Technology is evolving faster than we can blink and it’s becoming clear that it’s time creativity and control were reclaimed. As monopolies and walled gardens dominate and limit access, the balance between innovation and content creation is more crucial than ever. In a rapidly changing ecosystem,  publishers are exploring strategies to navigate an open internet increasingly challenged by distribution obstacles and signal loss.

Once a beacon of free and open access, the open web faces an identity crisis. Media companies that once thrived on direct consumer connection are struggling with the rise of walled gardens. Marketers, for their part, acknowledge their role in building these silos as they increasingly funnel media budgets into tech giants. Reclaiming control of data, creative strategies, and audience engagement is critical to preserving the future for both sides.

Publishers should not look at these shifts as threats but as opportunities to develop new strategies that align with consumer behavior and market demands. 

From the rise of social-driven search and FAST channels to Google’s ongoing antitrust trial, ProgIO spoke to many of the challenges facing publishers today. As the industry continues to push for transparency, fairness, and a more open ecosystem, the path forward depends on innovating while maintaining trust with consumers and each other. 

Here are our top takeaways from Day 1.

Breaking Free: How Marketers Can Reclaim Creativity in a Tech-Driven World

Eoin Townsend, Chief Product Officer at Cadent, talking about convergence at programmatic IO. Photo by Donna Alberico.

Eoin Townsend, Chief Product Officer at Cadent, walked us through industry shifts driven by audience, inventory, optimality, and privacy. He says, “The technology we have today is not the technology we’ll have tomorrow.”

Let him tell it: marketers need more control to move away from monopolies and hone in on new technologies to transform their roles in the industry. Eoin emphasized that marketers spend too much time on tech rather than creative marketing. We are evolving from scale, automation, and walled gardens to a new phase focused on integration, alignment, and collaboration. 

More highlights from his talk:

• Let AI automate the hard stuff.
• Take advantage of multi-faceted solutions that integrate third-party data and work across walled gardens.
• Adopt new technology and legal frameworks to ensure compliance and consumer trust.

Eoin’s main argument is: “Let marketers be marketers” free them from technological constraints!

The Future of the Open Internet Is?

Allison Schiff, Managing Editor at AdExchanger, Ben Hovaness, CMO at OMD, Cavel Khan, Chief Growth Officer at Group Black, and Ari Paparo, CEO & Contributor of Marketecture Media discuss the future of the open internet. Photo by Donna Alberico.

What is the open web? The term has gotten lost in the mix, and AdExchanger’s Allison Schiff ensured the panelists revealed the definition from their perspectives early in the session. According to Ari Paparo, CEO & Contributor at Marketecture Media, if you can access a website for free and buy ads freely, it is part of the open web. 

Media companies are losing distribution channels and struggle to connect directly with consumers. What are the biggest challenges of the open web? Walled gardens and signal challenges. Can marketers blame consumers for this mess? Not exactly. Marketers helped create the walled gardens by continuing to invest in and work with them.

“The open internet lost the resources to create the content and do a lot of things that it did to keep the communities it had built,” revealed Cavel Khan, Chief Growth Officer at Group Black. “That’s why we are all seeing the decline over the last three years. Big publishers are going out of business or restructuring.”

More key points from this session:

• The cloudiness around Chrome’s plan for cookies makes it difficult for publishers to determine the best strategy to combat signal loss. 
• Publishers have great tools like WordPress, Beehiiv, and Ghost, along with podcasting, as new solutions for reaching people and monetizing those connections. 
• When asked what the future of the open internet was, the panelists responded bright, sleek, diverse, and changing. 

TikTok, The Latest to Step In the Search Game

AdExchanger’s Executive Editor Sarah Sluis sits down with Blake Chandlee, President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok, to talk about the platform entering the search business. Photo by Donna Alberico.

TikTok is the app beating Google as the number one search engine. With data showing significant search activity on the app, we’re learning that rich, social media-driven search results are key for connecting with consumers and influencing their discovery and purchase intent. It’s no surprise the company is investing in bringing advertising to search. 

“There are two key data points that triggered this for us. One is that independent research proves that 55% of people get their search results from social media and video,” said Blake Chandlee, President of Global Business Solutions at TikTok. “It was just a very good box of rich examples. An example might be if you’re planning to travel to Singapore when you visit a traditional search engine, you’d find links to guide you through that process. On the other hand, you go on to TikTok or some other platforms where you’ll get really rich videos of people like you going through the same decision-making with their experience. It’s a very different experience in the back end of this.”

Ads have been part of TikTok’s monetization model for a while now, but the TikTok shop shook up the game when it came to fruition last year. Live-streaming allows creators to earn money by getting “tipped” from their audience, while the TikTok shop facilitates seamless transitions within the app. TikTok’s investment in logistics and the closed-loop shopping experience allows it to fully capitalize on the commerce generated by creators.

More interesting insights:

• The social media company’s motto: “Don’t make ads, make TikTok’s” works.
• TikTok caters to its users’ diverse interests, allowing brands to connect with highly engaged audiences.
• Ensuring that ads are native is key; don’t oversaturate because ad fatigue can be real.
• TikTok stands out because it is independent and doesn’t rely on partnerships or external links for e-commerce.

Why The Trade Desk is Winning According to Wall Street

Shweta Khajuria, Managing Director of Wolfe Research shared her predictions for the industry from an investor’s perspective. Photo by Donna Alberico.

With the ongoing regulatory scrutiny of Google and the pending cookie deprecation, scale and first-party data are both emerging as leaders in the industry.

Shweta Khajuria, Managing Director at Wolfe Research, dove deeply into The Trade Desk’s success. Partnering with agencies leads to higher retention rates. Product innovations like CTV and UID2 have kept The Trade Desk at the top of the industry. Also, their independence and omnichannel approach allow them to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest. 

“Trade Desk saw the potential of bidded programmatic and connected TV before most others in the industry,” said Shweta. “As a result, with the head start that they saw, they saw a step change in their growth rates and trajectory.”

Shweta also predicts that Google will spin off one of its ad tech businesses, which could level the playing field. 

Shweta’s other predictions:

• The Trade Desk’s Open Path and Magnite’s clear line anticipate the convergence of the demand and supply sides.
• Efficiency gains will be necessary, and pricing pressures might arise as DSPs and SSPs merge.
• Larger publishers may develop their yield management systems, leading to supply-side consolidation.
• The demand side might gain an upper hand due to its proximity to ad budgets.

