AOL Canada’s head of advertising revenue Susan Byng says she noticed right away how engaged media agencies were at the company’s annual NewFront presentation in New York.
“Groups were leaning forward and taking a ton of notes,” said Byng. “Their body language and their actions in the meeting were very different from when we’re just doing a standard pitch.”
AOL presented a total of 15 shows – including seven made-in-Canada productions – to Canadian agency groups at the NewFronts; Omnicom, IPG and Dentsu Aegis snatched up all of the inventory within 48 hours of the packages being presented. Last year, GroupM agencies purchased all of AOL’s video inventory.
“We basically said ‘We’re open for business’ and made it very clear that it was first come, first serve” said Byng, noting that a “scarcity” of premium online video content helped drive agency demand.
Byng said online video has become one of the most competitive sectors within digital. A reported 34 media companies – with newcomers like Buzzfeed and Vice joining returnees like AOL and Yahoo – showcased their online content for agencies during this year’s event.
In a release, AOL Canada GM Joe Strolz said ubiquitous internet access and growing adoption of tablets and smartphones are “fundamentally changing” the way Canadians access and consume content. “This is why we are investing in the creation of made-in-Canada content, purpose-built for the connected consumer, in partnership with Canadian media agencies,” said Strolz.
All of the AOL ad packages include content integration, pre-roll video, sponsorship and rich media units, as well as access to the company’s video syndication service, Be On.
In addition to eight global properties announced during last week’s NewFronts in New York, AOL is set to launch seven new Canadian-made series on its Huffington Post, AOL.ca and AOL On properties.
The new programs are designed as “snackable” content for the mobile generation, with individual episodes ranging in length from five to eight minutes. All properties are “advertiser-friendly” said Byng.
The new series include:
- We Salute You, which focuses on veterans and how they’ve helped others, honouring their contributions by making a “positive impact” on their lives;
- I’m Sold, which looks at the Canadian real estate market through the lens of its various personalities and locations;
- Say It, Make It, Eat It, which features chefs and celebrity chefs cooking some of the hardest-to-pronounce food items in the world and teaching viewers how to say them, make them and eat them;
- Apparently, which looks at the life of kids and their parents through a GoPro camera, complete with humorous voiceover commentary;
- Mama’s Wisdom, which features celebrity moms and their mothers sharing their “must-know” pieces of wisdom with their kids;
- Makers Canada, the global storytelling platform and the largest online collection of women’s stories;
- Femmes D’Action, AOL’s first French-language feature showcasing influential women innovating and changing the world around them;
All of the programs will be locally produced by AOL Canada’s video team, and are among the first projects from the media company’s in-house studio, which is set to open next month.
The online giant announced it is shifting its focus to a year-round video strategy, known as “Content 365,” that is focused on delivering both long and short-form video across multiple screens. AOL video currently reaches 10.5 million unique viewers in Canada.
AOL has bundled properties into various verticals to make it easier for agency groups to slot clients into the appropriate programs.
For example, Amplifi, Densu Aegis Network’s media investment arm, is acquiring all inventory for AOL’s collection of parenting, lifestyle and entertainment-focused series, including the Canadian series Say It, Make It, Eat It, Apparently and Mama’s Wisdom, as well as the global series Journey to the Draft and Being Mum.
IPG Mediabrands is the exclusive partner for a suite of lifestyle, entertainment and tech-focused content, with UM Canada having launch access to the Canadian shows Femmes D’Action as well as the global series Mr. Leto’s Project and Citizen Mars.
Omnicom Media Group is the exclusive launch partner for specific shows, including the Canadian series We Salute You and I’m Sold, as well as the global programs Park Bench with Steve Buscemi and Making a Scene.
In its most recent advertising expenditure forecast, ZenithOptimedia projected online video advertising to grow by 29% through 2017, propelled by better and bigger smartphone displays, and improved transmission technology like 4G.
News of AOL’s Canadian content lineup and sold out inventory drops a day after Verizon announce it’s buying AOL for about $4.4 billion in a friendly deal that advances the telecom’s push in both mobile and advertising fields. The deal will include AOL Canada and the Huffington Post’s Canadian operation and gives Verizon an entry into the increasingly competitive online video space.
AOL owns The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget, Makers and AOL.com.
A Verizon spokesman said the AOL business will continue to be under the leadership of its chairman and chief executive, Tim Armstrong, and no major changes to the operations are anticipated.
