Warner Bros. Discovery International unveils WBD AIM to enhance audience targeting capabilities

The new platform enables advertisers to target their campaigns with new levels of precision across different markets.

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) International has launched WBD AIM (Audience Insights and Measurement), a first-party data platform that enables advertisers to target their campaigns with new levels of precision, across a number of markets throughout EMEA, APAC and LatAm spanning its most engaged assets including CNN, Max, discovery+ and Eurosport.

WBD AIM will broaden WBD’s audience targeting capabilities with access to the vast library of its first-party datasets from across the WBD portfolio and touchpoints, ranging from registration and behaviour to intent and purchase.

This offering also allows advertisers to place contextual ad placements with relevance, leading to an optimisation of campaigns and ROI for advertisers; key when audiences are overloaded with information and their attention is selective. According to industry reports, enhanced targeting and contextual capabilities backed by deeper audience insights would improve CTV with 86% of consumers saying that personalised experience increases their brand loyalty.

Via WBD AIM, advertisers will be able to access a series of actionable audience segments and campaign insights built from key events or moments based on datasets spanning; WBD’s streaming service discovery+, CNN, Food Network UK, and across WBD sport entities on Max and discovery+ throughout EMEA, in a summer which has just witnessed the first Olympic Games in Europe for 12 years.

WBD AIM will expand across the company’s much-loved brands and franchises to bring datasets from gaming, theatrical, consumer products and experiences into a single addressable solution alongside premium sport and entertainment.

The AIM technology, originally built and launched by CNN International Commercial in 2015, has been optimised for CNN’s global clients over the last nine years and is a proven success for advertising partners ahead of this wider roll out across WBD. WBD AIM now launches internationally, and in the UK & Ireland brands including Adidas, British Airways and Lavazza are already utilising the platform to better tailor their campaigns this summer.

WBD’s continued focus is to partner with leading technology providers to develop products and services that will enhance measurement capabilities, brand lift, incremental reach and new data sources from the WBD portfolio, all of which will be housed under WBD AIM and bought to market.

Mike Rich, head of ad sales and brand partnerships, Warner Bros. Discovery Global & UK&I said, “As media consumption undergoes a profound transformation, traditional targeting strategies are evolving. This fundamental shift underscores the importance for media owners to harness the power of first-party data and audiences."

“WBD AIM allows us to navigate these complexities and tailor content and marketing efforts with precision across multiple touchpoints, as has been seen through CNN International’s use of the AIM technologies to date. With Warner Bros. Discovery’s vast portfolio of brands, franchises and touchpoints, with everything from streaming to shopping, Wheeler Dealers to the Wizarding World and 90 Day Fiancé to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, we have a unique ability to gain deep understanding of audiences across the most diversified portfolio in the industry and bring this to brands and advertisers, whilst ensuring the best possible ad experience for our consumers.”

Rob Bradley, SVP, digital revenue, strategy and operations, CNN International Commercial said, “AIM is a solution originally designed, developed and grown at CNN with demonstrated success over the last nine years. The launch of WBD AIM marks the next generation of a continually evolving platform that is now expanded across much of the WBD universe with added local expertise. It enables brands to access the unique data touch points we have across our unsurpassed portfolio. Through an enterprise level global data infrastructure, it can power impactful targeting to match client objectives and KPIs locally, regionally and globally with in-depth reporting that reveals powerful insights to drive real business decisions.”