Digital marketers, it’s time to step up your ad game like Roku.
This October, major streaming company Roku made a bold move by acquiring DataXu, an ad tool designed to help marketers purchase ads across TV and online. The deal cost Roku $150 million in cash and stock.
This latest acquisition highlights the competitiveness of streaming. No longer can companies be content with being massive OTTs; it’s time to turn to data-driven content strategies that will leave viewers begging for more.
Details on the Deal
The deal, highlighted by Digiday, is expected to ease the strain of ad purchasing on Roku’s TV platform. By implementing this new technology, the company will now have an edge compared to other streaming competitors.
“The combination of Dataxu’s programmatic buying tool and data platform will provide Roku with an opportunity to not only seize more control over the ads running on its platform, but also play a role in the ads running elsewhere, according to industry experts,” writes Digiday senior reporter Tim Peterson.
Acquiring DataXu, Roku is bridging the gap between digital marketers and modern-day viewers. No longer is it possible to expect conversions from a TV commercial; customers are becoming glued to their streaming services, and the competition to remain relevant is as fierce as ever.
What This Means for Digital Marketers
Some experts speculate that the deal gives Roku an upper hand when it comes to first-party data, and they’re right. Knowing who your audience is, what it wants, and what it will want in the future is a key element to drawing eyeballs to the screen (or stream!).
This is not just about Roku becoming a bigger OTT–it’s about it becoming a massive data-driven advertiser.
It’s expected for Roku to harness DataXu’s data to keep track of ads people are being served not only on its platform, but off of it. Doing so will personalize UX even further, making the overall experience in a viewer’s everyday life.
“It’s Experian-type data that now [Dataxu] can now provide to Roku and build outward. Start TV-first and then go back out programmatically,” Price Glomski, EVP at digital agency PMG, told Digiday in an interview.
How VuPulse Can Help
Roku and DataXu aren’t the only ones out there with incredibly powerful data; VuPulse has its own platform to serve consumers in the same personalized way.
VuPulse optimizes both pre-click and post-click data to not only enhance the customer experience, but to help marketers obtain repeat viewers. In a time where people can consume content literally anywhere, that’s more important than ever.
Ready to enhance your customer’s experience? Get started with VuPulse today.