Algorithmically generated programming recommendations are table stakes for streaming services. Pluto TV hopes its human touch is what makes it stand out.

In a fall campaign that debuted earlier this month, the Paramount-owned streaming service opted to fictionalize the real-life people behind the programming of the free service’s lineup of channels and categories. The campaign, “Programmed by Humans,” includes three commercials where programmers appear in viewers’ living rooms to remind them that there are real people, not just algorithms, behind the scenes.

The characters that appear in the spots—a true-crime junkie who crashes through a window, a sci-fi geek donning a costume from Star Trek, and a rom-com superfan looking for love—are loosely inspired by the more than 50 programmers employed by Pluto TV who make decisions about the shows and movies that air on the free streamer’s channels, Val Kaplan, Pluto TV’s global SVP, head of consumer marketing, told Marketing Brew.

“Part of the reason the human experience of watching Pluto is so authentic is because we have a very human element to our programming,” Kaplan said. “Of course we leverage data, we leverage AI and machine learning and all of that, but [the campaign] is really meant to enhance the human creativity and real-life fans who make our programming and our experience what it is.”

Read more here.—KS

If you think technology is evolving quickly, take a look at customer expectations. Today’s customers demand speedy, exceptional, round-the-clock-service—and companies are scrambling to find the tech that can deliver.

While traditional AI has its limitations, generative AI presents a unique and powerful opportunity to transform how businesses do customer service. And the execs agree: In a 2023 study conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value, 75% of surveyed CEOs believe the organization with the most advanced generative AI will have a competitive advantage.

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It’s touch and go for the tube—at least for advertisers.

In the US, time spent with television ads could fall by 24% over the next four years, according to a new forecast from Brian Wieser, a former GroupM exec who is now an industry analyst and author of the Substack Madison and Wall. That includes streaming and good ol’ fashioned television.

Nearly a quarter reduction of inventory is “pretty dramatic,” Wieser told Marketing Brew. “I’m just trying to illustrate an inevitability…There are many sellers of advertising in particular and some marketers who really have their heads in the sand on this.”

Wieser relied on viewership data from Nielsen and penetration data from research firm Antenna, in addition to his own models, for the forecast.

There are a few reasons that help explain the projected dip: As linear television viewership continues to fall, streamers aren’t likely to fully replicate linear’s ad load, meaning there won’t be as much inventory for advertisers to buy.

There are about 12 minutes of ads per hour on linear television, Wieser wrote, while Netflix, Max, and Disney+ have about four minutes of ads per hour. FAST streaming channels, which largely mimic linear television, could provide an opportunity for advertisers, but still represent a small slice of the viewing pie.

Plus, Wieser expects streaming subscribers to largely choose ad-free tiers, even though ad-supported ones are on the rise.

Continue reading here.—RB

Some Gen Zers can name a brand based on sound alone, according to a new report from sonic branding agency amp.

The agency’s research and insights team analyzed the sonic branding work of 72 companies that Morning Consult previously found were most popular among Gen Z to see if sound might be making an impact on consumers of that generation.

While the report indicates that sound likely won’t make or break a brand in the minds of Gen Zers, it can certainly help when it comes to recognition.

Name that meme: If there’s one thing brands and Gen Zers both love, it’s TikTok. From licensing popular tracks to creating custom “brand beats” (don’t call them jingles), marketers have embraced sound as a way to stand out on the platform. Sometimes, brand sounds even become “sonic memes,” aka they go viral on their own. According to amp, they can drive recognition, even if the sound doesn’t mention the brand name.

The agency had 75 Gen Zers listen to a handful of brand sounds, several of which have gone viral, like the old Windows XP startup sound and Burger King’s “Whopper Whopper.” More than three-quarters of the respondents (81%) said they recognized viral or meme sounds, compared to 41% who said the same of the non-meme sounds.

Plus, Gen Zers correctly named the brand associated with a meme sound without being provided with a list of options to choose from 54% of the time. One-quarter (25%) were able to do the same with the non-meme sounds.

Keep reading here.—AM

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Executive moves across the industry.

• Kirk McDonald, CEO of GroupM North America, is leaving the company.
• Esi Eggleston Bracey is the new CMO of Unilever, which she joined in 2018.
• Takeshi Numoto is taking over Microsoft CMO duties from Chris Capossela, who stepped down from the role after more than three decades.
• Patrick Buchanan, alum of fashion brand Good American, is now SVP of brand marketing at Lulus.