BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC, and BBC News has announced the global launch of the all-new BBC.com and BBC app, transforming the way digital audiences read, watch, and find the BBC’s renowned journalism and storytelling outside of the UK. Available to users worldwide, the new website and app boast an updated design and navigation along with more of the trusted, impartial journalism that consumers rely on the BBC for across the world. The new BBC.com and BBC app also allow for a more premium and sustainable commercial offering with ad tech enhancements that unlock new opportunities for advertisers.The BBC app, which replaces the International BBC News app, brings together content from across the BBC, for the first time ever. The app mirrors the refreshed BBC.com experience, offering stories and videos across Business, Innovation, Culture, Travel, Earth and more, alongside News, Sport, and live coverage. The BBC app is available for download today in the App Store for Apple users and for Android devices via Google Play.Tara Maitra, Chief Commercial Officer, BBC Global Media & Streaming, BBC Studios, said: “We are excited to bring the new website and brand-new BBC app to audiences and partners around the globe, following a successful first introduction to consumers in North America,” said “These new digital products deliver an experience as premium as our news and storytelling and offers us the opportunity for future growth as we remain focused on finding new and innovative ways to make BBC content more easily accessible across the globe.”Naja Nielsen, Digital Director for BBC News, said: “We know there is huge appetite for impartial BBC News journalism as we report – without an agenda – on the burning issues of our time. Thanks to our independent journalism, the BBC is the world’s most trusted international news media organisation, reaching more than 400 million people each week. As we expand and develop our global digital newsroom, I am thrilled our new global app and website will provide an excellent experience and much better showcase our world-beating journalism”.BBC.com, which re-launched in North America last December, and the BBC app allow users to engage with the BBC’s content in a more cohesive experience. Some of the changes to the website and app include:New Homepage: The new BBC.com homepage and home screen now include a mix of the biggest global news stories of the moment plus a selection of timely and relevant features, curated by BBC editors.New Look, Same Trusted News: Visitors looking to dig deeper into what’s happening around the globe can navigate to News to find articles, videos, and live coverage. Those looking for news from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East can find it in the World section under News.New Sections: BBC's arts and entertainment coverage in Culture, technology, health and science in Innovation, and sustainability and environment in Earth. Sport, Business and Travel continue to offer agenda-setting stories from around the world, as well as the thought-provoking features readers have come to love from the BBC.More BBC Videos: New Video section offers an extensive library of BBC videos and multimedia storytelling featuring content ranging from news and sport updates to captivating stories on climate, sustainability, science, health, entertainment, and history.More Live Coverage: New Live section makes it easier to find live news updates and live global sport coverage as they unfold.Up-to-the-Minute Breaking News Alerts: Audiences can sign up to receive the same breaking news notifications they always have.The BBC Direct to your Inbox: Discover our newsletters, including The News Briefing, US Election Unspun, Tech Decoded, Future Earth, The Essential List and the brand-new In HistoryThe new website and app, together, create a streamlined digital ecosystem that makes it easier than ever for audiences worldwide to discover a wider array of BBC content. The consistent, unified layout across web and app results not only in an improved user experience, but the unified, single product suite also allows for more opportunities and flexibility for advertising and sponsorship across both web and app.Advertising partners can now take advantage of more premium high impact ad units that live seamlessly alongside the BBC’s content, making for a more effective consumer journey. Marketers will also benefit from advanced targeting capabilities featuring more sophisticated audience intelligence, segmentation, and attribution that connects campaigns across web and app products, delivering enhanced measurable results for partners.These new digital platforms and features, coupled with research that shows advertising within news can drive business results, together bolster the opportunity for marketers to reach the coveted BBC.com audience of engaged and informed news consumers. In fact, according to the IAB1, advertising in news creates a halo effect, with consumers more likely to consider making a purchase after being exposed to a brand’s advertisement within their preferred news sources. Findings show that 90% of consumers have either a positive or neutral response to brands that advertise within news, while nearly half of consumers find brands that advertise in the news to be more customer-focused and engaging, more innovative, and relevant to them. The study from the IAB reinforces internal findings into the aggregated performance of advertising on BBC.com, which show an 80%+ average lift in likelihood to recommend and consideration across key categories.2BBC.com and the BBC app are the latest step in the company’s ongoing digital transformation, and is supported by its investment in North America, which includes an expanded newsroom that facilitates deeper analysis and local expertise of the regional stories affecting the world. Recently, the company also launched the BBC News FAST channel in the U.S. across leading services, more than doubling the channel’s reach in the region. Ranked as the most trusted news broadcaster in the world, the BBC is driven by its public service mission and editorial guidelines and standards for which the organization is known.The development and operation of BBC.com and the BBC app is driven by BBC Studios Global Media & Streaming division, which leverages the power of the BBC to reach and engage audiences worldwide. GM&S is responsible for the distribution and advertising of BBC News globally outside of the U.K. GM&S is a division of BBC Studios, the BBC Group’s commercial arm that helps to fund innovation, internationally recognized programming, and the organization’s public service mission.

