• by Wayne Friedman , 6 hours ago

As part of its upfront TV presentation efforts, Warner Bros. Discovery is launching multiple efforts for brands and their media buyers -- new ad platforms that can better manage media campaigns on its networks, as well as intellectual property (IP) content availability for creative campaigns.

WBD is starting up “WBD Storyverse” -- an effort that allows longtime WBD content of films and TV series to be used in advertisers’ brand campaigns.

One example is Unilever's recreation of a classic scene from the Warner Bros. movie “When Harry Met Sally” in a commercial for Hellmann’s mayonnaise. The spot ran in the Super Bowl earlier this year.

Now the company says it will open up its IP rights to its film and TV content including “Elf," “Harry Potter,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Matrix," “Family Matters” and “Friends” for other campaigns.

Advertisers and brands can activate its content for licensed products and promotions, strategic sponsorships, co-branded ads, and custom content featuring program talent.

In addition, WBD is starting up two new media platforms for advertisers: NEO and DemoDirect.

NEO gives media buyers access to WBD’s entire premium video inventory across streaming, linear, FAST, and syndication -- through one user interface for better transparency and outcomes.

DemoDirect is a linear advertising platform to streamline demographic-based buying across WBD’s networks, which WBD says can be a complicated task. 
The platform will also make it easier for advertisers to reach key audiences with one plan, one CPM, and one invoice, according to the company.