Google on Trial: The Battle for Fairness, Transparency, and the Future

Allison Schiff talked to Claire Atkin, Co-founder & CEO of Check My Ads and Jason Kint CEO of Digital Content Next about the ongoing DOJ vs. Google antitrust trial. Photo by Donna Alberico.

Google’s monopolistic practices have heavily hindered the publishing industry, and we are all standing on our toes, waiting to see the outcome of this decision. Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, explained how Google is extracting value that should go to newsrooms and entertainment companies. 

Jason talked about “dynamic revenue sharing,’ where Google manipulates bid prices to maintain its margins, often behind publishers’ backs. With a press box seat at the trial in Virginia, he says Google’s defense strategy is to confuse the market and redefine it to include more competition, like TikTok or TV. Isn’t this what we’ve all been thinking? Isn’t this a weak defense?

It was great seeing Claire Atkin again doing her best: exposing the real. According to Claire, Google plays a huge role in monetizing misinformation and lacking transparency. Smaller businesses suffer since they don’t receive funds or adequate support from Google when campaign issues arise. Claire argues for log-level data transparency and know-your-customer laws to ensure fair practices. 

Other important highlights:

• Judge Leonie Brinkema is skeptical of Google due to evidence purging, which impacts the credibility of Google’s witnesses. 
• The trial is part of a broader antitrust movement against major tech companies, and breaking them up could lead to more opportunities and fairness in the industry. 
• Both speakers hope to see a future where advertisers can better track and verify their ad placements, leading to more accountability and fewer fraudulent practices.

FAST is Moving Fast

Katie Barrett, Head of Strategic Sales at LG Ad Solutions talks the future of FAST at AdExchanger’s Programmatic IO Day 1. Photo by Donna Alberico.

Several factors are contributing to the rise of FAST, such as subscription fatigue and evolving audience behavior. On a daily basis, consumers are shifting their mindset from avoiding ads to accepting them if they come with free content. 

“We see that 53% of our consumers are spending at least 2 hours a day in FAST, and the average time of the session is 73 minutes,” said Katie Barrett, Head of Strategic Sales at LG Ad Solutions. “Eighty-seven percent of FAST users have free streaming channels they watch regularly. This shows high levels of habitual viewing. Eighty-one percent believe that FAST streaming channels offer high-quality content. This is important because this perception of fast being low quality is being challenged here.”

Contrary to popular belief that FAST viewers are less engaged or loyal, Katie argues they are developing strong followings due to curated content. The stereotype that FAST viewers are solely budget-conscious is false, as the data shows a diverse and affluent audience.

Other Factors of FAST:

• The median income of FAST users is $85,000, with an average of $110,000, and 43% earning over $100,000 annually. 
• FAST is popular among family units, with a high percentage of users owning homes, being married, and having children, underlining its family-friendly nature.
• FAST is a valuable platform for brands aiming to reach key demographics.

On the Horizon: A New Era for Publishers and Marketers

Publishers and marketers are standing on the brink of significant change. With walled gardens tightening their grip and signal loss challenging traditional methods, publishers are redefining their approach to audience engagement, while marketers are pushing for more autonomy in how they reach and connect with consumers. 

From publishers exploring innovative content distribution methods to marketers reclaiming creative control, the next chapter is about pushing beyond the familiar and embracing new opportunities. 

The journey doesn’t stop here. Day 2 included more revelations and strategies, so stay tuned for our Programmatic IO Day 2 wrap-up on Monday. We’ll dig deeper into the discussions, highlighting key takeaways and what lies ahead for publishers and marketers in this fast-moving space. 

The post PROGIO Day 1: The Next Chapter for the Open Internet, Google vs. DOJ Face-Off, and More appeared first on AdMonsters.

The detrimental impact of third-party cookies on consumer privacy has been a hot industry topic for some time now, and with the deadline for cookie depreciation continuously being pushed back, more and more publishers are shrugging their shoulders to the end of cookies. Not surprisingly, only 32% of publishers are actively preparing for this change, according to a recent Teads survey.

The study surveyed 555 publishers across 58 countries, revealing an urgent need for the industry to adapt quickly. At Cannes, we met with Natalie Bastian, CMO of Teads, and were pleasantly surprised to be joined by Simon Klein, Global Head of Publishing. Onboard a yacht with a crisp blue aesthetic; we chatted about a future without cookies; the challenges publishers face, and Teads’ current initiatives to support them. 

As we navigate this complex environment, even a blind man could see that there are too many different types of ID solutions on top of Google’s Privacy Sandbox.

“One minute cookieless is here, the next it’s delayed, then it’s happening again, but we don’t know when,” Klein explained. “We are trying to educate publishers as much as possible on what’s available. At Teads, we are cookieless by default since 2018.We are willing to work with every solution that we believe could actually help publishers generate more revenue.”

Teads and Publishers: A Partnership Driving Mutual Success

In digital media there is a ton of trial and error. Now more than ever, publishers need to ensure their SSP partners are resourceful. One aspect of Teads that is a major resource to publishers is its tech and engineering team. With about 400 team members, both teams do a lot of the leg work when it comes to investigating and understanding the best solutions. 

According to Teads’ Publisher Preparedness study, 53% of publishers feel completely overwhelmed by the plethora of solutions. There are just too many. Through Teads’ Publisher Lab, the SSP hosts off-the-record conversations with publishers where they can all work together to derive roadmaps. 

Think of it as a therapy session for publishers. As a major player focusing on the buy and sell sides, Teads is in a unique position giving them a responsibility to share all of the trends and traction that they see happening on the buy side with their publishers and vice versa. 

“We are the connective tissue between all these publishers, but many aren’t necessarily talking to each other,” Bastian said. “Our workshops are cross-functional; we host the Publisher Lab quarterly on average, and we curate the conversation, but the publishers are the ones doing the talking.”

Keeping Publishers A Part of the Conversation 

This year is significant, with 64 elections worldwide involving 49% of the global population. For voters to be informed, they need to have access to news. News publications need ads to survive. Quality publishers and news journalists need the support of brands and if ads continue to fund journalism, then it makes news more widely accessible. Many news outlets are going to a paywall, only to find out that subscriptions can be a struggle. 

These outlets are turning on paywalls because they either need more funding to support their content or increase their first-party data set. Some of that is login-based, but even when logging in, it could still be free for readers.