A big screen, professional content, the company of others, and a better mood combine to make the living room the perfect place for advertisingThe living room is the environment at home that’s best suited for advertising to succeed. That’s the key finding from a new study of video advertising that examined where in the home advertising was most likely to be remembered – and why.The ‘Context Effects’ study – jointly conducted by Map The Territory and Tapestry Research, and commissioned by Thinkbox – has identified the key factors influencing in-home video advertising performance and how they combine to help advertisers achieve success.Key findings include:High quality, professionally-made video content drives 60% higher ad recall than non-professionalPeople are 44% more likely to trust advertising seen within professional contentTV screens drive the highest advertising recall: 34% more than ads seen on a computer, 60% more than on a tablet/smartphoneAudio is important: having a soundbar in a viewing occasion on a TV screen increases ad recall by 20%Ad recall increases by 23% when watching with othersTV is the social medium: 44% of TV is watched together with others, compared with 10% for YouTubeThe right in-home advertising context can increase ad recall by up to 6.3 timesWhy is the living room great for advertising?The study identified four key contextual factors that drive ad recall at home. In order of influence, these were:Watching professional video contentThe TV screenBeing with companyOur moodThe researchers found that the living room offers by far the most powerful combination of these four factors and is the environment at home that’s best suited for advertising to succeed. When advertising was experienced in the living room, respondents had significantly better ad recall than in any other room of the house. The study found that the living room is:176% better at driving ad recall than the kitchen10% better than the bedroom22% better than all the other rooms in the houseThe primacy of professional contentThe living room is used overwhelmingly to watch professionally-produced content on a TV set, with this accounting for 80.2% of living room video viewing (source: Barb). Only 5.1% of living room viewing is to non-professional video content watched on the TV set – for example, user-generated content uploaded to YouTube. The remainder is other uses of TV sets, for example gaming.The study discovered that ad recall is much higher from occasions involving professionally-produced content compared with non-professional content, with 60% higher ad recall for professional content vs. non-professional content.People are also 44% more likely to trust an advert seen within professional content and 39% more likely to find the advertising entertaining.Statistical analysis used in the study revealed that seeing advertising within professional video content not only directly drives ad recall but also indirectly; professional content is enjoyed more by viewers and enjoyment itself is a significant driver of ad recall.Bigger the screen, bigger the memoriesThe study found that people are more likely to remember advertising if they see it on a big screen – and they are also likely to enjoy the occasion more.In the research, TV screens drove the highest ad recall: 34% more than advertising seen on a computer, 60% more than on a tablet/smartphone.The quality of audio was also significant, as well as the size of the screen. Having a soundbar in a viewing occasion on a TV screen was found to increase ad recall by 20%.Advertising works harder when it’s seen with othersThe study found that ad recall increased by 23% when watching with others, underlining the importance of shared environments to advertising performance.According to Barb, 89% of shared viewing occasions happen in the living room, compared with 7% in the bedroom, 2% in the kitchen, and 3% in other rooms.Social media is not that socialBarb data shows that TV is the shared medium. Across all its forms, 44% of TV is watched jointly (42% of live TV, 50% of playback, 44% of BVOD, and 43% of SVOD). In comparison, only 10% of YouTube is watched together with other people.The study found that non-professional video content isn’t well suited to the living room. The living room is a social space but online social media are increasingly tailored to specific individual tastes. Despite their name, social media look increasingly personal rather than social.Advertising