Amazon Seeks More Brand Collaborations With New Executive Appointments

Amazon is actively exploring new avenues to incorporate brands into its original TV shows and films.

The digital streaming giant has assigned Lauren Anderson, an executive from Amazon MGM Studios, to oversee brand collaborations. She will work alongside the video advertising sales teams on brand-sponsored originals, advertising sponsorships, custom content, and integrations.

Anderson will carry on with her role as head of AVOD, Unscripted, and Targeted Programming for Amazon MGM Studios, while overseeing content for Freevee, Amazon’s free, ad-supported video service.

After Amazon introduced advertising to Prime Video, there was a speculative narrative internally about the future of Freevee. Many thought Amazon might phase out Freevee, with the view that a second ad-supported service would be unnecessary. Despite these expectations, Freevee remains operational, although Amazon is anticipated to press pause on the development of original content for it. Anderson, who is well known for her role in the success of Freevee’s hit show “Jury Duty” starring James Marsden, was expected by some insiders to take on a larger creative role.

As ad-free streaming becomes more prevalent, brands are investing heavily in filmed entertainment to reach their audiences. Streaming platforms like Amazon and Hulu collaborate with companies like Marriott to showcase brand-produced films and arrange product placements. Having a creative intermediary is believed to make this process smoother and more effective.

Despite the expansion of available ad inventory through the introduction of ad-supported tiers on streaming platforms, advertisers still face challenges in reaching a large TV audience. This hurdle continues because the spike in streaming content, which typically features fewer ads per hour, has not compensated for the decline in traditional TV, where the number of ad minutes per hour remains considerably higher.

In a memo, MGM Studios TV head Vernon Sanders announced the changes. He said, “In keeping with ‘Day 1’ culture, our org continues to evolve, as we seek to deliver the entertaining content our customers crave. This includes both our global audience and, with the introduction of advertising in Prime Video, our advertisers. It is imperative that we are creating a world class experience for our brand partners and the agencies with whom they work. With this in mind, I am pleased to share that Lauren Anderson’s remit is expanding to support those efforts for Amazon MGM Studios.”

He continued, “In the newly created role of Head, Brand and Content Innovation, Lauren will manage Studios’ creative collaboration with brands, helping them find engaging moments to partner across our Originals slate. In close partnership with the Amazon Ads, Prime Video Ads, and Studios Marketing teams, Lauren will drive Studios’ efforts to generate advertising sponsorships, integrations, custom content, and brand-supported Originals for our AVOD, FAST, and SVOD customers across Film and TV.”

Amazon made various other executive appointments as well in order to “develop projects that are funded by or focused on brands and work on integrating ads into Prime Video entertainment.”