From the Metaverse to the Attention Lab, New Ad Products and Formats Converge Technology and Creativity
NEW YORK, NEW YORK — MAY 10, 2022 — Today, NBCUniversal launched its fifth-annual slate of Commercial Innovations designed to elevate the advertising experience for marketers and consumers. On the heels of One22 and the Peacock Newfront, the 2022 slate of new ad products and formats provide marketers with unique ways to engage consumers through advertising within the metaverse, creative development studio, across social channels and more.
“For NBCUniversal, the ad experience is the user experience. Over the last five years, we’ve been committed to making the viewer experience just as enjoyable as the way viewers consume, engage with, and are impacted by brands on our platform. We know that advertising works – and our latest Commercial Innovations blend the best of new tech trends, informative insights and data, as well as creative and content into new opportunities for advertisers of every size and in every industry.”
-Josh Feldman, Global Chief Marketing Officer, NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships
NBCUniversal’s 2022 slate of global Commercial Innovations was developed to drive seamless and engaging interactions between audiences and brands. By tapping into new technology, and leveraging data and insights, the company is opening up new opportunities for marketers to step into the metaverse, develop advertising and custom creative in highly relevant, contextual environments, and more – all fueled by the leading media and technology company’s creative and storytelling expertise.
The newest slate of Commercial Innovations includes:
- Attention Lab blends the art and science of brand creative with rigorous attention metrics testing, including eye tracking that illuminates physical dips and spikes in consumer attention. With deep insight into viewers’ attention, and the impact of advertiser creative, marketers can adjust their messages to ensure maximum viewer attention, brand affinity, and emotional connection.
- Retro Ads lean into the engaging impact of nostalgia with custom creative designed specifically to reflect a particular era that contextually aligns with the time period of the show.
- AR Portal brings fans beyond the limits of the television screen and uses NBCU’s AR technology to provide a pathway into the metaverse. This mobile-led initiative allows fans to experience the content they love in an immersive environment, and gives brands a new opportunity to connect with audiences.
- Picture-in-Picture Expanded Storytelling extends audiences’ favorite programming with new interactive content experiences that take place in a branded digital or social environment. Leveraging NBCU QR codes to initiate this second-screen experience, fans can get more of the content they love, that also aligns with advertisers’ messages.
- The Shop Drop leverages NBCU’s local-to-global scale to create a symphony of commerce-enabled activations for a brand’s upcoming product launch. By combining the reach of NBCUniversal’s One Platform Commerce and the tentpole moments that consumers crave, Shop Drop drives marquee attention for brands, while drumming up engaging shoppable opportunities for consumers to transact at the point of inspiration.
- Double Box Creative in Context leverages Contextual Intelligence to bring a brand’s custom spot to life alongside highly relevant IP. Taking place in a double box format that appears next to programming, viewers will experience highly relevant and engaging advertising alongside their favorite content, driving deep relevance for the brand’s message.
- NBCU Social Studio puts a brand front and center in the social sphere during the watercooler pop culture moments and trending conversations that engage and excite consumers. Tapping into the scale of One Platform’s social channels, and combining NBCUniversal’s premium content, brands can align themselves to the hottest topics of the day in natural, authentic ways.
- Interactive Countdown Clock aligns marketers with the hype and excitement of a new program premiere or launch. From the red carpet to the sports arena, the Bravosphere and more, advertisers can give fans waiting on the edge of their seats more of the content they crave in an interactive experience unlocked by NBCU QR codes.
- Sequential Storytelling, originally unveiled at One22, leverages a specific, targeted audience segment built with NBCUnified first-party data to tell a brand’s story over time, and take audiences on a journey through the funnel. With Sequential Storytelling, marketers can pique consumers’ interest on one channel, deepen their engagement in a second ad to drive consideration, and eventually inspire them to purchase in a final, commerce-enabled spot.
Over the last five years, NBCUniversal has grown and evolved its commitment to Commercial Innovation – expanding into new commerce and content opportunities, as well as new ad formats and products available across linear and digital channels. To date, the company has brought over 60 Commercial Innovations to market, collectively driving meaningful scale for brands in every industry. Specifically, consumers who engage with Commercial Innovations are 88 percent more likely to remember a brand, 79 percent less likely to change the channel, and shoppable-enabled activations are consistently twice as effective as traditional ads.
The latest innovations unveiled at One22, on Peacock at the Newfront, and now today, demonstrate NBCUniversal’s partnership commitment, both for viewers and advertisers alike, as the company heads into the Upfront later this month.
ABOUT NBCUNIVERSAL:
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a premium ad-supported streaming service. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