“Many publishers are trying subscription or hybrid models to increase revenue,” Bastian explained. “We sit in a very unique position that is good for the consumer because we give them access to quality content. To keep this access open for everyone, it must be properly funded through quality ads and quality journalism.”

As Klein put it, at Teads, they are “making their pipes as efficient as possible.” That entails making their player a little quicker, and faster across every single environment, and making sure they have the critical pieces of their roadmap. When it comes to buyer partners, nearly 80% of Teads campaigns do not use a cookie-based solution. The need for urgent adoption is right in front of our faces, and while some are actively moving towards the cookiepocolypse, some are not moving as swiftly.

The post Wake Up and Smell the Coffee; The Cookieless Future Will Be Here Before We Know it appeared first on AdMonsters.

At Cannes Lions 2024, the conversations were as lively and diverse as the French Riviera itself. Amid the glitz and glamour, we sat down with several leading digital media and advertising figures to get their take on the future. 

From exploring ID-less solutions to leveraging retail media data, the strategies for surviving and thriving in this ever-evolving ecosystem were as varied as they were insightful.

Geoffroy Martin, CEO of Ogury, emphasized the necessity for publishers to pivot towards ID-less solutions and alternative identifiers. “If you own your first-party data and comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA, you will be able to monetize your data, and that’s what advertisers want,” Martin explained. This proactive stance is crucial as the industry braces for the end of third-party identifiers. 

Meanwhile, Oz Etzioni, CEO of Clinch, highlighted the importance of personalization, automation, and omnichannel strategies, underscoring the need for a holistic approach to integrating CTV into advertising.

Read on to learn what leading industry leaders from Ogury, Clinch, TransUnion, and more had to say.

Publisher Playbook: Winning Strategies from Cannes Lions 2024

Geoffroy Martin, CEO of Ogury

According to Martin (if you haven’t already), publishers should start exploring and implementing ID-less solutions and alternative identifiers in partnership with advertisers and technology partners. This proactive approach will help publishers continue monetizing their content effectively, considering that we will be done with third-party identifiers in the foreseeable future. 

Gathering and maintaining first-party data is, of course, a major focal point.

“If you own your first-party data and comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA, you will be able to monetize your data, and that’s what advertisers want,” Martin explained. “When Google finally deprecates the cookies, signals from third-party identifiers will disappear. This will be a massive problem for publishers, giving them no options but to continue collaborating with advertisers and technology partners to work with ID-less solutions or alternative ID.”

Oz Etzioni, CEO of Clinch

From Etzioni’s perspective, publishers have a few options for survival. He suggests that publishers integrate personalized technology, optimize content frequency in partnership with buyers, adopt omnichannel strategies, invest in automation and AI, utilize retail media data, and focus on operational efficiency to enhance the effectiveness of CTV and retail media campaigns. 

Overall, publishers need to adopt a holistic approach to integrating CTV into their advertising strategy. 

“We are partnering with publishers to integrate everything into one, let’s call it activation,” Etzioni said. “CTV is becoming another channel. They’re also starting to venture into more formats like display and video on the opening home screen. It’s not just pre-rolls anymore. In terms of frequency management, we are working with publishers by taking the same ad and creating different variations and stories behind it. That way, a user will not see the same annoying ad 25 times. 

Michael Schoen, EVP/GM, Marketing Solutions at TransUnion

Schoen’s advice for publishers focuses on understanding consumer identity, leveraging cloud environments for data collaboration, and partnering with buyers and intermediaries to ensure the effectiveness of targeted marketing strategies. 

We discussed using GenAI to scale creative content and TransUnion’s pivotal role in providing data and measurement solutions for marketers and publishers. Schoen also schooled us on this concept of “Movable Middles,” which focuses on targeting consumers that are neither loyal to one brand nor competitors to drive incremental impact. 

“The concept of the middle is to focus on the middle, don’t target those folks who are really loyal to your brand because they’re already yours,” said Schoen. “Don’t target folks who are really loyal to the competitor either. One shows that investments in building your brand actually pay off in the long term and act like an annuity. If you can take a consumer and shift their brand loyalty, that will pay off long-term, and you don’t need to make this trade-off.” 

Voices from the Croisette: Insights and Anecdotes from Cannes Lions 2024

Lena Arbery, Associate Director Sales Tripadvisor 

“The key lesson from Cannes Lion 2024 is the importance of consistently innovating while staying true to your brand’s core values and putting consumers at the center of your brand. In a crowded market, advertisers must prioritize their end customers, who are the heart and soul of the brand, to effectively target and retarget them through every step of the funnel.”

Paul Wright, Head of International for Uber Advertising

“Anecdotally, we heard that out of a week of highlights at Cannes, Uber Advertising’s late-night pizza giveaway on the Croisette stood out as especially welcome. When our team helped serve them, they were certainly warmly welcomed by the event’s attendees! 

Regarding key topics, the rise of commerce media and commerce networks was undeniably dominant. Prominent brands across verticals, from our platform to airlines to banks, all came to highlight their commerce media offerings. Last year, the focus was perhaps more on pure retail media, but this year’s Cannes showed that commerce media offers distinct advantages. It can effectively steer consumers along their purchase path and empower brands to amplify their message across the upper and lower funnel.”

Simon Sikorski, President, Global Operations of XR Extreme Reach

“A lot of companies are buzzing around sustainability at Cannes, emphasizing the urgency to move faster. The discussion is that advertising has an amazing role in getting the message out and helping consumers make informed choices when opting for sustainable brands and practices. Sustainability is not just a passion but a business advantage. Companies are moving from policies to measurable outcomes. The focus is on reducing storage, optimizing assets, and effectively measuring these efforts. Sustainability has not fallen off the agenda at Cannes.”

Connatix – Mike Caprio, SVP, Americas 

“Cannes is back, with a crowd larger than even pre-pandemic levels. While POSSIBLE this year was impressive and quickly becoming a tent pole event in our industry, the reigning champ remains Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Key themes of the week focused on the premium internet, leveraging data and other signals to enhance brand outcomes. Video and multi-device streaming continue to gain the most momentum, particularly through contextual targeting to expand audiences across CTV and OLV. Many emerging markets are looking to the US for guidance on transitioning from open linear television to streaming. And when it comes to the ongoing debate over generative AI, the industry is striving to find a balance across media, creative, and content sectors. However, a consistent outcome has yet to emerge.”

