The UK's largest independent media agency, the7stars, has refreshed its approach to audio visual media planning to better utilise specialist YouTube marketing opportunities for clients.
The agency worked closely with Google to set up what it described as an “AV fluid planning approach”.
The agency said it took the move because it believes YouTube is a natural extension of AV activity following a year in which the number of people viewing the app via TV screens increased to 25 million in the UK.
In May 2021, more than 25% of logged-in YouTube CTV viewers watched content almost exclusively on the TV screen and the average online adult in the UK watched 60 minutes of YouTube per day across all devices including connected TVs, according to YouTube and Comscore video data.
The agency said it will use YouTube to “maximise effectiveness through experimentation in high-quality content”.
The7stars manages more than £350 million in media billings for clients including TSB, Suzuki, Entain, First Rail Holdings (Great Western Railway, South Western Rail & Trans Pennine Express), Nintendo and Iceland.
Adam Chugg, Nicola Teague and Jonathan Harrison.
The7stars has restructured its activation team and provided additional training to AV planners on digital media buying to facilitate its new approach to planning.
The Activation Team is now led by three newly promoted heads.
Nicola Teague is the head of AV planning, with a broader remit to provide coherence for brands across all AV.
Jonathan Harrison is the digital strategy and transformation lead and will focus on client innovation across data and technology.
Adam Chugg is head of big tech activations, responsible for driving platform integration and best practice across Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.
As part of the Google partnership, the7stars has invested in wrap-around ad tech including Halo, its creative technology tool that has built-in alignment with Google’s custom machine learning solution. The7stars said Halo would allow it to “optimise video creative for digital environments and surface creative insights in real time alongside Supernova, the7stars’ in-house production studio”.
Teague said the partnership with Google is “underpinned by our independence and channel neutrality”.
She added: "We are free to move fast, to follow the audience, and to plan YouTube in the most effective way.
“In a world where audiences have unparalleled choices in video content, it’s fundamental that we work with YouTube in an AV capacity to marry up a cohesive AV presence that delivers scale and relevance to audiences across the UK."
Google MD of agencies, partners and creative Matt Bush added: "It's really exciting to see the7stars restructure their activation team with a focus on YouTube and to continue to evolve our partnership.
"Their skills and talent are uniquely placed to advance their YouTube specialism and deliver ever better business results for the7stars clients."
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