Q&A: Juice Media’s Mark Zamuner on shoppable television and FAST

In this Q&A, Mark Zamuner, president of Juice Media, discusses the impact of free ad-supported streaming on the larger industry. Zamuner covers viewer experiences, the implications for streaming services and advertisers, and the evolving landscape of ad-supported streaming. He also touches on the future of shoppable television and the shift in advertising strategies.

Zamuner has led a variety of data-driven omnichannel advertising campaigns, guiding Juice Media to work with notable brands like Constant Contact, Bed Bath & Beyond and SingleCare.

2024, the year of shoppable television and consolidation?

How is introducing ad-supported streaming options changing the streaming landscape?

This is a great strategy that started with Pluto. Consumers are comfortable with the value exchange between access to free content for exposure to advertising. Enabling the choice of ad-supported options opens up the addressable market for streaming services.

How do ads in streaming services compare to traditional cable television regarding viewer experience?

Not surprisingly, streaming ad experiences have the technical advantage of providing increased interactivity & personalization. The ad breaks/loads tend to be lighter, so there is a more engaged experience. Cable is quickly developing (think QR codes) and experiences will likely converge in the next few years [addressable, etc].

What implications does the growth of Netflix’s ad-supported tier have for the industry and other streaming platforms?

Great opportunity for both streaming services and consumers and marketers to provide/receive greater value.

From an advertiser’s perspective, how do ad-supported streaming platforms differ in value and opportunity compared to other media channels?

Advertisers gain greater insights and/or have greater access to audience targeting. From an insights perspective, understanding service-specific frequency against a household can drive opportunities for efficiency and understanding of message sequencing. Advertisers can also develop propensity & look-a-like modeling to prospect & optimize their broader campaigns as well.

How are you seeing your clients shift budgets/priorities to adopt these new mediums?

Investment has been and will continue to shift into streaming mediums given the intelligence & insights available. Similarly, as Netflix & Amazon, Paramount, etc open up ad-supported offerings, inventory access opens up, and we should start to see price normalization that will be beneficial for advertisers looking to generate enhanced outcomes.

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What are your thoughts on “shoppable” television? Is this a consideration for your current campaigns?

Somewhere the founders of the Home Shopping Network are smiling (and the infomercial world)! With the advance of AI generative creative, providing advertising that informs consumers about how apparel would look on a spectrum of body shapes & skin tones allows along with an interactive technical backbone, seamlessly enabling commerce. The early version of this is advertisers embedding QR codes…the trend is pretty clear.

Based on current trends, how do you foresee the future of ad-supported streaming services evolving?

Ad-supported streaming is a massive opportunity. If you simply trace television’s historical development, the future is very clear to see both domestically & internationally.