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Alphabet, Meta and Amazon to take half of $1 trillion ad market in 2025

The global ad market has largely weathered the impact of COVID-19, so far, and is on course to reach a value of US$1 trillion in 2025, with more than half of this money paid to just three companies – Alphabet, Meta and Amazon – according to the latest Global Advertising Trends report from WARC Data.

Global Advertising Trends: Where is the money going?

• Following on from a meteoric 23.8% rise to a total of US$771 billion this year – the strongest growth in WARC's four decades of market monitoring – advertising investment is forecast to rise by a further 12.5% and 8.3% in 2022 and 2023 respectively, with e-commerce platforms set to lead this growth.
• A survey of 1,350+ marketing practitioners, carried out recently by WARC (before the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19), shows that two in three marketers already committing budgets to Amazon are intending to increase that spend, while heightened advertiser demand is pushing up the average cost-per-click. 
  
• Two thirds of advertising professionals are planning to up spend on TikTok next year, while YouTube (61% of surveyed practitioners), Instagram (60%) and Google (57%) are also set to benefit from higher spend in 2022.
• All product sectors are projected to top pre-COVID investment next year, while most sectors were able to record a full recovery this year. Notable exceptions include transport & tourism, which led growth with an absolute increase of $12.5bn this year but this is still almost $2.9bn down on pre-pandemic spending levels.

WARC says 

“Despite potential headwinds, market data show that we are currently witnessing a boom in advertising trade like none seen before, led by increased demand for retail media and ancillary publishers such as Google and Instagram, which is now the world’s largest social platform. Our projections show that this trend is set to continue” – James McDonald, Director of Data, Intelligence & Forecasting, WARC.

Details of trends by media, format and product category can be viewed here.

For insight on the creator economy, look to Japan's LINE

LINE, a hugely popular messaging app that originated in Japan before expanding to other parts of Asia, holds important lessons for the booming creator/collector economy at a time when NFTs dominate global headlines.

A story in Rest of World (RoW), the tech publication that focuses on stories from Asia, Africa, and South America – the vast swaths of the world often ignored by the Western press – delves into what happened when the messaging app opened up a Creators Market for people to sell stickers.

Why it matters

LINE is a messaging app that has expanded into payments, shopping, gaming, and even taxi services. It’s often mentioned in the same breath as other ‘super-apps’ that characterise smartphone tech in east Asia. What WeChat is to China, LINE is to Japan.

With one key difference: stickers. This feature is the unlikely ‘killer’ aspect of the experience. They are like personalised, cartoon emojis. Both a language and an emotional signal.

Creator economies

In 2014 the app introduced a platform through which people could buy artists’ stickers. RoW’s story looks at this economy.

It’s big business: For LINE, the sticker marketplace brings in around $200m annually. Some creators have made more than $10m from selling on the platform. For others, it has helped launch or supplement careers as Manga artists.

However, the moral of the story is about saturation amid the perception that creating and selling stickers is a quick ticket to fabulous wealth (remind you of any current trends?)

It’s a reminder that markets, especially those mediated by tech, operate under social ideas of value, whose cache helps to drive the price up. As a result, most creators make next to nothing, while a tiny minority take most of the money. As the world starts to hype about another form of digital art, precedents are a useful reminder that utopia is rarely just around the corner.

Sourced from Rest of World. Image: Line

Microsoft, Tencent take different gaming routes

News that Microsoft is paying more than $68bn to acquire video game maker Activision Blizzard comes at the same time as Tencent is limiting Chinese children to a total of 14 hours gaming time over their upcoming four week-long winter break.

Why it matters

Two different worlds of gaming are emerging, with money driving the industry in the west, where Microsoft’s purchase bolsters its Xbox hardware and plays into future metaverse developments. 

In China, however, policy is now in the driving seat, as the government, concerned about the effects of excessive gaming on young people, limits playing time. 

China context

• Last summer China's video game regulator ruled that online gamers under the age of 18 would only be allowed to play for an hour on Fridays, weekends and official holidays.
• Tentcent’s reminder of a 14 hour limit for the holiday period comes with a warning that facial recognition software will be used to detect attempts to circumvent it.
• China’s National Press and Publication Administration has not published a list of approved new video game titles since July 2021.

Key quote

“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms” – Satya Nadella, chief executive of Microsoft.

