Today’s Commexis Cast discusses the growing popularity of eSports and the vast marketing potentials waiting to be seized. The Overwatch League (OWL) will begin having its games aired on the Disney, ESPN, and ABC family of networks. The partnership began at the onset of the OWL playoffs and is planned to continue in a multi-year deal that will broadcast future seasons of the league on ESPN, ESPN2, Disney XD, ABC, and streaming services. This isn’t the first time esports will air on ESPN or Disney XD, but it is aimed to be quite lucrative. Blizzard Entertainment, owners of Overwatch, are…
Matt McGrorty - July 23, 2018
Today’s Commexis Cast discusses Amazon’s Influencer Program, a feature that hasn’t gotten as much publicity as you’d expect from an Amazon service. The program quietly launched in March 2017 in an invite-only beta test for influencers with a high follower count, then shortly opened to submissions for approval. Influencers chosen for the program were able to have a vanity URL that linked to a storefront allowing users to purchase Amazon product curated by the influencer, who received a small percentage. Influencers can customize their storefronts and include YouTube videos and Instagram pictures of the products. This may remind you of…
Matt McGrorty - July 20, 2018
Today’s Commexis Cast discusses a problem facing many brands: Facebook’s automated political ad authorization system is blocking non-political ads, some for keywords that are reminiscent of politics, and some that are not. Following the revelations in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, as well as evidence of attempted Russian interference and influence on the 2016 presidential election through Facebook ads, the social media giant has been working to reduce the chances of such controversy while also making political advertising on the platform more transparent. To that end, Facebook instated a political ads policy in May that requires individuals who wish to run…
Matt McGrorty - July 19, 2018
Today’s Commexis Cast discusses publishers finding more success this year with Facebook midroll ads than previously expected. Is this a sign of more midroll ad to come? Digiday’s Sahil Patel spoke to six publishers about their stats with Facebook’s video ad breaks program. In essence, advertisers could place midroll ads in videos that were at least 3 minutes long, with at least 1 minute of uninterrupted video before the ad would play. This is one opportunity, along with Facebook Watch, that aims to help creators monetize their videos. While the program wasn’t delivering much in 2017, the tide seems to…
Matt McGrorty - July 18, 2018
Today’s Commexis Cast discusses three important influencer marketing concepts discussed at VidCon: trust, authenticity, and creative control. Vidcon, a convention full of panels by creators and brands on how to make influencer marketing more successful, had upwards of 30,000 attendees; some fans eager to meet their favorite creators, some brands looking for marketing potential, and some creators hoping to say hello to viewers and brands. Nicole Bitette on V by Viacom wrote about the panels during the convention, which ran late last month. The event’s keynote featured Brian Solis, the principal analyst of Altimeter Group, who made a point that, as…
Matt McGrorty - July 17, 2018