Sky Media this morning announced the launch of a new AI-powered creative toolkit, designed to make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make fit-for-TV ads. The launch comes amid a widespread push from broadcasters across the US and Europe to tap into more spend from smaller businesses, competing for budgets which would likely otherwise be directed towards the big tech platforms.
The toolkit integrates Waymark, an AI-powered creative product which makes TV ads based on content from a brand’s website. Waymark can create either 10-, 15-, or 30-second ads which can be tailored to specific audiences and locations. Sky Media’s toolkit also incorporates the Clearcast BCAP approval process to ensure that ads generated are compliant with UK TV ad standards.
Alongside these core ad creation components, the toolkit will also offer capabilities covering creative intelligence, targeting, and outcome prediction.
The creative intelligence tools are provided by DAIVID, an ad tech business which uses AI to predict the emotional response likely to be generated by a particular piece of creative. So advertisers will be able to test any ads generated by Waymark and compare their scores against both global and category-specific benchmarks. Sky Media says it has mapped the emotional profile of over 1,500 ads, providing these benchmarks.
Targeting will be available through Sky’s addressable linear product AdSmart, as well as its regular targeting capabilities provided for on-demand campaigns. Targeting options include geo-targeting, drive-time targeting, and deterministic audience targeting based on verified data.
Finally, outcome prediction will be powered by Sky Media’s effectiveness databank ‘Norman’. Using this dataset, the toolkit will help advertisers gauge the likely impact of their TV investments based on the size of their business, their category, and their budget.
Breaking down barriers to new entrants
Sky has been going after SME ad spend for a long time, with AdSmart’s 2014 launch opening up targeting opportunities on linear inventory, making it more appropriate for smaller businesses.
But targeting is just one part of the picture. Making TV-quality creative is a major barrier, as is the uncertainty which comes from investing in a new and unfamiliar media channel. This new toolkit is designed to help break down these barriers.
While creative is (correctly) frequently listed as a big blocker for SMEs when it comes to investing in TV, the outcome prediction element of this new toolkit could prove crucial. It’s hard for advertisers, particularly smaller businesses with tight budgets and limited resources, to spend their budgets on any channel where they can’t be sure of the outcome. Giving companies confidence in how their campaigns will deliver has been a key component of Meta and Google’s success in attracting SME ad spend, and TV needs similar capabilities if it wants to compete for those same budgets.
“TV has always set the standard for attention and trust, but the creative process can feel like a barrier for many smaller businesses,” said Steven McHenry, investment director of Sky Media. “Our new AI-powered toolkit removes that barrier. It allows brands who are new to TV to create cost-effective ads, test and refine them, and launch campaigns with real confidence in their impact.”
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