Sourced from Financial Times, Business Insider, BBC, South China Morning Post 

Meta signals future ad direction

Critics of Facebook are unlikely to be reassured by the patents recently granted to parent company Meta, which include the use of technology to harvest biometric data that could help determine how a user’s avatar interacts with what it sees in the metaverse and even what ads are shown.

Why it matters

Meta has already indicated that the business model in the metaverse will be commerce-led and that ads will play a part in that. While Meta says that “our patents don’t necessarily cover the technology used in our products and services”, they’re currently the best guide to the details of its thinking about a future immersive virtual world. Much of it appears to apply existing approaches in a new context.

What might be in the pipeline

The Financial Times has examined Meta’s many applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office, dozens of which have been granted, and flags the following: 

• Virtual stores where brands can sponsor digital versions of their real-world products.
• The use of eye and face tracking technology to understand a user’s response to the virtual experience and adapt it accordingly.
• The same information could also be used to understand how users are engaging with ads. 

Key quote

“My nightmare scenario is that targeted advertising based on our involuntary biological reactions to stimuli is going to start showing up in the metaverse . . . most people don’t realise how valuable that could be. Right now there are no legal constraints on that” – Brittan Heller, technology lawyer at Foley Hoag.

Sourced from Financial Times [Image: Arteum.ro on Unsplash]

BlackRock boss defends purpose

BlackRock boss Larry Fink believes that putting company purpose at the foundation of relationships with stakeholders is critical to long-term success. 

Why it matters

With $10 trillion in assets under management, BlackRock is the world’s largest money manager and its views carry some weight. In his annual letter to CEOs, Fink argues that what distinguishes truly great companies is that they have a clear sense of purpose and that they recognise the importance of engaging with and delivering for their key stakeholders.

What it means 

The reference to stakeholders rather than shareholders is instructive as he points to the “mutually beneficial relationships” a business needs if it is to prosper – between it and its employees, customers, suppliers, and communities. 

He suggests those stakeholders need to hear a clear purpose from CEOs and where they stand on societal issues relevant to the company in order to deliver profits for shareholders. 

Key quote 

“Employees need to understand and connect with your purpose; and when they do, they can be your staunchest advocates. Customers want to see and hear what you stand for as they increasingly look to do business with companies that share their values. And shareholders need to understand the guiding principle driving your vision and mission. They will be more likely to support you in difficult moments if they have a clear understanding of your strategy and what is behind it” – Larry Fink, CEO, BlackRock.

Sourced from BlackRock [Image:Pixabay at Pexels]

Thailand optimistic on tourism recovery

Hotel operator Banyan Tree believes occupancy rates at its Phuket properties – 70% at the end of December, with a 55-60% rate anticipated for January – are indicative of a wider global tourism recovery.

Why it matters

Attitudes are changing as both destinations and holidaymakers accept that COVID-19 is shifting from pandemic to endemic. Thailand’s extension of its Sandbox scheme last week – which allows fully vaccinated travellers to enter certain parts of the country without quarantine – signals a growing optimism in the tourism industry in that country at least.

Context 

• The recent UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2022 report shows that, from January to September 2021, international tourist arrivals were 20% below levels in 2020 and 76% below levels in 2019. 
• It further notes that international tourism experienced a modest improvement in the third quarter of 2021, thanks to progress in vaccination and a resulting relaxation of travel restrictions.
• The UN believes international tourism is unlikely to return to the pre-pandemic level in the near-term and tourism-dependent countries will need to find alternative revenue sources.

Key quote

“It’s going to take a long time for the full recovery. The main question is are we really on the path for a long-term sustainable recovery, and the indication is pretty much yes” – Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman, Banyan Tree.

Sourced from Bangkok Post, UN [Image: Vitaly Sacred on Unsplash]

China is getting old faster than expected

Population growth in China slowed to 0.34 per thousand in 2021, with the proportion of over-60s edging up from 18.7% to 18.9%, latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show.

“The demographic challenge is well known but the speed of population ageing is clearly faster than expected,” said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, in remarks reported by the Guardian.

What’s happening 

Factors cited to explain the falling birth rate include the high cost of living – across housing, education and childcare – delayed marriages and lack of social mobility. The Government is attempting to address these issues, introducing a three-child policy, building low-cost childcare facilities and promising longer maternity leave; it’s also cracking down on expensive private tutoring. 

