A number of new ad formats and offerings were revealed at this year’s IAB NewFronts.
The week-long showcase gave media buyers a first look at the latest digital content from among the biggest names in global media and entertainment. The presentations, which occurred in-person in New York City and virtually on Thursday, were focussed around the theme ‘Stream On’, which hoped to “embody the cultural zeitgeist of consumers’ penchant for digital video content when and how they want it.”
Below is a summary of the some the week’s largest announcements of new ad formats and solutions.
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal highlighted four new ad formats which will be offered to advertisers on Peacock: Spotlight+, Marquee, Power Break and Must Shop TV.
The Power Break format is similar to a traditional “pause ad” (which only appears when a viewer pauses their content) but will be combined with data testing and research to provide sponsors with creatives customised for selected audiences.
Spotlight+ offers a full brand takeover for specific shows, allowing brands to place ads alongside them across both streaming and linear channels, as well as some third-party platforms.
NBCUniveral’s Marquee solution is focused on advertising in sports content, and enables brands to place targeted ads alongside the score of a game whenever something eventful happens (such as a goal being scored.)
Lastly, Must Shop TV is NBCUniversal’s shoppable ad solution which will give viewers the ability to shop products that appear in programming.
Amazon
Amazon revealed a new capability that will allow national advertisers to send different ads to viewers through Amazon’s Fire TV devices.
Amazon Live will also now have shoppable ads, enabling viewers to purchase products in its slew of popular TV shows.
YouTube
YouTube will make its brand safety platform – YouTube Select – available to advertisers on YouTube Shorts content.
TikTok
TikTok announced plans to expand its contextual advertising solution TikTok Pulse to allow advertisers to place their ads directly after content from premium content on the online video platform’s For You feed. Its inaugural TikTok Pulse content partners include BuzzFeed, DotDash Meredith, Conde Nast, NBCUniversal, Vox Media and others.
The company will also offer “Max Pulse”, a buying mechanism that allows advertiser to run ads alongside the top 4% of trending content.
Snap
Snap announced its new ad offering, First Story, which will allow advertisers to reserve the first Snap Ad (the video ad between Friend Stories) that Snapchatters see.
Its First commercial and First Lens offerings will also let advertisers reserve the first six-second non-skip ad or first sponsored AR lens that users see.
The social media platform will also test having its generative chat AI, known as My AI, send users sponsored links in relevant conversational moments.
Meta
Meta revealed that it is bringing augmented reality to Reels Ads and Facebook Stories, expanding its AR ads offering which had included Facebook Feed, Instagram Feed and Instagram Stories.
The company also said it will be making Reels Ads more interactive and will include a “call to action” button on Facebook and Instagram Reels that shows an ad thumbnail and additional details such as the brand’s website URL.
Advertisers will now be able to work with select third-party measurement companies on Reels campaigns. Additionally, Meta said it is working with a number of measurement firms on a Reels Viewability reporting feature.
