i3 - March/April 2020 - 10

Tech

Linda Yaccarino speaks at the NBCUniversal keynote at CES 2020, with panelists, left to right:
Ester Dean, Mandy Moore, Natalie Morales,
Yaccarino, Kate del Castillo and Terry Crews.

We'll keep building
the tallest mountain
of premium video on
the planet - because
at the end of the day,
we know content is
still queen.
and agencies partner with us on this
journey, and we're always looking for more.
If I've learned anything, it's that there's no
progress in our industry without partnership, and we're proud that the best companies turn to us and trust us as partners time
and time again. I'll say it again to anyone
who wants to change media and advertising
for the better - our door is always open.

Q How important is content and
storytelling to connect audiences
across multiple platforms?
A Great stories are the heart of everything
we do at NBCUniversal. Always have been. It
was true when we were in radio and will be
as we start streaming. Because technology
always changes. But the emotional power
of storytelling to entertain and inspire and
shape the world? That's timeless.
And we know this as viewers. Nobody
gets hung up on a network, a time slot or a
screen. People just seek out their favorites
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and see NBCUniversal as one giant home
to everything they love. They'll watch on
linear, online, on their phone, it doesn't
matter - wherever great content lives,
they find it. We'll keep building the tallest
mountain of premium video on the planet
- because at the end of the day, we know
content is still queen.
It's also why we're going all in on the One
Platform strategy I introduced at CES. One
Platform reflects how people actually watch
content, and it helps marketers reach their
target audiences wherever they watch on
our Platform with one simple buy. Because
the only way to connect with people across
multiple screens is to have the best stories
on any screen and meet people wherever
they're watching.

Q What is personalization and how
does it work?
A Good personalization puts people first.
It means that you, the viewer, see the right
ad at the right time. For the longest time,
the folks without ads have argued that
consumers don't like ads. But that's not
true. If we're thinking about buying a new
car, we want to learn about the latest models. If we're thinking about going to see a
movie, we want to know what's in theaters.
So relevant advertising adds value to the
viewing experience.
Now the question becomes, how do you
make ads relevant? CMOs know it's about
merging the art and the science, great
storytelling with great data. Because when
you have great data, you can make sure

that consumers only see ads that mean
something to them, in a context that's actually meaningful.
That's how we built Peacock. When I open
the app, the programming I see is going to
be different from what you see -because
we each want to watch something different.
The same goes for ads. They'll be tailored to
my interests, to my location, and they might
even feature talent from my favorite shows.
That's personalization. But personalization is
so much more than ads. It's about building
relationships with our consumers. In this
way, personalization - and a customer-first
mindset - should influence everything we
do: from operational and product infrastructure, R&D, to culture. In other words,
personalization, and the marketers who prioritize it, can set the tone for how an entire
company operates.

Q Will the future of entertainment be

interactive with the evolution of NBCU?

A I can't predict the future, but I know that
whatever happens, we're going to be prepared for it. That's because at NBCUniversal,
we've built our platform around the idea
that change is a constant. In some ways,
that's where we've been heading for a while.
We've already seen a half century's worth of
change in the last five years. Commercial
and content innovations. Streaming platforms. The rise of a global premium marketplace. And like you said, interactivity. And
what we have today is only the beginning.
Right now, you can see an outfit you like
on TV, scan a QR code with your phone,
and buy it within seconds. On Peacock,
you'll be able to literally explore ads -
browse the makeup counter or check out
a new car. My current favorite: you'll be
able to speak into your remote and get a
discount sent directly to your device. It's
interactive, but with a purpose.
Because here's the big takeaway -
whether we're talking about interactivity, or
new kinds of ads - the future of our business is simple: it's audiences, viewers, fans.
It's about giving you the best content, the
best advertising, and the best experience.
To do that, we're willing to change everything - to throw out every playbook. Believe
me, the best is yet to come.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

3/13/20 11:33 AM

i3 - March/April 2020

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