First self-booking platform for effective addressable TV advertising marketing / smartclip and Axel Springer Regionalvermarktung cooperate on customer sales / Expansion to include online video formats as well as a combination package in planning

smartclip, a subsidiary of RTL Deutschland and leading provider of adtech solutions for European TV broadcasters, and Axel Springer All Media (ASAM), which bundles all Axel Springer’s advertising-related business areas, announce a cooperation for advertisers from medium-sized companies. At the start of the marketing offensive initiated by smartclip, Axel Springer’s marketing expertise will be combined with smartclip’s Addressable TV (ATV) offering. A modern self-booking platform designed specifically for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), developed on behalf of smartclip by Axel Springer’s AdUp Technology, gives customers immediate and easy access to smartclip’s ATV portfolio, which includes channels such as RTL, Vox and Sport1. Dr. Oliver Vesper, Co-CEO and MD Media & Operations smartclip: “With the new offering, we are closing a gap between SMEs and national media in order not to leave the great potential of digital marketing offerings to the US platforms alone. State-of-the-art technical standards and conceptual expertise plus the combination of trusted brands and premium environments are our strengths, which we bring to the launch with the self-booking platform and in cooperation with Axel Springer All Media.” AdUp Technology, which is part of ASAM, developed the technology platform in collaboration with smartclip. This new self-booking tool allows customers to use digital targeting of TV advertising as part of their marketing mix. The offering provides access to the features of smartclip’s adtech stack and its ATV portfolio. Advertisers can use the platform to determine campaign targets, run times, budgets, target groups and creation in just a few steps within an offer. Through the easy-to-use SwitchIn- XXL format, SMEs are able to display their products and services specifically for their defined target groups, even outside of the classic advertising windows. The SME advertising solution launched by smartclip SME Media also relies in its marketing on the many years of experience of Axel Springer Regionalvermarktung and its personal cooperation with advertisers. Felix Becker, Director Sales Axel Springer Regionalvermarktung: “It is particularly important for advertising customers from the SME sector, whose customers often have very local or regional roots, to address them in a targeted and effective manner. Due to the changes in media usage in recent years, this is becoming an ever greater challenge. Thanks to our technologies and digital targeting options, we can now offer an Addressable TV solution with smartclip and thus open the door to interest-based TV advertising for many SMEs for the first time.” Serge Heitmann, CEO Axel Springer Teaser Ad GmbH / AdUp Technology: “With the booking tool we developed ourselves, we offer the simplest way to book campaigns. This can be done with just a few clicks – now also for Addressble TV as part of the marketing mix. Our customers benefit from the fast and fully automated technological solution and have full control despite little effort. Advertisers can also easily tap into new target groups.” For years, smartclip has been doing groundbreaking work in digitalized TV advertising and its effective targeting options in national TV environments. The still young SME marketing offensive of smartclip, with Fabian Burgey in the lead, has already successfully optimized these for SMEs. Fabian Burgey, Director SME Business at smartclip Europe: “Connected TV and Addressable TV are growing dynamically and can increasingly be targeted to interests, but also geographically limited areas. As a result, TV advertising is becoming financially attractive for an increasingly digitally minded SME alongside the major brand types, and is becoming a genuine alternative for advertising measures. Users are familiar with well-known brands from their everyday environment. This makes advertising extremely effective, because it significantly increases awareness. The missing momentum so far has been a cost-effective way to book brand-safe inventory. The self-service platform developed by AdUp Technologies fills this gap.” The offering will initially include smartclip’s Addressable TV portfolio and will be expanded to online video formats and other channels in the coming months.