Media Briefing: Publishers continue to push advertisers to check out their shoppable video pitches

By Tim Peterson

In this week’s Media Briefing, media editor Kayleigh Barber checks in on how publishers’ attempts to win over advertisers with their shoppable video and livestream shopping programs are going.

Market check: shoppable video
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Join us virtually for the Digiday Commerce Publishers Forum taking place next Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. where you’ll hear from leaders at BuzzFeed, Vice, Vox Media and more. You’ll also gain access to the Commerce Week Town Hall happening next Tuesday at 11 a.m. ET.

Market check: shoppable video

The key hits:

Ad buyers are interested in both shoppable video and livestream shopping, but publishers will have to compete against platforms to win deals.
Condé Nast is boasting a slate of new shoppable shows that are tied to existing franchises in order to win over advertisers.
Vice Media is hoping to earn one-third of its revenue from commerce by 2024 and is looking to livestream shopping as a vehicle for achieving that goal.

Shoppable video has been touted by some retailers, publishers and platforms as the next big trend in online commerce in the U.S. for a couple years now, especially as livestream shopping has become a nearly $300 billion business in China. But the slow adoption rate from audiences, as well as advertisers, may indicate that additional value is necessary to get all parties on board.

And after the Newfronts, it’s clear that publishers and platforms are eager to prove to advertisers that the time is now to jump into the shoppable video and livestream shopping space, using existing IP and innovative ad spots to sweeten the deal.

During last week’s hoopla, Condé Nast announced a new slate of shows with shoppable capabilities and streaming platforms like Roku announced new ad spots that allow readers to buy products from their TV screen. Meanwhile, publishers like Vice Media and BuzzFeed are leaning harder on innovative commerce offerings like live streaming, as a means to increase affiliate commissions and be seen as an authority in product recommendations.

But all of this experimentation could in vain if brands aren’t willing to back these projects with advertising revenue, especially since affiliate commissions have wavered a bit in the past few months due to supply chain issues and consumers returning to in-person shopping.

It begs the question — can publishers that are bullish about video commerce convince advertisers and ad buyers that their approaches to live shopping and shoppable video are worth paying for in ad campaigns?

Finding the ‘natural next steps’ in the buyers’ journey

Vice Media’s chief digital officer Cory Haik noted that advertisers are more willing than ever to include written commerce integrations into their digital media buys.

From the first quarter of 2021 to the same quarter in 2022, Haik said the number of brands that have come to Vice Media asking for direct affiliate deals in written commerce content has increased by nearly 1,000%, which she …read more

Source:: Digiday