VICE Media is spreading its creative wings in both the types of programming it offers and the ways in which brands can engage with its viewers. On the content side, “We speak with a voice that just connects with young people,” says Chief Commercial & Creative Officer Tom Punch. “People like to spend more time with our content online and come back and are loyal to our TV shows.”
During VICE Media’s presentation at this year’s Digital Content NewFronts, in which it talked of having an aggregate reach of 288 million monthly people globally, the company revealed its new programming and live-streaming plans. And, as Variety reports, staged a live boxing match.
In this interview with Beet.TV, Punch says that in the process of creating 300 hours of original programming, VICE is “pushing into new creative spaces.”
VICE is well known for its immersive documentary storytelling style, which will be complemented by a new therapy based show and a “mockumentary” titled What Would Diplo Do? starring James Van Der Beek as American music icon Thomas Wesley Pentz.
On the advertising side, VICE has been experimenting with shorter commercial breaks along with different sizes and shapes of commercials. Not all of them are 30 seconds in length or created by third parties. Like other publishers, VICE is creating bespoke messaging for brands, longer form commercials and more engaging ones so as to drive greater brand affinity.
“Our experimentation with that shorter commercial load and with different formats of advertising has worked for us,” Punch says.
Rather than offering up its audiences “the same sort of mainstream stories,” VICE still tries to look at the stories surrounding the mainstream stories that it thinks will interest younger viewers.
“We know our audience better than anyone,” says Punch.
This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the IAB’s Digital Content NewFronts 2017. The series is sponsored by the IAB. For more videos from the #NewFronts, please visit this page.
