YouTube certainly has reach, but its content doesn\u2019t always lend itself to precise brand alignment. That\u2019s where smaller digital players like Studio71 can differentiate themselves, according to MediaCom\u2019s Renee Badigian.<\/p>\n
In this interview with Beet.TV at the Digital Content NewFronts 2018, Badigian, who is Account Lead at the GroupM media agency, talks about why consumers are more sensitive than ever to brand alignment with content and the utility of downloadable video content from Hulu. And she predicts a heyday for audio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Studio71<\/a> actually had a really interesting approach\u201d consisting of computer-driven text and image screening plus a third variable that\u2019s not always found, says Badigian. \u201cThey actually have a human element, which I thought was really interesting because not all publishers or content creators are doing that. And it allows them to really understand what\u2019s the difference between maybe a child holding a water gun versus an actual weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n While she doesn\u2019t think there\u2019s a \u201csolve\u201d yet for the overarching issue of brand safety in digital environments, \u201cIt\u2019s a very sensitive area and I think it\u2019s one that we\u2019re going to have to be more careful about as advertisers and people as consumers are going to be looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about tactics for brand alignment, Badigian<\/a> says a client might be getting \u201cgreat reach\u201d out of YouTube but not all of the content the client is aligning with on the platform might not be relevant enough to the actual brand or product. \u201cI think that\u2019s where a lot of these smaller publishers or content creators are really important for us because their content might be more customizable to our brand,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cStudio71 has a lot of different content integration opportunities where you can more tightly weave your brand into that platform. They really do have a ton of very loyal followers.\u201d<\/p>\n In this interview<\/a>, Studio71 Media Sales EVP Matt Crowley explains the company\u2019s vetting process.<\/p>\n Badigian says Hulu\u2019s NewFronts announcement about viewers being able to download content, including programming containing ads, is a nod to the reality that people don\u2019t always consume video in the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes we\u2019re in our homes, sometimes we\u2019re in a train, sometimes we\u2019re in a plane. So downloadable content\u2019s important because we\u2019re not always online even though we probably always want to be online.\u201d<\/p>\n More details can be found in this interview<\/a> with Hulu\u2019s Peter Naylor.<\/p>\n Badigian was surprised she didn’t hear much about audio content at the NewFronts, given the ascendance of podcasts and similar formats. “I think video had its heyday. I think audio is about to have one.”<\/p>\n