Peter Crofut, VP Business Development, Wurl

“In general, agencies seem to be pushing advertisers to widen the definition of’ performance‘. I found myself in many conversations with agency leaders both on and offstage, questioning whether we’re too focused on the lower funnel and ignoring the power of brand awareness metrics. Video completion, longer and more emotionally-invested attention agencies are making the case that these upper funnel metrics serve a real purpose and ultimately drive outcomes.”

The post Seen and Heard at Cannes Lions 2024 + Strategies for Survival Amid Change appeared first on AdMonsters.

In the rapidly advancing world of streaming services, Future Today strives to stand out by enhancing user experience and providing better brand integration with its new user interface (UI). 

Jennifer D’Alessandro, Head of Ad Sales and Marketing at Future Today, shared insights into how this redesign is improving viewer engagement and brand recognition.

Three Ways Future Today is Transforming Streaming

1. Revamping Auto-Play and Viewer Engagement

First Impressions Matter: The new auto-play feature in the UI aims to captivate viewers from the moment they open the app. According to D’Alessandro, if viewers find the initial imagery appealing, they are more likely to explore further and spend more time on the platform.

2. Prioritizes the “First-Screen Advantage”

Prime Real Estate for Brands: The first-screen advantage refers to the prominent display of a brand’s hero image as soon as the app opens. This space is exclusively occupied by one brand, ensuring zero clutter and maximum visibility. As D’Alessandro explains, “Owning the hero image as viewers open the app is valuable real estate” and helps brands stand out memorably.

Immediate Impact on Consumer Behavior: The hero image encourages immediate engagement, whether viewers are learning about new features, exploring upcoming movie scenes, or understanding a product. This section can be static or interactive, offering brands multiple ways to connect with potential customers.

3. New Strategic Brand Integrations

Customization for Each Audience: Future Today’s apps, including HappyKids, Fawesome, and iFood.TV are tailored for specific audiences. Their hero images align with the app’s theme, such as family-friendly imagery for HappyKids, diverse content for Fawesome, or lifestyle programming for iFood.TV. D’Alessandro emphasizes that brands can create thematic takeovers related to holidays, programming, or genres.

Enhanced Interaction: Working closely with Future Today’s design team allows advertisers to enrich their hero images with trivia, behind-the-scenes content, product features, and more, maximizing engagement.

Anticipating Advertising Trends to Come

D’Alessandro foresees the future of advertising within AVOD platforms as being all about impactful connections and natural brand integrations. Authenticity will be crucial to avoid forced partnerships and maintain an enjoyable viewer experience. Most importantly, less is more. 

Another area where Future Today is tapping into trends and insights is by catering to the needs of a diversified audience. That dedication to diversity extends to its apps and hero pages. Custom pages highlight historical milestones, and Spanish-language content is featured to engage diverse audiences.

Future Today will keep evolving its advertising offerings based on emerging trends and consumer needs. Being an independent publisher provides them with the agility to refresh their content library and adapt to changes swiftly. Staying flexible and innovative is key.

 The video publisher’s new UI enhances users’ streaming experience and offers brands unique opportunities to engage with audiences creatively and effectively. As they continue to innovate, Future Today remains committed to being a leader in the AVOD space.

The post UI Upgrade: How Future Today is Transforming Streaming for Viewers and Brands Alike appeared first on AdMonsters.

Will CTV pick the next president?

Political analysts often talk about the importance of a candidate’s ground game. In 2024, the winning candidates may determine who has the best streaming game. Indeed, as 2024 approaches–and portends some of the most intense races in US elections history– connected TV promises to play a pivotal, perhaps even deciding role. 

That is if campaign strategists–and the cadres of ad-buying specialists they typically deploy–recognize the opportunity before them and are willing to throw away convention.

To win in 2024, political advertisers must prepare to rethink decades’ worth of proven strategies while maximizing their data assets to take advantage of the television’s fast-evolving, advanced targeting capabilities.

A Very Conservative Couple of Parties

Historically, political campaigns–particularly presidential ones–have stuck with a tried and true playbook for getting out the vote. Unlike traditional brands, this isn’t an area where you can afford to ‘test and learn. After all, if a campaign’s media buying strategy doesn’t pan out, it doesn’t just lead to a bad quarter–but the brand in question suddenly goes out of business.

Therefore, media conservatism reigns for both sides of the aisle.

Many recent candidates have embraced digital platforms (remember Bernie Sanders on Snapchat?) — they centered a large portion of this activity around collecting names and fundraising. While President Joe Biden and former President Trump spent $360 million on Facebook and Google in 2020, the two candidates doled out a stunning $1 billion on TV ads in just 13 states, reported NPR. As has long been the case, they focused most of that spending on linear TV, particularly local TV stations in critical districts.

Of course, we know that 2020 was already a long time ago in media time. Over the past few years, the TV terrain has changed radically. For example:

• Cord cutting has accelerated; per Nielsen, cable TV viewership now accounts for just 30% of TV viewing.
• Video viewership has quickly shifted to streaming and social video.
• A new generation of viewers has never had cable and consumes TV with a streaming-first mentality; for the first time this past summer, streaming accounted for most of TV consumption.

Here’s the hard and scary truth for political and traditionalists–given the confluence of these consumer behavioral shifts, a sizable portion of the electorate is simply unreachable through classic political advertising tactics.

Deciding to ignore a significant pool of potential voters, well, that’s not a winning strategy.

The CTV Election

If 2020 seemed like a particularly intense race, wait. Experts predict political brands will dole out a record $10 billion in the US in 2024.

Yet, there is a risk that many of those dollars might go to waste if political operatives don’t fully embrace and master CTV.

Thankfully, the recent growth in ad-supported streaming provides political spenders far more options. Not only have top services such as Max, Netflix, and Disney+ recently rolled out ad-supported options for consumers, but many of these companies are cracking down on password sharing while offering pricing plans that encourage new users to opt for advertising. 

Plus, the growth in free ad-supported services (the FAST category) continues to impress. There are many more outlets for political spenders to recapture much of linear TV’s lost reach.

However, that’s only part of the story. So many more options are available today for candidates to use their TV dollars more strategically. Streaming platforms have positioned themselves to offer political advertisers an edge, enabling them to tailor their messages with unmatched precision. 