that is placed around non-professional content is better suited for personal, more targeted tastes. However the research identified a risk of advertising being skipped when it is encountered in this more private content, as it could come between the viewer and their most personal interests.The home of quality contentBy measuring the contextual factors influencing ad recall, the study identified that for the best combination of in-home factors (in the living room, watching professional content on a TV set with others, feeling satisfied with the occasion) average ad recall was 32.5%.Compared to the weakest combination of factors (in the kitchen, watching non-professional content on your own – 5.1% ad recall on average) this shows that the right in-home advertising context can increase ad recall by up to 6.3 times.Matt Hill, Research and Planning Director, Thinkbox: “TV is the social medium. It brings people together and gets ads talked about. Every night there are nearly 5 million conversations about the ads on commercial TV. Great planners have long argued the case for the power of context and this study provides the proof that it really does make a huge difference – even room to room. What’s clear from this research is that TV is uniquely placed to deliver the context that delivers memorability: big screen, professionally produced, viewed together, and mood enhancing.”Andy Davidson, Co-Founder of Map The Territory: “To understand why advertising is so effective in the living room you need to understand why people are there. We learned that people don’t only gather to watch TV, they also watch TV to gather. In this context all shared content, from the hot new drama to a regular video ad, is working in the higher service of bringing that household a little closer together. It’s all useful, so ads are more accepted, relevant, enjoyed, and ultimately more memorable. In contrast, social media is, ironically, much more personal, and this anti-social content – and advertising around it – is less suited to the shared living room environment.”Ian Wright, Joint Managing Director of Tapestry Research: “Understanding the impact of context on ad recall is difficult to do, and not something that we measure through direct questioning of consumers. Instead, we asked viewers a number of simple questions – such as ‘what did you watch yesterday?’ and ‘who were you with?’– and then used advanced modelling techniques to understand what’s going on in people’s homes in relation to ad recall. What emerged was that the living room offers a complex and powerful set of factors that combine to drive higher ad recall.”MethodologyThe study employed a range of research methods to gain a rounded view of advertising context.Map The Territory applied qualitative and videographic methods to observe viewing habits, and undertook consultations with academic cognitive psychologists and anthropologists to explain viewing habits.Tapestry Research utilised quantitative research and sophisticated statistical analysis (Structural Equation Modelling) to understand how different factors impact directly and indirectly on advertising effectiveness.The qualitative phase involved 20 UK households that were representative of household type, class, age, race, sexuality. In 10 of the households we observed them naturally over a 7-day period and conducted a series of experiments with their viewing contexts – forcing them apart, to watch in different rooms, on different devices, watching different content – before going in to meet them in home to interview them on their experiences.The quantitative phase included a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK consumers aged 18-75 who had watched video content via any source the previous day. Part of this survey incorporated a detailed viewing diary that took each respondent through up to three viewing occasions from the previous day, giving a total of 5,003 viewing occasions to analyze.Via the diary, the researchers could get extremely close to the viewing experiences, covering all aspects: where, with who, when, how - as well as their mood and mindset.For each occasion respondents had to answer a number of advertising effectiveness metrics, including ad recall, enjoyment, brand attribution, and if they took any action based on the ad.To provide context, TRP Research conducted analysis of Jan-Dec 2023 Barb data to provide detailed understanding of the amount and location of shared viewing.

