“There is an amazing opportunity for us just to look at certain partners and reinvent the space. It’s no longer just about signing someone and expecting that return on investment through the years of partnership or signage in the stadium. You’re actually equity partners. This is someone that you are business with,” said Thornton.
Norton: Streamers will rely on campaign metrics to make programming decisions
There’s a lot on the line for the filmmaking community. If advertisers make the wrong promotional decisions, it’s the actors and filmmaker who pay.
“If we’re selling Grand Budapest Hotel, and Fox sprays and prays and inefficiently markets that film, Wes Anderson makes less money,” Norton said.
That’s because even streamers struggle with attribution issues. It’s not always obvious which of their programming decisions correlate with revenue bumps.
By scrutinizing ad campaign metrics, streaming companies can evaluate what content types are most likely to attract or engage audiences. An underperforming film marketing campaign that could even thwart future programming decisions.
Artificially depressed results mean programmers may inadvertently pass over certain content acquisitions, and independent film distribution will keep suffering.
But there may be an upside for filmmakers as entertainment and branding converge. Ad revenue could provide ancillary revenue streams to film industry talent, according to Norton. Last year, SAG-AFTRA members went on strike to protest, among other things, streaming’s impact on actors’ residual income opportunities.
“This is the only world where I believe in trickle-down economics. I actually do think if Netflix is making more money on advertising on top of their subscriber thing, it’s a benefit to creatives,” said Norton.
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