Several campaigns saw CTV success in the 2022 midterms as they moved away from cookie-based tactics. Those advancements should only continue. For instance, most major streaming platforms have partnered with clean room tech firms, which should enable political campaigns to use their existing email databases to target interested votes.

In addition, during CTV campaigns, these candidates should be able to derive deeper insights from granular user data, allowing them to make adjustments mid-flight. Overall, CTV should offer a sharper targeting edge compared to linear platforms.

Yet, given these advertisers’ media buying experience, maximizing the CTV opportunity won’t happen by flipping a switch. Now is the time for political brands to take the steps needed to become masters of CTV ad targeting.

That means ensuring they make the best use of their data via the right technology and partners. They’ll need new talent and processes to optimize campaigns with speed and agility.

They’ll also need to start evaluating and pressure testing vehicles like data clean rooms and new forms of addressable CTV advertising today.

At the same time, the streamers have a job to do to capture what should be a potential 2024 windfall. Media companies must craft products and services to cater to these somewhat novice brands. Political campaigns may need training, customized tools, and tailored research. They need reliable attribution systems, as every dollar and vote counts.

The Race Is On

The 2024 political season, particularly the presidential race, will be more competitive and likely more volatile than ever. As we’ve seen in several local battles, a handful of votes can determine the difference between winning and losing, so every potential voter reached will be essential.

Therefore, the political ad teams that reorient their media focus on the need to go after those ‘unreachable voters,’ with as much targeting sophistication as possible, will be the ones that prove to be winners on Election Day.

The post The Uncharted Terrain: Political Advertising in 2024’s Streaming Ecosystem appeared first on AdMonsters.

In the constantly evolving age of cord-cutting, CTV continues to grow at alarming rates. It won’t stop anytime soon. 

Some see sports as linear’s saving grace, but with live sports more prevalent than ever on CTV, only time will tell if linear has a lasting impact. ComScore’s annual State of Streaming report shows that the number of CTV hours per household has increased by 21%. Numbers are only expected to go up from here, but what are some trends we will see in 2024 and beyond?

In the upcoming year, the confluence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Free Ad Supported TV (FAST), Shoppable Ads, Measurement technologies, Attention Measurement, and more will be pivotal in reshaping how viewers consume and advertisers spend on CTV.

We chatted with a few CTV experts about what’s ahead for CTV, and their predictions point toward a bright, lucrative future.

What’s Next with AI?

When it comes to brand safety, AI is what’s hot, and blocklists are a thing of the past. It’s time for CTV professionals to rely on AI and video-level data. 

“Going into 2024, the streaming industry should be paying close attention to AI. We have still not realized the full impact of AI on CTV advertising. There are many opportunities to create personalized ad experiences attributable to CTV performance. This rings especially true when it comes to creative versioning and optimization across channels.” –Dina Roman, SVP, global ad sales, Fubo

“No brand wants their ad placed next to inappropriate or unsuitable content, leaving a poor brand association with consumers. However, brands that continue to leverage blocklisting solutions to address brand safety are doing more harm than good. Blocklisting is outdated and causes brands to avoid high-quality, more efficient, and lower-price inventory. Brands have been leveraging genre and channel-level blocklists, thinking they’re leveraging safer inventory, to have their ads run in TVMA comedies and horror movies. Video-level data will be critical for brands transitioning budgets from cable/linear into FAST and streaming. This applies to both targeting and measurement. Breakthroughs in computer vision AI data availability from companies like IAS make it possible to monitor the previously opaque FAST inventory. Leveraging new technologies like the IRIS_ID to access video-level data is now the most reliable, scalable, and cheapest way to address brand safety.” – Field Garthwaite, CEO and Co-Founder of IRIS.TV

FAST is Outgrowing AVOD 

To stand out as a streaming service, embracing sophisticated approaches to measurability will be crucial. 

“FAST channels that want to be taken seriously by advertisers must stand out with measurability. A move toward more advanced measurability will drive standardization within the industry to ensure that metrics are comparable across different platforms and campaigns. Brands and companies will increasingly move beyond simplistic attribution models and adopt multi-touch/cross-platform models to consider the full customer journey and understand how different interactions contribute to conversions and LTV.” – Gijsbert Pols, Ph.D., Director of Connected TV and New Channels at Adjust

“FAST is the preferred TV model and is giving AVOD a run for its money. Many Free Ad Supported TV or “FAST” platforms were originally launched to give viewers more choices amid an increasingly expensive, subscription-driven streaming ecosystem. In 2024, we can see that the choice is a clear preference as legacy subscription players rethink their strategy around premium offerings, consumers are looking to cut costs, and the quality of FAST content is impressive. With every major news network and live sports making their way to FAST, these platforms are now becoming serious contenders for content exclusives and debuts, further challenging AVODs dominance.” – Michael Scott, VP of Sales and Ad Operations at Samsung

Shoppable TV & Retail Media

The fusion of content and commerce will redefine the TV-watching experience. 

“Retail media will become a pivotal part of the future of advertising as consumers can make purchases directly off their TV screens. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples, cooking programs could seamlessly integrate with grocery delivery apps, allowing viewers to purchase ingredients straight off their screen to their doorstep. The fusion of CTV and commerce creates an interactive platform where every click has real-world implications.” – Gijsbert Pols, Ph.D., Director of Connected TV and New Channels at Adjust

“Consumers want an omnichannel experience, and the arrival of Shoppable Ads in streaming environments brings this closer to reality. (From our recent study, we found that Shoppable Ads have great brand recall – more than half of respondents (55%) recall seeing a shoppable ad, and out of them, half (50%) have interacted with such an ad. In 2024, we don’t see this slowing down. When consumers see a product on TV, they want to be able to quickly learn more or purchase that product and increase the ease of access along their path to purchase.” – Michael Scott, VP of Sales and Ad Operations at Samsung 

Will We Get Measurement Right in 2024?

CTV advertising has faced difficulties due to fragmentation from the start. The future of measurement in the CTV sector is about trying new strategies. 