What it means for brands 

Businesses are already responding to the government’s direction of travel. Barrons notes one offering 100,000 yuan in cash and a year’s paid leave for female staff if they have a baby. At the other end of the spectrum, tech companies have been encouraged to make their apps easier for older consumers to use, with larger fonts and simpler interfaces; some have simply launched separate age-appropriate versions although Sixth Tone reports that many users are unaware of these. 

Quote

“Without addressing the deeply rooted causes discouraging young Chinese from getting married and having children, from gender inequality to high living cost, what we are seeing now is likely just the beginning of a further decline in birth rate and a prolonged process of population decline in China” – Prof Wang Feng, University of California, Irvine. 

Sourced from Guardian, Barrons, Sixth Tone [Image: chen lei on Unsplash]

Shorter travel trips to become more common in 2022

The travel industry is moving towards shorter trips this year, according to data from online travel company Tripadvisor.

Why it matters

The coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to the travel industry and new consumer behaviours are still emerging. Shorter, but often more expensive, trips are set to become a key trend this year.

This comes as many travel brands rethink their strategy, including using new messaging, giving greater emphasis to sustainability and tapping into the opportunity for customer subscriptions.

Takeaways

• The average stay duration has dropped by 21% between the pre-pandemic period and now.
• While consumers in 2019 were, on average, searching for a holiday the length of 4.5 days, this has since fallen to 3.6.

Sourced from Tripadvisor, WARC Data

Gen Z and millennials are more willing to bypass traditional retail channels: Report

COVID-19 has transformed consumer behaviours and preferences, with Gen Z and millennial shoppers now more likely to order products directly from brands, while three-quarters of all shoppers expect to have significant interactions with physical stores once the pandemic subsides, according to “What Matters to Today’s Consumer” report by Capgemini Research Institute.

Why it matters

Most consumers who have bought directly from brands cite a better buying experience and access to brand loyalty programs, and are willing to share their data in return for these benefits, amid the growing importance of delivery and fulfilment services in the health and beauty, and grocery segments.

Key insights

• More than two-thirds (68%) of Gen Z and over half (58%) of millennials have ordered products directly from brands in the past six months, versus 41% on average across all age groups.
• Only 37% of Gen X and 21% of baby boomer shoppers have ordered directly from a brand in the last six months.
• Almost two-thirds (60%) cite a better buying experience as a reason for purchasing directly and 59% cite access to brand loyalty programs.
• In return, 45% of all shoppers say they are willing to share data on how they consume products and 39% say they are willing to share personal data and product preferences.
• But 54% of all shoppers say that offers, deals and/or discounts would make it more likely for them to share their data directly with brands.
• 72% of all shoppers expect significant interactions with physical stores post-pandemic from 60% pre-COVID, with Boomers most likely to interact in-store (76%) and Gen Z least likely (66%).
• With convenience remaining a key priority for consumers, delivery and fulfilment are increasingly being transformed from a cost centre to a growth driver for many organisations.
• In the health and beauty and grocery segments, shoppers place greater importance on delivery and fulfilment than in-store experiences.
• This is especially true for groceries shoppers across all age groups, where 42% of shoppers say delivery and fulfilment are the most important service attributes.
• Convenience of delivery is a major factor that can push shoppers to try new and emerging models of shopping, with 47% who bought via subscription services doing so for the convenience of home delivery.

Quote

“Younger consumers’ willingness to go straight to brands when purchasing goods presents a real opportunity for consumer product companies. This enables them to collect consumer data and helps create a more mature direct-to-consumer channel. Being data-powered enables the consumer product and retail organisations to translate supply and demand trends into intelligent decisions on where best to stock their products, customise products and services, and enhance customer experience.” – Tim Bridges, global sector lead, consumer products, retail and distribution, Capgemini.

Background

The Capgemini report surveyed over 10,000 consumers over the age of 18 in 10 countries – Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US.

Price of recycled plastic doubles as green pledges meet reality

The rush to abolish single-use plastics in response to public alarm over the effects of plastic pollution has sent the price of recycled plastic soaring as drinks companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestle among others pursue green strategies; however, potential damage to the bottom line will show whether companies and their investors are willing to put their money where their mouths are.

