P1 initiative based on audience targeting

A+E Networks said it is launching a new initiative aimed at luring small and mid-sized advertising clients to TV by offering strategic targeting and performance guarantees.

A+E began offering to guarantee outcomes on some of its ad campaigns before last year’s upfront.

The new initiative, dubbed P1, is designed to help the advertisers establish a strategic target, optimize the campaign to reach the target and use near real-time measurement to report on the campaign’s performance.

TV networks are competing with the big digital players for ad dollars. By attracting more advertisers to TV, networks can garner some of the revenue now going to Google and Facebook.

RELATED: A+E to Adjust Outcome-Based TV Campaigns In Mid-Flight

P1 clients will work alongside A+E’s Precision and Performance ad unit, which grew out of the company’s first programmatic efforts in 2012. The unit now helps target viewers and measure results, such as increases in foot traffic, website visits and sales.

RELATED: A+E Claims Five Upfront Deals Based on Performance

“We are proud to be unveiling ‘P1’ to the marketplace at a time when there has never been a greater need to show the effectiveness of media buys for small to mid-sized marketers,” said Roseann Montenes, vice president, precision & strategic audience sales partnerships, A+E Networks. “’P1’ allows for optimization on one single network as opposed to the full portfolio, effectively lowering the cost of entry for smaller customers. We are excited for this initiative to bring clients to TV that have been used to the analytics they get from digital platforms, and to offer an opportunity for smaller brands which are part of larger companies that don’t tend to get funding for TV campaigns.”