“New and integrated ways of measuring CTV in 2024 will expose who is watching what platform. Spoiler alert: there is not as much overlap as most brands think. This means brands will use new measurement abilities to find the audiences they have been missing through linear and selected CTV buys alone, decreasing fragment buying process and increasing their ease of ads management.” – Cathy Oh, Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics America

“Viewability is top of mind for us as it is a crucial CTV metric. The IAB’s open measurement for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices is a new technology that took some time for suppliers and app publishers to adjust. We predict that early adopters will begin supporting open measurement in 2024. Open measurement unlocks full cross-screen viewability measurement using the same underlying expectations and specifications across CTV, mobile, and desktop devices. It also discloses exactly how many ads serve partially off-screen or to the TVs that are turned off, Audio and AVOC measurement, the ability to transact on viewable impressions in CTV, and measurement and reporting based on customized viewability standards.” – Dan Slivjanovski, CMO of media measurement and ad performance at DoubleVerify

Attention is the New Currency 

Tapping into attention measurement is key to unlocking new revenue streams. 

 “Ad outcomes and differentiating audiences will remain a key topic in streaming, with certain metrics becoming increasingly significant. For instance, analyzing ad attention and audience engagement across channels to quantify the outcomes of CTV campaigns will be an area of focus. These metrics are critical to helping the TV industry better understand the value of various CTV experiences and services for advertisers.” – Dina Roman, SVP, global ad sales, Fubo

“Right Mindset + Right Creative = Better Campaign Performance. Video-level data enables brands to better identify consumers, ensure they’re reaching the right audiences, and better place ads within the context of the content they’re engaging with. Research shows that consumers pay 4X more attention to ads relevant to the content they are watching. AI and machine learning offer promising avenues for ad creative development and targeted messaging. However, the challenge lies in ensuring ads align with audience mindsets. As the advertising landscape evolves, reaching consumers in the right mindset becomes as critical as crafting quality creative. Misalignments can result in negative brand perceptions, impacting political campaigns as well. In fact, according to the AVCA, more than half of consumers were less interested in the brand and products found in contextually misaligned ads. For brands that are looking to better increase campaign performance in 2024, it’s crucial to not only leverage video-level data but emotional and AI-driven data to deliver the right ad, in the right context and right mindset of the consumer.” – Field Garthwaite, CEO and Co-Founder of IRIS.TV

Content Bundling

Will 2024 be the year of the bundle?

“The streaming landscape, especially sports content, is more fragmented than ever. Consumer frustration and advertisers’ challenges to reach target audiences mean the industry is approaching a tipping point. As a result, we’re starting to see a return to content bundling. Fubo has long said there is power and value in content aggregation — the very heart of our business model. Super aggregation will benefit audiences and, in turn, advertisers.” – Dina Roman, SVP, global ad sales, Fubo

“2024 will see the rise of streaming services joining the legacy bundle, as evidenced by the recent Charter Disney deal. I predict we’ll see more SVODs partner with MVPDs to bundle offerings. While this represents a retreat to the wholesale model, it will likely add some stability to subscriber counts. Bundles work, and consumers are less likely to drop any particular service when it’s part of a broader package that includes broadband, cable, or satellite and phone. I don’t know that it will slow the rate of cord cutting, but there does still appear to be tens of millions of households where this model could work and help both parties.” – Dave Bernath, Vice President Sales & Partnerships, Americas at Wurl

Social Media Is Challenging Streamers

Let’s keep it real: these days, many of us are busy going down the rabbit hole on TikTok as opposed to sitting through a show on Firestick.

“The rise of short-form video platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels, poses a significant challenge to all CTV platforms. Short-form players draw a significant portion of ad spend primarily because they align with consumer preferences and offer advanced personalization and measurement features. This shift can redirect ad dollars away from long-form video, including traditional TV and CTV/OTT. Additionally, social media is becoming more appealing to brands with its premium content deals and tools for creators and influencers. UGC has grown up, essentially. This trend is expected to continue, putting pressure on streaming services even as they see unprecedented growth.” – Dan Slivjanovski, CMO of media measurement and ad performance at DoubleVerify

Miscellaneous Predictions

CTV will become the household’s central digital hub, a true performance channel, and a place to target multi-screen experiences.  

“In 2024, we’ll see CTV offering a transformative user experience transcending traditional boundaries. Just as the smartphone revolutionized what can be done using a phone, the digitization of TV will do the same for television. CTV can transform the TV from a device for watching content to the central digital hub in every household. The convergence of stationary and social will not only elevate user engagement but also create more robust opportunities for advertisers to connect to consumers with many different interests.” – Gijsbert Pols, Ph.D., Director of Connected TV and New Channels at Adjust

“Advertisers will finally leverage Connected TV as a true performance channel. Advancements in AI-driven technologies and performance marketing solutions will give rise to more targeted and personalized CTV experiences. This, in turn, will give streamers and publishers the ability to accurately measure and attribute a viewer’s actions to a specific campaign, enabling advertisers to turn marketing efforts from a cost center to a revenue driver.” – Ron Gutman, CEO at Wurl

“As CTV ad capabilities continue to improve and evolve, digital screens get more dynamic, and retail media ecosystems explode, it will be critical for advertisers to shift their ad campaigns beyond the living room. Targeted multi-screen experiences will be key in 2024 to reaching consumers with messages that move with the medium. Expect retailers to get smarter with their in-store screens, and expect brands to start to bring their CTV campaigns out of the home, onto mobile and into retail and other out-of-home locations in 2024.” – Cathy Oh, Head of Marketing, Samsung Electronics America

The post Streaming Into the Future: CTV Predictions of 2024 appeared first on AdMonsters.

The event was Sponsored by New York Interconnect, the VAB, Premion, iSpot.tv, Locality, Kochava, Kargo, wurl, ARF Dash TV Universe Study, and Imagine Communications. 

In case you missed it, dive into the short summaries of our favorite sessions below.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 27th 

Keynote Session With Jamie Lumley, Third Bridge Group Limited

When asked by moderator Lynn Leahey, editorial director at Cynopsis, about the challenges and opportunities in the industry, Jamie Lumley, an analyst at Third Bridge Group Limited emphasized that both revolve around the ongoing shift from traditional media to streaming, with cord-cutting and the rise of streaming companies.

The current cost of living has led consumers to be more lenient when it comes to choosing ad-tier models. Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown led to them seeing a subscriber increase of 100,000, and it looks like Amazon Video is now following in their footsteps.

“The big question facing the ecosystem today is as streaming continues to elevate, does the new media space have the same overall pie that traditional has? We don’t have the answer just yet, so as we continue to discuss finding this balance, finding the right way to build up these businesses is one of the key areas here,” Lumley explained.