Why it matters

Sustainability pledges aren’t worth the pixels they’re posted to if they evaporate on contact with unfavourable economics. A sector-wide rush toward cleaner, recycled plastics was always likely. It also points to a core problem that companies’ ability to produce plastics way outpaces any recycling firm’s ability to process and redeploy those plastics.

The increases

• The Financial Times reports that the price of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (better known as PET) has increased 103% versus January 2021. This is largely because companies across fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and apparel sectors brought in stringent plastic usage targets en masse, reports ICIS, whose data the story is based on.
• Ironically, the price of recycled PET is now more than fresh PET, as prices have surged even faster than the price of the fossil fuel used to make it.

Targets

• The targets are not solely self-imposed, with the EU mandating 25% or more recycled content in packaging by the middle of this decade. Some firms are being more aggressive still. However, ICIS is now observing that some firms are cooling those efforts amid the high prices.
• Of course, there are some radically different options, like the German-style deposit return schemes for used bottles, which prefers reuse to recycling.

Scope 3

In part, this is a story about getting ahead of likely rules around producer responsibility, an effort that many countries are taking up to tackle what are known as ‘Scope 3’ emissions. These are the hardest to measure but also the most important, as they include waste disposal, supplier emissions, and the effect of a company’s investments.

But, it’s also worth pointing out that this is good news: companies are making an effort, and, if capitalism is working properly, will grow the market for recycling and bring down prices. While it’s a tough ask now, it’s nothing compared to what’s waiting for us.

Sourced from the Financial Times, Carbon Trust

Google: allegations of ad price manipulation unsealed

Previously redacted details of a lawsuit allege that the advertising company Google, which controls significant interests on both the buy and sell side, operated a program of diminishing ad sales to publishers, while increasing the prices buyers paid then keeping the difference. Google says the arguments lack legal merit.

Why it matters

Despite online advertising’s inherent complexity, Google controls the biggest tools across the ecosystem, drawing comparisons to a bank that simultaneously owns the stock exchange. Should Google lose any of the several cases against it, the shape of the online ad industry could end up looking very different.

What’s happening

• The Wall Street Journal reports new details from a case originally filed in December 2020 by several attorneys general, but which contained a number of redacted statements that evidence the states’ case that Google abuses a monopoly position and has harmed competitors, publishers, and, as an extension of ad-buyers, the consumers to whom higher costs would be passed on.
• Unsealed in a New York court, the key revelations include documents based on internal correspondence that appear to show Google employees referring to the practice as “insider information”.

Pressure

It comes at a time of intense pressure on the company, as the state case joins a federal antitrust case brought by the Justice Department.

In the Senate, a bipartisan bill is moving through the legislative process which could have serious implications for the company, which would suddenly find it illegal to advantage its own businesses on its platforms.

Meanwhile, in Europe an ambitious new law, the Digital Markets Act, is gathering pace which specifically targets “gatekeepers” like Google, and is expected to contain explicit limits on self-preferencing.

Sourced from the Wall Street Journal

The IPA seeks evidence on brand purpose

A new report from the IPA seeks to elevate the debate about brand purpose by identifying particular steps practitioners can take to increase the quantity and quality of evidence about whether or not purpose has contributed effectively to the desired outcomes of individual, for-profit brands.

A definition 

The IPA defines purpose as the reason a commercial brand exists beyond maximising profit to produce other meaningful forms of positive impact for individuals, societies, or the environment. It communicates both an organising principle for action in the brand’s present and an aspiration for its future.

Five steps for practitioners 

1. Keep evidence centre-stage by investing in capturing and evaluating the full potential impact of the brand’s purpose activities on all relevant measures, especially on non-financial outcomes.
2. Always ask what part of outcomes were driven by purpose itself and what were due to how purpose was translated into initiatives and creative messaging. What might have happened anyway with effective, non-purpose-related activities and similar levels of investment?
3. Make efforts to prove which, if any, elements of purpose marketing are long-term, defensible positions for the brand and less vulnerable to being imitated.
4. Emphasise new learning and thinking about purpose, as practice in this area evolves fast.
5. Choose whether to talk about it at all. Brands such as Guinness and John Lewis are part of organisations committed to purpose at a corporate level, but this has not played a significant part in advertising effectiveness case studies.

