LinkedIn, the business-networking site, said it is getting into the connected TV ad business, working with NBCUniversal on one of its new offerings.
LinkedIn has been running in-stream video ads on its site and said the expansion into CTV will help business advertisers get their message in front of the 1 billion LinkedIn members, many of whom are business-to-business decision-makers.
Advertisers can access LinkedIn CTV through the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. The ads stream across publishers including Roku and Samsung Ads, with DoubleVerify measuring brand safety.
“We are thrilled to unveil our new Connected TV offering, uniquely designed to help B2B marketers effectively reach their target audience in the comfort of their households,’ said Sanjay Dubey, VP of engineering, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.
“This tool is powered by data from our LinkedIn Economic Graph and AI algorithms to empower our customers to connect with the right professional audience through streaming television content," Dubey said. " From our initial tests, customers have reported seeing significant improvement in brand lift, as well as lower funnel outcomes for audiences exposed to CTV campaigns.”
Another ad product, LinkedIn Premiere, is designed to reach decision-makers watching ads in NBCU’s premium content.
“In today’s television landscape, reaching strategic audiences in a premium environment is key to developing media plans that perform,” Dominick Vangeli, senior VP & general manager of advanced advertising at NBCU, said. “By partnering with LinkedIn, NBCUniversal can give our marketing partners unique access to business decision-makers who are already watching our brand-safe, diverse and culture-defining content. This collaborative solution continues our momentum of building an audience-first media ecosystem to deliver a curated and relevant experience for viewers, as well as an optimal and effective strategy for advertisers.”
LinkedIn said it is working with measurement and research companies including iSpot.tv to estimate advanced audiences and Kantar for brand-lift studies.
“Using iSpot, you’re able to measure your effectiveness in reaching B2B audiences across platforms, like linear and CTV, for the first time,“ LinkedIn said. “By leveraging Kantar, you can get deep, actionable insights about how your campaign leads to a lift in brand awareness, affinity, or resonance among your target B2B audience.”
With a 34% increase in business people viewing events on the site, LinkedIn added, it is testing Live Event ads.
“This new, global format helps you promote your company’s live event before, during and after it takes place, dynamically adjusting based on when it occurs,” LinkedIn said.
LinkedIn said its Campaign Manager enables users to choose an objective, determine a target audience, set a budget and schedule, launch a campaign and measure its impact in terms of revenue attribution, conversions and brand lift.