What about local news and major sports, you’re wondering? According to Lumley, this has been a big area for the industry. “Different players are thinking about what sports rights they can afford. News will increasingly be a part of the streaming experience, and whether that can drive audiences to streaming is a big question.”

Finding a Cross-Platform Measurement Fit 

In the words of Andrea Zapata, EVP and head of ad sales research, measurement and insights at Warner Bros. Discovery, the way God intended for us to watch TV was on our big TV screens, but now we consume it on various devices. Moderator Sean Cunningham, President and CEO of the VAB, led an engaging discussion where both executives outlined their measurement solutions. 

“From the start at Warner Bros. Discovery, we were very clear that there are two different ways that you can activate against linear television,” Zapata explained. “One is using more data-driven tactics, and the other is how you measure it or, ultimately, how you transact against it.”

The research has shown this trend where content is being captured everywhere. “My sons are on the iPad more than the big TV,’ Jason Swartz, VP, advanced advertising, New Business, and National Sales at New York Interconnect. “We need better transparency for streaming,” Swartz continued, “so we are pushing way ahead of others to get reporting at the network level to understand how to place programmatic streaming programs in a specific space to find the audience.”

CTV’s Resilience: Reflecting on 2023, Charting 2024’s Path for Advertisers 

While 2023 has been a year of resiliency and growth for streaming, the ecosystem must focus on taking the consumer-centric approach. Now is the time, more than ever, to pay more attention to your consumers’ needs and values and ensure that they align with your marketing priorities. 

Yakira Young, content manager at AdMonsters, sat down with John Vilade, Head of Sales at Premion. When asked about the convergence shift and implications for sellers and advertisers, Vilade replied, “Sellers need good experience in selling both linear and streaming. If not, you’ll be left behind.”

He predicted 2024 to be a better year in advertising as we know it, considering the political election and Olympics taking place in the same year. His exact words were, “Streaming will win elections in 2024.”

According to Vilade, Premion has already started having conversations with government officials in DC, and there will be a bigger investment in streaming with this upcoming election. All in all, streaming is an interactive platform with an interactive audience. Buyers and sellers need to take advantage of this. 

Steaming’s New Wave

By now, we’ve recognized that many CTV services and platforms are moving to an aggregated world. We saw this with Disney, Hulu and, ESPN, and Warner, and then HBOMax became Max and brought in the Discovery content. At this point, we also can search movie titles straight from our CTV platform.

There’s no doubt that streaming continues to grow in popularity. With this in mind, Verna Coleman, VP of brand partnerships and B2B Marketing at Canela Media, highlighted that for her and her team, reaching their audience “is all about the growth of the audience as the consumer population continues to rise.” 

To adapt to changing audience behaviors, Bloomberg recently launched Bloomberg originals. “We did this in February with the intent of pulling some of that existing viewership that we have and extending their engagement and bringing in a little bit of a broader younger audience as well, “Travis Winkler, GM of video & audio at Bloomberg Media, explained. Originals focus on docuseries, docu-style content, and talk shows.

Chicken Soup for the Soul leans on a few things at its fingertips when sharing its core audience of about 40 million with the brands they work with. “We have the robot kiosk, which is a huge DOOH opportunity. Millions of people walk past it daily,” Maura Gray, SVP of marketing at Chicken Soup for the Soul, explains. “It leads to a huge marketability considering about 50% are signing up with their emails.”

Unlock the Power of Local TV: Combining the Value of Broadcast and Streaming

Local TV is often overlooked, but this reminds us that it is still at the forefront of our industry. Ann Hailer, President of Broadcast at Locality, and Keith Kazerman, President of Streaming at Locality, highlighted that most consumers live close to their homes, and retail planning is based on location intelligence and foot traffic. 

“The concert of national marketing versus that local partnership or that local decision has to come with marketing that is tailored to that local marketplace,” Hailer explained. 

The panelists weighed in on the challenges in unifying streaming platforms at the local level and the value of local news in building trust and brand reputation. They discussed the role of programmatic and acknowledged its benefits but also emphasized the importance of a consultative approach and human intelligence in understanding local nuances. 

Moderator Albert Thompson, Managing Director of Digital at Walton Isaacson, mentioned programmatic and how he thinks programmatic needs to fix and address many things. 

“Everything we do is automated, and that solves many of the complexities concerning programmatic at Locality,” Kazerman said. 

How to Reach Sustainability Goals

Barber Lange Principal and CEO of Kibo121 and Dr. Laura Marks, Professor at Simon Fraser University talked about sustainability in the media industry, focusing on the significant carbon footprint and energy consumption associated with content creation, manipulation, and distribution. 

The pair emphasized the need for measures to reduce the environmental impact, highlighting the rising energy use of information communication technology (ICT) and the consequences of streaming. 

“The bigger the production, the more carbon footprint you have, our goal is to do more with less over time,” Lange stated. “Virtual productions are one way content creators can get around some of the energy issues, use your existing footage.”

“Film in lower resolution so that when you compress it, you won’t have to work so hard, the carbon footprint of streaming is due to devices,” Marks mentioned.

THURSDAY, SEPT 28th 

Where Art Thou, Gen Z?

The impact of Gen Z’s entertainment consumption is a trending topic. Viewing habits have drastically changed, and while demystifying Gen Z won’t happen, we can work to understand them better. 

“Brands and marketers must allow themselves to be criticized, but also stand out as a brand,” Drew Corry, SVP, group director of Strategic Investment and Marketplace Strategy at MAGNA. “From a content perspective, think about how you can get scripted to work in the context of social media.” 

Let Hali Anastopoulo tell it, Gen Z knows authenticity like they know their ABCs. As co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Get Me Out Productions, she comprehends the significance of your values being reflected in your content. “It’s really important to be authentic with the content you’re making, the messaging, the marketing, and the campaigns you run,” she said. 

Taryn Crouthers, President of ATTN: suggests thinking about how Gen Z is consuming content. “When casting for this audience, you don’t need a big A-list celebrity but those with a strong niche following. 

Key takeaway? Trust and authenticity go a long way when reaching and engaging with Gen Z audiences. 

Pay Attention!

The Q&A went both ways when Angelina Eng, VP of Measurement, Addressability, and Data Center at IAB, and Brian Lin, SVP of Product Management at TelevisaUnivision, took the stage together. It made for exciting dialog, listening to them share their insights regarding attention-based measurement. 