 Key quote 

“It is our view that the biggest challenge for purpose-oriented marketers today lies in isolating and quantifying the specific impact purpose makes on outcomes from that attributable to other brand activities. Until purpose-oriented marketers account for the contribution of purpose more convincingly, they are unlikely to win over their critics.”” – Janet Hull OBE, Director of Marketing Strategy, IPA.

You can download the free report from the IPA website. The IPA will also be a hosting a free, virtual industry event to discuss ‘Purpose in Perspective’ tomorrow – 3-4pm, Tuesday 18 January. Find out more and register to attend at IPA | Purpose in Perspective.

China's Gen Z offer potential for imported brands

Gen Z consumers are the fastest-growing cohort on Tmall Global, Alibaba’s cross-border marketplace, and are helping reshape the consumer market – they’re willing to pay a premium for quality products, with sales of perfume, whiskey and fashion items all growing as a result.

Takeaways 

• The number of shoppers on Tmall Global born after 2000 grew more than 70% in the year to March 2021, according to an Alibaba executive; of the 100 million annual active users on the platform, around 30% were born after 1995.
• Young consumers use scents to express their mood, personality and even values; they’re a driving force behind the growing popularity of niche perfume brands on the platform.
• Young people with interest in wellness and self-care are turning health supplements into snacks; new brands are emerging to cater to this trend. 
• In 2021, more than 6,000 new brands entered China through Alibaba’s import ecosystem. 

Quote

“Consumers of imported goods are getting much younger, with the fastest growth from Gen Z consumers, [so] their huge consumption potential is important to brands” – Alvin Liu, president of Alibaba B2C Retail.

Sourced from Alizila [Image: Tmall]

APAC countries optimistic about 2022: Survey

Most countries in the Asia Pacific region are optimistic about what the new year will bring despite continued concern over rising prices and the consequences of climate change, according to “Global Predictions for 2022”, an Ipsos survey of 33 countries.

Why it matters

Even as COVID-19 remains prevalent, people in APAC are generally confident that vaccination rates will go up although they expect air travel to still be less than what it was in 2019. 

Key insights

• Most of APAC expect a better year in 2022, with China the most optimistic at 94%, followed by India (83%), Australia and Malaysia (both 82%), and Singapore (79%). Only South Korea (71%) and Japan (54%) were lower than the global average of 77%.
• When asked if 2021 was a bad year for them and their families, the countries that most agreed were South Korea (74%), India (63%), Malaysia (62%), Singapore (60%), and Australia (59%); only Japan (49%) and China (39%) were below the global average of 58%.
• But APAC is confident the global economy will be stronger in 2022 than it was in 2021, surpassing the global average of 61%, with China at 87%, India 80%, Malaysia 75%, Singapore 71%, Australia 69%, South Korea 63%, and Japan 62%.
• APAC believes that more than 80% of the world’s population will receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in 2022, with China at 80%, followed by Malaysia (79%), India (75%), Singapore (70%), Australia (65%), and South Korea (64%); only Japan (45%) polled below the global average of 56%.
• But APAC is pessimistic about travel and 68% in China expect people will fly less in 2022, followed by Singapore (67%), Malaysia (66%), Australia (57%), and India (52%); with the global average at 45%, Japan (36%) and South Korea (35%) are more hopeful.

Background

The Ipsos online survey was conducted from October 22nd to November 5th 2021 among 22,023 adults aged 16-74 in 33 countries.

Proposal to TL;DR terms of service isn't a bad idea

Terms of service are mostly ignored as we go straight for the ‘agree’ button, leaving many people with no actual idea what they’re agreeing to – now, a group of US politicians are proposing a brevity law, an idea that some brands might want to get ahead of.

Why it matters

Whether or not the law passes, brands have the opportunity to build trust by stating extremely clearly what data they are collecting. Getting in early looks better than being forced to submit, kicking and screaming.

The story

• As online privacy continues to trouble lawmakers, activists, and increasingly users, efforts to make sure people know what they’re consenting to have crept up in certain pieces of legislation around the world. Europe’s GDPR, for instance, stipulated explicit and informed consent, but differing interpretations between nations and companies mean there is little consensus on the best way of doing this.
• Now, the Washington Post reports, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers are proposing a TLDR (Too long; didn’t read) act to stipulate that sites provide users with an easy-to-understand summary of what they are collecting, and whether they have suffered any recent data breaches.
• Deeply influenced by recent whistle-blower revelations around Meta’s Facebook, the proposal specifically looks to social media’s use of data.
• In this case, it’s unclear how transparent you can be in summary, given that ‘we will use your data for ad targeting’ doesn’t actually explain anything new.

