How Roku Plans To Enhance The Advertising Experience?

Roku revealed new advertising solutions to create a better TV advertising experience for marketers in the streaming decade during its upfront presentation. The company announced innovation across the Roku Channel, Roku Brand Studio, and OneView to help marketers accelerate the transition to TV streaming.  Alison Levin, Vice President, Ad Revenue & Marketing Solutions said,

Marketers turn to Roku for data, commerce, and measurement tools that they can’t get anywhere else to accelerate the shift of ad dollars to TV streaming. This upfront, TV starts here.

The streaming company has announced a new advertising data partnership with Microsoft, as well as shoppable ads and a new video series that integrate products with content. Below are the highlights of Roku’s NewFront presentation.

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OneView streaming platform

In conjunction with Microsoft Audience Intelligence, Roku will link ad exposure with online searches and browsing through its OneView streaming advertising platform. Microsoft’s Audience Intelligence uses data from more than 7 billion Bing searches each month. The company has described the collaboration as ‘industry-first.’

A OneView’s new program for retailers will combine shoppable ads with Roku Pay so they can sell products right from ads on the TV screen. 

During the NewFront presentation to TV ad buyers, the company announced new software that enables viewers to make purchases directly from ads, using their Roku remote controls. It will be rolled out on the entire platform and exclusively in One View. In an interview with Beet.TV, Kristina Shepard, Head of Agency Partnerships & National Brand Team Lead, Roku, said,

We actually know that Roku users are five times more likely to click on an ad via their remote than scan a QR code.

With the new software, viewers will no longer need to enter a card number or address to buy straight from the ad. Shepard explained to Beet.TV,

It’ll all be pre-populated. They could see a product, enter a product page, explore images, details and click the remote with all of their information already stored, get an email from that retailer with information confirmation for their purchase and go right back to streaming.

We’re aiming to make it a frictionless seamless experience for that consumer that will obviously benefit the retailer and the marketer as well.

Roku’s other recent advertising innovations have included the launch of dynamic linear ads, adding a clean room to facilitate the use of advertisers’ first-party data, and introducing Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings audience guarantees and a watermark that validates video ads on its platform. 

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Roku Brand Studio

Roku announced its Roku Brand Studio, which was launched a year ago, as an integrated product offering at the upfronts.

Through its partnership with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, “The Short List,” will feature 12 short-form films across the drama, comedy, documentary, and animation genres.

Roku Recommends is returning for a second season in September, this time in partnership with Variety to reveal top 10 lists plus Weekly Shows called The Pop-Off, In Case You Missed It, and Live And Let DIY.

Roku Channel

A Roku Channel is a home for free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform, which enhances the TV-watching experience. Roku Channel ranked amongst the top five channels on the Roku platform in the U.S. based on active account reach and streaming hour engagement in Q1 2022.

Roku unveiled a roster of new Roku Originals programming, including seven original series for The Roku Channel to be hosted by lifestyle/cooking celebrities Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Christopher Kimball, and more.

Other renewed upcoming titles will include “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” starring Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood; “SLIP,” starring Zoe Lister-Jones; “The Great American Baking Show,” starring Paul Hollywood, and Prue Leith; and “Honest Renovations,” starring Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis,  and more.

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