linear and streaming.
There’s another big bit of news for media buyers and planners: NBCUniversal plans to transact 50% of its business on “strategic audiences” in 2024, “meeting industry demand and enabling brands to effectively engage viewers wherever they consume content.”
NBCU Global Advertising & Partnerships Chairman Mark Marshall commented, “From day one, NBCUniversal has evolved its business to connect with consumers where they are, while giving advertisers a seat at the table. The year 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. 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.”
Specifically, One Platform Total Audience uses machine learning and predictive analytics to produce a single media plan across linear and streaming that targets a brand’s specific audience segment and strengthens their effectiveness.
One Platform Total Audience has access to NBCUniversal’s entire content portfolio. The
technology leverages the company’s first party data, along with advertisers’ data sets, to better reach consumers.
Additionally, One Platform Total Audience will use machine learning to automate budget allocation across linear and streaming, identifying an optimized media mix to engage marketers’ precise audience segments. NBCUniversal will also add programmatic guaranteed for media buys with One Platform Total Audience, leading to more automated and turnkey streaming activation. And to make transacting against strategic audiences simple, the company will add new buy-side automated order and workflow management.
For Q1 2024, One Platform Total Audience has sold out across all major categories including
tech, auto, and retail. As a result of this broad industry adoption across brands and agencies, the company will expand access to One Platform Total Audience in Q2.
Early metrics indicate campaigns that run cross-platform with a strategic audience lead to greater business results. In one early test, the company saw increased reach and efficiency with significantly decreased impression waste for a brand. Overall, advertisers saw a 25% higher brand engagement rate than narrow age and gender demographics for the same brands.
Nearly 60% of NBCUniversal’s advertising clients use audience-based buying to drive incremental value, the company says.