WPP, one of the world's leading advertising and marketing services companies, has announced a significant development in its client offerings. This move involves the merger of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, creating a new entity known as VML. This strategic move establishes VML as the world's largest creative company, bringing together top creative agencies with world-class capabilities in commerce, customer experience, and marketing technology. VML is poised to support clients with creative brand growth strategies and transformation initiatives, bolstered by robust data operations, cutting-edge technology platforms, and partnerships with leading tech firms. Additionally, VML will offer specialized services for healthcare companies and B2B marketers.The merger is set to leverage the strengths of both agencies, making them highly complementary. It will result in a combined workforce of over 30,000 professionals across 64 global markets. The new management team will be led by Jon Cook, the new VML Global CEO, and Mel Edwards, VML Global President. Together, they aim to capitalize on the interconnectedness of brand experience, commerce, and customer experiences, with a focus on creativity and depth in customer experience and commerce.Mark Read, CEO of WPP, emphasized the importance of scale in the rapidly changing marketing landscape and stated that VML's integration of creativity and expertise in data and marketing technology will deliver a competitive edge for ambitious brands. The creation of VML aligns with WPP's ongoing efforts to reshape its offerings for the future, simplify its operations, and provide clients with fully integrated capabilities in every market.Both Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, prior to their merger, have gained recognition for their creativity and expertise, and have been celebrated by various industry awards and rankings. Their extensive capabilities have also been acknowledged by technology partners and industry analysts.The merger is expected to result in an even stronger, fully integrated suite of services for clients across the globe, responding to the demand for seamless connections between brand advertising and technology solutions.Key leadership appointments within VML include Debbi Vandeven as Global Chief Creative Officer, Eric Campbell as Global Chief Client Officer, Juan Pablo Jurado as CEO of LATAM, Ewen Sturgeon as CEO of EMEA, and Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay as Co-CEOs of APAC. The merger aims to drive growth and innovation for clients across markets, marking a significant step in the evolving landscape of modern marketing.

In a strategic move, Netflix has promoted Amy Reinhard to President of Advertising, succeeding Jeremi Gorman, who played a key role in launching Netflix's advertising division last year. Gorman, a veteran executive with experience at companies like Snap, Amazon, and Yahoo, has exited the company.The change in leadership comes as Netflix's ad-supported tier gains traction, with 5 million subscribers globally. While this represents a small percentage of Netflix's overall subscriber base, it's a crucial component of the company's strategy, especially as it implements paid password sharing.Amy Reinhard, who has been with Netflix since 2016, will now lead the advertising division. She brings a wealth of experience in content acquisition and studio operations. Reinhard's deep understanding of the entertainment industry positions her well to lead Netflix's advertising efforts.Jeremi Gorman, who built Netflix's advertising business from scratch, expressed confidence in Reinhard's leadership and the future of Netflix's advertising endeavors. Gorman is known for her ability to develop businesses from the ground up and is excited to embark on new challenges.Overall, this transition in leadership reflects Netflix's commitment to its advertising business, which is expected to generate substantial revenue in the coming years.

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is putting its massive media account up for pitch after spending $20.6 billion on advertising and promotional costs in 2022. This figure marked a significant increase from the previous year's $16.9 billion. Procter & Gamble, once considered the world's biggest advertising spender, has fallen behind with advertising costs of $8 billion in 2023, compared to $7.9 billion in 2022 and $8.2 billion in 2021, according to its financial filings.IPG Mediabrands has held Amazon's media buying account since 2017, but the company has decided to review its options. Amazon stated, "We routinely review existing business relationships with third-party vendors and partners, and based on those reviews, may decide to solicit proposals from vendors interested in working with us." The retail giant uses a variety of advertising channels, including sponsored search, social and online advertising, third-party customer referrals, and television advertising, to attract buyers to its platforms. Amazon is also a significant player in the ad space, ranking as the world's third-largest digital advertising platform, behind Google and Meta. In the June quarter, its advertising services grew by 22% to reach $10.68 billion.

Dubai: Snap, the innovative platform with 750 million active monthly users, has appointed Kate Bird as its new senior director of marketing for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Formerly the Global Vice-President of Consumer Revenue at Condé Nast, Bird will join Snap on June 19, where she will lead the EMEA marketing team.Snap aims to leverage Bird's expertise to inspire and educate advertisers, agencies, and small businesses about the platform's augmented reality (AR) formats. With her extensive experience in delivering impactful marketing campaigns, Bird will spearhead Snap's initiatives in AR, enhancing the user experience for millions of Snapchatters.Reporting to Doug Frisbie, the Global Vice-President of Global Business Marketing, Bird's appointment is expected to drive real results while embodying Snap's core values of kindness, intelligence, and creativity. Her track record of success includes her commendation from Scotland Yard for her contribution to the renowned "Run, hide, tell" campaign during her tenure as Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager for The Sun.Prior to her role at Condé Nast, Bird held various marketing positions at News UK, The Times, and The Wall Street Journal, solidifying her industry expertise and versatility.