Streaming is at an all-time high and viewers can’t get enough. Instead of just talking about the latest things we’re watching and how we wish we could travel or have what we see on TV, it’s now easier than ever to bring these coveted things from the screen to life in our real lives. Whether it’s wearing the white slip-on Vans from Squid Game, easily booking the honeymoon suite from White Lotus or snagging the latest baking gadgets from The Great British Bakeoff, the opportunities for content to commerce are endless for content creators, retailers and brands. Here are some key tips and tricks for content to commerce done right. 

Partner to Increase Customer Loyalty

With so many options for consumers to get things delivered to their doorstep, it’s now more important than ever for retailers to provide unique differentiators to keep customers loyal. Walmart’s new partnership with Netflix does just this. Shoppers don’t need to search the competition or niche sites to find branded goods; they can easily shop them in one transaction, while also handling their regular fill-in or stock-up needs. Where a marketplace like Amazon advances is by having all of the data related to what the shopper watches and what items they like to buy in one place, allowing them to truly target the shopper with personalized recommendations as they move throughout their journey within the Amazon ecosystem. Seek out partnerships that can create a more frictionless experience and fill gaps that your current offering cannot. 

Build Seamless Shopping Moments

The days of “regular” product placement and hoping it works are over. Now, content creators, retailers and brands must strategically develop monetization strategies that will motivate buyers. This isn’t new — Target was creating owned and partner shoppable content all the way back in 2014 for sitcom Cougar Town. It was great and a step in the right direction, but today’s tech enables a more seamless and targeted experience, where a purchase can be made in just a few clicks. Content creators aren’t limited to shows: As a brand, branded merchandise or access to special events are gold. With all of the consumer data available, loyal shoppers and superfans should be rewarded with first access. Work with a strategic partner to find content that fits with your established brand voice to create organic moments with ease. 

Recognize the Micro Moments 

Agility is key. While brands plan against key launches, holidays and macro moments, they also need to allow for flexibility to activate against micro moments — those unanticipated spikes in popularity that brands have not laid out in their marketing plans, like chess sets selling out in the wake of The Queen’s Gambit binge-watching. Brands must move quickly to capitalize on opportunities and ensure their supply chain is set up to deliver. Selling out on digital drop platforms that are meant to create a frenzy makes sense; selling out at a big retailer creates negative sentiment and customer frustration. Make sure your company has an agile “newsroom” approach to manage micro moments and potential booms in specific products or lines based on cultural trends.

Get Creative with Unlikely Pairings

Yes, pizza and Coca-Cola go together with Netflix, but what about Peloton and face masks? (Or heating pads for some of us!) What are the trends? What are people talking about or searching online? It can give you new ideas for partnerships that can open-up pathways to new consumers and channels (think store within a store, bundles, media placement in new places). One example is when Campbell’s partnered with Hallmark Channel to create “Joy Night In,” with activations spanning passive watching and active shopping moments, including a partnership with Walmart as well as a unique holiday programming guide, recipes, games and more.

Leverage CTV Commerce Solutions

There are a host of new inventory solutions that hold promise for marketers. In-program shopping allows products to contextually align with specific network programming and is directly integrated into streaming and linear content. Interactive/shoppable ads offer interactive or shoppable capabilities within standard ad pods. Native interactive ads are built into the connected device or CTV app experience and typically offer the ability to click into video or full-screen ads with further details. And of course live streaming commerce is on the rise and provides a live streaming channel or programming dedicated to product promotion — similar to HSN or QVC. These solutions are all readily available and can be accessed via networks, ad tech partners, streaming providers and electronics manufacturers, depending on the solution. Seek out the right partners to help build the right shopping experience for your audience.

Content-to-commerce activities will continue to grow and as technologies are fine-tuned, the experience will only become more seamless and targeted. Consumers are waiting to be intrigued. Capture them and delight them with the right item at the right moment. They love to feel special, so reward loyalty. Stay agile: seek opportunities and partnerships, but ensure you’re prepared. Find the right tech solutions and partners to take your commerce experiences to the next level. Tune in and watch your sales turn up! 

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said there appears to be a YouTube ad policy 'gap' when it comes to protecting children, and he wants some answers from parent, Google.

He said Friday (Nov. 22) that many ad policies that protect kids on the YouTube Kids platform apparently do not apply to content directed to kids on YouTube's main platform.

Markey has long argued that while YouTube says it is not for children under 12, as a practical matter, "there is a wide range of child-focused content available for children on YouTube’s main platform," and plenty of children accessing the site.

“The access that children have to YouTube carries with it a corporate obligation to institute and enforce policies that protect the well being of these young users,” Markey wrote in a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. “Unfortunately, it appears there are large gaps in YouTube’s advertising policies, which raise concerns about your commitment to safeguarding children from inappropriate advertising.”

Pai said that the prohibitions on product placement, influencer "unboxing" (opening and promoting a product) videos, and other practices on YouTube kids should also apply to the "children's content across all platforms."