Warner Bros. Discovery has launched WBD AIM (Audience Insights and Measurement), a new first-party data-based offering, in major markets across EMEA, APAC, and Latin America. The new offering will be available for targeting and measurement across WBD properties including Max, CNN, discovery+, and Eurosport.
Warner Bros. Discovery already offers first-party data for targeting and measurement across a section of its ad inventory. But AIM streamlines the overall data offering, drawing in data from WBD’s consumer touchpoints and making it accessible across the media company’s portfolio.
WBD says AIM will broaden its audience targeting capabilities, combining data ranging from registration and behaviour to intent and purchase. It will also feature a bolstered contextual offering, which WBD says will help optimise campaigns and drive up ROI.
“As media consumption undergoes a profound transformation, traditional targeting strategies are evolving. This fundamental shift underscores the importance for media owners to harness the power of first-party data and audiences,” said Mike Rich, head of ad sales and brand partnerships at Warner Bros. Discovery Global & UK&I. “WBD AIM allows us to navigate these complexities and tailor content and marketing efforts with precision across multiple touchpoints,.”
Post-merger unification
This sort of unification has been a priority for most large international media businesses in recent years. These companies have a tonne of first-party data, thanks to their size and the number of different channels where they engage with audiences. But their size also means that a lot of this data often remains siloed in different parts of the business.
This is especially true where media companies have made significant mergers or acquisitions in recent years (as is the case with Warner Bros. Discovery, which itself was the result of a merger of two very large media companies). Mergers and acquisitions bring together pre-existing data products, and these will likely use different types of data, which may be formatted or defined differently. And while these still have value post-merger, a lot of extra value can be unlocked by unifying data across a company’s entire portfolio.
In WBD’s case, the company chose to build off of technology already in use at CNN. But adapting this technology to cover new markets and other media types takes time, and WBD says AIM will continue to evolve.
The company will fold in data from other channels including gaming, theatrical, consumer products and experiences. And WBD says it will continue to develop products and services that will enhance measurement capabilities, brand lift, and incremental reach.
