NBCUniversal and Sky unveiled Co-Lab with NBCUniversal + Sky, a new global consultancy and research arm centred around culture.
The announcement about their launch notes that Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky sit at the intersection of media and technology. Now, the company is evolving its relationship with marketers around the world, collaborating at the earliest stages of the investment process and expanding its role as a strategic partner throughout the purchase cycle. With Co-Lab, global brands and agencies will be able to leverage the cultural trends gleaned from the almost 700 million individuals a month who engage with One Platform, paired with the creative insights, resources and strategy to transform that knowledge into action. Co-Lab will tap into leading minds from across both NBCUniversal and Sky, from Creative Partnerships to Measurement & Impact to Global Partnerships, to develop comprehensive plans that brands can execute across One Platform and beyond.
Commenting on the launch, KC Sullivan, president and MD, global advertising & partnerships, NBCUniversal, said: “From ONE21 to the Upfront, we are opening up more doors to our partners, deepening our relationships with them, and providing unprecedented access to the incredible insights and talent who comprise the NBCUniversal and Sky family.
“With Co-Lab, we’re creating another entry point for marketers to access NBCUniversal and Sky’s vast platform of capabilities, with an eye toward developing bespoke strategies for global brands seeking local resonance with audiences around the world”.
At launch, Co-Lab consists of two distinct, complementary efforts:
•The Co-Lab Cultural Consultancy focuses on finding disruptive growth opportunities within culture that brands can occupy, which are then distilled into actionable strategies, all backed with multi-market qualitative and quantitative research. Co-Lab also offers brands and agencies an opportunity to interact early and directly with NBCUniversal and Sky’s stable of storytellers. Within an interactive environment that fosters ongoing ideation and dialogue early in the strategy development process, Co-Lab partners can learn first-hand from the leaders in global entertainment, news and sports how to attract audiences from around the world.
•Co-Lab Cultural Insights provide a resource to brands around the world, examining cultural trends across NBCUniversal and Sky’s connection points in more than 150 countries. The inaugural research report, entitled “Localism, Communities, & Fandom,” looks at how specificity—from localised events and community values to microcultures and dedicated fandoms—can create broad, global resonance. With new research, case studies, and key takeaways to be released at several points throughout the year, marketers everywhere can glean insights from Co-Lab that they are then able to apply back to their own work.
