A&E’s "Biography" Reboot Serves Modern Audiences and Advertisers

To meet marketersamp8217 demands AampampE offers expansive Biography extensions and creative packaging amp160amp8220Brands are demanding digital marketing flexibility in scheduling and custom contentamp8221 said Brian Joyce Senior Vice President of AEamp8217s Ad Sales Investment Team While TV ads remain the centerpiece the wider menu of programming can meet the needs of brands both large and small amp8220From a sales perspective this is a 52week alwayson strategyamp8221 Joyce addedResurrecting one of cableamp8217s bestknown series is not an easy task The show first launched on AampampE in 1987 and inspired copycats across cable from VH1amp8217s Behind the Music to TV Landamp8217s TV Confidential The company built a media empire on the back of the show with books spinoff series and even a board game The Biography library grew so large it spawned a standalone cable network titled The Biography Channel now FYI However after so much expansion ratings stagnated and in 2012 AampampE telecast the last original episodeTo revive the show AE executives said they needed to balance its heritage with modern media consumption amp160New longform episodes and micro series content run on AampampE and sister networks Lifetime and HISTORY as well as on Biographycom AEamp8217s YouTube channels and across social media via Twitter Facebook and Instagram To attract likeminded fans and create events AampampE is curating new Biography fare by genre such as country music stars pro wrestlers and comediansThe new Bio Shorts series expands the showamp8217s reach across linear TV digital and social These oneminute pieces which are produced inhouse and are Nielsen rated can run alongside TV specials or stand alone amp8220This content provides an opportunity for Biography to be on air all the time not just for our audience but for our advertising partners tooamp8221 Cabana explainedIndeed the shorts and other digital extensions create significantly more ad inventory While the tentpole TV specials are sold and scheduled months in advance and adhere to traditional ad breaks shortform content can be produced or packaged quickly and run across multiple platformsCabanaamp8217s team can create contextually relevant pieces in partnership with brands or organize a theme of premium shorts When the Diamond Producers Association recently wanted to run ads in content that matched the glamor of its baubles there werenamp8217t any TV episodes that aligned To solve the dilemma AE curated a batch of likeminded Biography pieces on Hollywood icons like Marilyn Monroe and Katharine Hepburn the content ran in concert with DPAamp8217s ads across TV and digitalAampampE is extending Biography albeit carefully into custom sponsored content that will spotlight brands These stories look and feel like editorial Biography pieces allowing partners to borrow the brandamp8217s equity while customizing the message and schedule In one recent example to support Lionsgateamp8217s recent release of Hellboy AampampE produced a amp8220Biobrandedamp8221 video voiced by David Harbour the star of the movie amp8220This type of solution could work for many brands and categoriesamp8221 Joyce saidamp8220Scheduling flexibility for custom biography stunts is key for our partnersamp8221 he notedOf course being everywhere isnamp8217t enough Users want quality entertaining content and they want it fast amp160Since Biography went dormant audiences have been able to binge on celebrity news online 247 and gather info from Wikipedia YouTube and dozens of other informational sites AampampE executives say Biographyamp8217s tradition of premium quality and exclusivity set it apart amp8220Our approach was to highlight newsworthy personalities or events from a time that everybody remembers but take a point of view from a filmmaker and we also have access and footage that people can39t get anywhere elseamp8221 Elaine Frontain Bryant AampampEamp8217s Executive Vice President and Head of ProgrammingBiographyamp8217s expansion will continue as the team explores new platforms including podcasting To support upcoming TV episodes on actress Farrah Fawcett pictured at top and political scion John F Kennedy Jr for example AampampE producers used exclusive audio interviews to create podcast specials Itamp8217s just one example of Biographyamp8217s longevityamp8220We can deploy this brand in so many clever waysamp8221 Cabana said amp8220The fact that a brand is so flexible is unique It is something that is just too special to pass upamp8221Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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A&E’s "Biography" Reboot Serves Modern Audiences and Advertisers

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FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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A&E’s "Biography" Reboot Serves Modern Audiences and Advertisers

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Alli Romano

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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