Quote

“Users should not have to comb through pages of legal jargon in a website’s terms of services to know how their data will be used.

“Requiring companies to provide an easy-to-understand summary of their terms should be mandatory and is long overdue” – Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.)

Sourced from the Washington Post. [Image: Pexels]

Check My Ads puts ad exchanges in the spotlight

A campaign that takes aim at ad exchanges directing advertiser investment to sites propagating the myth of a stolen presidential election has wider implications.

What is it?

The Check My Ads Institute has identified six individuals it says are the “loudest proponents of The Big Lie” and aims to cut off their funding.

Why it matters

The world of ad tech is complicated and opaque so it’s understandable that most activists tackling hate speech and disinformation have focused primarily on brands and publishers in their efforts to disrupt the flow of ad dollars. But this new approach is concentrating on what the industry itself has long known – that advertisers don’t have complete control over where their content ends up and ad tech is the real issue. 

The Check My Ads Institute says the disinformation crisis is solvable and it has a playbook. 

Quote

“The ad industry has talked about brand safety ad nauseam, but they do not name names, because no one wants to get their hands dirty. Unless we name these things and name the people who are bad actors, we cannot make progress in [this] space” – Nandini Jammi, co-founder, Check My Ads Institute, talking to Protocol.

Sourced from Protocol [Image:Lumascape]

Media must grow trust, not just debunk facts

New research published in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Misinformation Review argues that news media organisations should put more effort into improving acceptance of reliable information than fighting misinformation.

Why it matters

Debunking, fact-checking, truth-finding. All of it is good and necessary but it has a minimal effect on trust in reliable news organisations. Trust grows differently.

Easier said than done, but it’s a finding that adds some clarity to an increasingly complicated news media landscape – one in which brands are also trying to get their message into trusted environments.

But this story concerns news organisations as brands, too. As Pew finds, trust in the institution of the news media is diminishing, readers and viewers increasingly identify with specific news brands.

The fight for information

Researchers from Oxford University’s Reuters Institute, whose initial findings were first reported in Nieman Lab, base their results on simulations from models.

“Simulations show that, given that most of the news consumed by the public comes from reliable sources, small increases in acceptance of reliable information (e.g., 1%) improve the global information score more than bringing acceptance of misinformation to 0%.”

“Interventions” might include some pretty standard stuff:

• Transparency boxes explaining how a story was put together and by who can enhance credibility.
• Credibility labels, which have been shown to improve the acceptance among those with the lowest quality news diets.
• Fact-checks with opinion pieces defending journalism (only one study backs this).
• Providing fact checking tips/digital literacy tips.

What about other methods?

Curiously absent is the role of advertising, which is complicated but when it’s done right, crafted with quality and placed in prestige environments, can work wonders for building trust. See WARC’s guide to understand how.

Sourced from Nieman Lab, Pew Research, WARC [Image by Madison Inouye from Pexels]

NBCUniversal and RTL partnership promises new advertising opportunities

US-based NBCUniversal is partnering with RTL AdConnect, the international advertising sales house of Europe’s RTL Group, in an arrangement that gives each other access to their premium TV and digital inventory assets. 

Why it matters

The bilateral, international partnership will open up new advertising opportunities for global brand marketers and could mark the start of a trend as more international broadcasters share inventory in order to win ad dollars.

The move enhances NBCUniversal’s One Platform offering – which gives marketers the power to reach audiences wherever they are across the full NBCUniversal ecosystem – as well as increasing the brand’s footprint in key markets outside the US. 

For RTL AdConnect, the partnership reinforces its one-stop-shop offering in Europe, allows them to extend their inventory solutions outside European borders, and to establish stronger and more direct connections with brands based in the US and China.

How it will work 

• RTL AdConnect will provide its European clients and partner agencies access to all NBCUniversal-owned and operated premium, brand-safe TV and digital inventory from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.
• NBCUniversal will represent RTL AdConnect’s premium Total Video European portfolio, providing its Chinese and US-based clients strong reach and powerful advertising solutions. This will include the leading TV channels and digital premium platforms from RTL AdConnect’s media partners in the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Sourced from NBCUniversal, RTL AdConnect