Vizio Rolls Out Personalized Content Initiative in NewFronts Debut

Vizio is serious about bringing ad dollars over from streaming. In the company’s first ever NewFronts presentation, Vizio provided updates across all its businesses and announced a new, data-informed programming arm, Vizio Features. “We own the hardware, the operating system and the data flowing through our platform,” Mike O’Donnell, CRO platform business, said during the presentation. “We believe that's a key advantage because it powers solutions that enabled great experiences for the viewer, the advertiser and our content partners.” Vizio plans to leverage that advantage in this year's upfront talks, as linear viewing continues to decline. “How do we responsibly move dollars from linear to streaming? Consumers have made it abundantly clear: 'We wanted streaming, we wanted over-the-top,'” Adam Bergman, vp of sales for Vizio, told Adweek. “Moving the advertising business into that space is really what this show is about.” In the first quarter of 2019, 57% of consumer viewing time on Vizio televisions was spent in a linear environment. As of the fourth quarter of 2020, that linear percentage shrunk to just 34%. And 48% of Vizio owners don’t have a traditional pay TV subscription. “We've been really clear from day one about who our audience is, what a Vizio consumer looks like and what their appetite for streaming is," Bergman said. “There's obviously this seismic shift in the marketplace.” Vizio Features is a data-informed content offering that pairs together Vizio’s first-party viewership data distribution and targeting capabilities with mainstream and emerging content partners. “This offering gives us the ability to deliver brand content solutions to our advertisers, while delivering great entertainment to our streaming customers,” Steve DeMain, Vizio’s vp of engagement, said during the NewFronts presentation. “By knowing what our viewers are watching on our TVs in both linear and streaming, we can make informed decisions on the types of content that will resonate best with our viewers on our [ad-supported streaming service] WatchFree. By taking it to the next level, we can also ensure that we deliver the right content to the right consumers.” The company is also launching new dedicated channels for the LGBTQ+ community, home and DIY, live concerts, true crime and more. “For advertisers, Vizio Features represents the perfect chance to reach our unique audience alongside exclusive content that was made specifically for the viewers watching,” DeMain said. New advanced advertising offerings Vizio also highlighted three of its advanced advertising products in an effort to lure buyers. Advanced advertising "allows us to deliver a personal advertising experience for viewers. And for advertisers, it enables you to optimize campaign planning, targeting and measurement,” Travis Hockersmith, vp of platform services, said during the presentation. The company unveiled the next evolution of Household Connect, which enables advertisers to target consumers on other devices based on what is viewed on their Vizio smart TVs. For example, if a viewer is served a QSR ad around dinner time through their Vizio TV, that same advertiser can complement the experience across mobile devices, computers or even other smart TV devices in the household. “What makes Vizio’s Household Connect offering differentiated in the marketplace is that our industry-leading glass level data set allows us to do low latency retargeting within seconds of ad exposure,” Hockersmith said. Just last week, Vizio teamed up with Verizon Media in a deal that allows advertisers to extend the reach and frequency of their Vizio CTV campaigns while reinforcing brand messaging on additional screens, both inside and outside of the home. Vizio also emphasized its True Incremental Reach product, which uncovers the percentage of ad impressions that hit unreachable households that are not exposed to advertising on linear or broadcast formats. “As viewers shift away from linear towards over-the-top connected TV viewing, this number is only going to become more important,” Hockersmith said. The final ad offering, Universal Frequency Control, allows brands to set limits on how often a spot is delivered via Vizio's CTV offering. All of the products are currently available in the marketplace.