Omnicom Media has teamed up with in-content advertising platform Rembrand to let brands identify, plan and activate placements inside premium streaming shows. The partnership, announced during Advertising Week New York, plugs Rembrand’s VISTA system into Omnicom’s Omni workflow on the buy side for the first time.
The arrangement lands as ad avoidance continues to grow across TV formats. Instead of treating product placement as a manual, one-off negotiation, the system uses AI to scan publisher content and flag scenes that can be monetized after filming. Omnicom Media’s Content Collective then shapes those moments into brand experiences.
How the workflow changes
The buying process starts with Omnicom’s RealID audience product within Acxiom, matched with streamers’ viewership data, to identify shows where a brand’s audience is disproportionately engaged. Those programmes are then mapped against placement opportunities in VISTA.
- Audience-first selection: RealID and streamer viewership data choose the right shows for the brand.
- Post-production insertion: Brands can be added into scenes after filming, then reinforced by standard ad pods.
- Premium inventory: Omnicom says it has secured unique streaming inventory not accessed this way before, though partner names remain undisclosed while negotiations are final.
Megan Pagliuca, chief product officer at Omnicom Media, said the capability has historically sat on the sell side; this is its first use by the buy side. Cox Automotive has already shown interest, with marketing technology director Jillan Davis pointing to the appeal of scalable, organic reach inside premium content.
Why the numbers matter
Omnicom’s Partner Intelligence team ran effectiveness research with Rembrand. When in-content placements were paired with traditional video ads, message recall rose 5.5 times, while purchase intent and perceptions of the brand as premium each rose four times.
Keagan McDonnell, head of partner innovation and strategic initiatives at Omnicom Media, said the concept spans more than virtual product placement. “The higher the perception of the quality of the show, the more impactful the in-content advertising is,” he added.
What to do next
For media planners, the immediate takeaway is to treat in-content as a reinforcement layer rather than a replacement for standard video. Pick programmes where the brand has permission to appear, then align the in-scene placement with the spot schedule so both exposures work together.
Pricing is still nascent. Pagliuca said rates differ by network and that volume should eventually unlock discounts. For now, the opportunity is less about rate negotiation and more about testing whether audience-matched, post-production placements can lift recall and purchase intent.
Source: Digiday