Eng broke down the three ways she thinks about attention and measurement, those are: 

1. Physiological and neurological – Eye tracking, brainwaves, heart rate, blood pressure, anything that can be connected in a media lab, device, or camera. 
2. Data proxy – Signals coming specifically from a device or passed by publishers. It could be around behavior, engagement, and through a CTV system, laptop, or a mobile device.
3. Cognitive and emotional data – focus groups, brain awareness studies, brand health studies, et cetera.

“Attention measurement is still in its infancy, and defining attention has been challenging, which is why we are looking at the three above approaches,” Eng said. 

“I think it’s extremely interesting from a product standpoint. We must continue going against the grain of looking for opportunities to reach the marketer’s goal. We have to continue to experiment and grill those data providers by asking the hard questions,” Lin explained. 

Artificial Intelligence: It’s Personal

On a panel moderated by Kristin Wnuk, SVP of Sales at Madhive, each panelist agreed that there are opportunities for brands and advertisers to use AI. The moral of the story is it’s less about what tools we can make in AI and more about how it is permeating everything we do as consumers and professionals. 

Rich Frankel, Global Creative Director at Spotify Advertising, pointed out that AI will evolve at the speed of light. All we can do is be ready. “Understand what you’re letting AI look at to learn and how you’re managing the data it has access to,” Frankel suggests. 

“There’s a lot to be done and to be optimized. The people who will be the most successful are those who approach AI with curiosity. Curiosity is the beginning of creativity,” Nicky Lorenzo, SVP, Executive Creative Director of 305Worldwide, added. 

“2024 will be the year of targeting in terms of AI and influence,” Will Heins, Partner at Brandtech, closed us out with this. 

Finding – And Retaining – The Employees You Need Now

Karen Gray, EVP of HR and Head of DEI at A+E Networks, Artis Johnson, HRBSN Partner at TV One, and Christine Guilfoyle, President SEEHER, sat down to talk about the importance of empathy, honest conversations, and fostering a culture that values employees needs and perspectives. 

“Seen, heard, and valued are truly at the heart of what DEI&B strategies are about,” Guilfoyle said. The fully virtual mentorship dynamic had to reshape itself. I think the return to the office is amazing for Gen Z employees because of the mentor sponsorship aspect of it. I’m not sure they know what they’ve missed out on.”

“Employees are the reason we are here. They are the ones pushing out the work,” Johnson added. How can we exhibit a connection to a consumer or community if there is no community internally within the organization? In a hybrid environment, when employees challenge their higher-ups, it gives the executives no choice but to change how they manage. This is how growth happens at the top down.”

“Retaining employees saves money. If there’s a revolving door, there is no retention,” Gray said.

What A Brand Wants

Shortly after a quick beer and wine break, Betsy Paynter, director of US Media at Heineken, Greg Miller, VP/account director of Eicoff, and Jeremy Herbert, VP of marketing at We Buy Any Car hashed out the need for brands to adapt and optimize their strategies for CTV with the evolving role of data at the forefront. 

“There’s a bit of a difference between performance marketing and brand marketing, but at the end of the day, everyone is very excited about how CTV will evolve in delivering data, Moderator Rachel Herskowitz, VP of Brand Partnerships at iHeartRadio, said. 

“Measurement regiment is better now than ever,” Miller pointed out. “You can certainly learn a lot, and there are tools out there today where you can put linear and CTV on the same plane.”

“I think the next stage is to get more joined up in our first-party data and the first-party data of media providers and the platforms. We can make beautiful things happen together,” said Herbert.

At Heineken, Paynter showcased the sensitivity about what they can and cannot buy into. “Context is super important, and I think having a more transparent view of what programming is doing well is super helpful,” she stated. 

Feel the Churn: Strategies for Boosting Subscriber Engagement 

When each panelist was asked the one thing they think needed to be fixed in order to increase subscriber engagement here is what they had to say:

Jon Giegengack Founder and Principal of Hub Entertainment Research: “Do a better job of showing people things that will interest them and surprise them in lieu of throwing everything at the wall and expecting that you’re going to win by volume.”

Eric Sorensen DIrector of Streaming VIdeo Tracker at Parks Associates: “We talked alout about personalization and I think there is certainly an opportunity to make it a better experience. I think we will see some consolidation that makes that process easier.”

Monica Williams SVP of Digital Products and Operations at NBC Unicersal: “Discovery experience is part of the total content experience, so I hope to see a deeper collaboration between publishers and platform partners in terms of support.”

The post Big Takeaways From Cynopsis’ 5th Annual Big TV Conference 2023 appeared first on AdMonsters.

After months of considerable back-and-forth, where nearly 15 million subscribers were denied access to the U.S. Open, college football, and other programming, Disney and Charter Communications have finally reached an agreement. Fortunately, for those subscribers on the sidelines, it was just in time for Monday Night Football. 

While carriage disputes are common in pay-TV land, many critics are speculating that this particular falling out signals cord-cutting’s rise as the potential nail in the coffin for the cable TV industry.

We spoke with Julie Clark, SVP of Media & Entertainment, TransUnion, to dissect the future of cable television in a world dominated by streaming, and marked by both challenges and opportunities. As the lines between traditional linear models and streaming continue to blur, we explore the impact on publishers, evolving revenue models, and the changing landscape of consumer access to content. 

The cable television landscape is in flux, but it is within this flux that the seeds of the future will be sown.

Yakira Young: The agreement between Disney and Charter Communication has been brewing for quite some time now. What implications do you see for the future of the streaming TV industry based on this agreement?

Julie Clark: In the future, streaming will continue to be a priority, but it still serves as a reminder of the deep dependency on linear, which can’t be ignored and can still be an engine for content. 

Legacy subscription models (subscriber fees) remain a major motivator for content hubs like Disney. However, they need those to bolster the bottom line while streaming continues to mature. The streaming TV industry is ripe for more consolidation as many streaming platforms are unhappy. Those players who will win in the streaming inflation wars are those who do not have to deal with the loss of past revenue or the fights of today.

YY: This agreement further blurs the distinction between traditional linear models and streaming. How will this blurred distinction impact publishers?

JC: Disney and Charter Communications both felt the pain in this agreement and further emphasized the power of having great content and a scaled distribution business. With agreements like Disney and Charter Communications, the distinction between traditional linear models and streaming is becoming more blurred. Impacting the entire ecosystem, not just publishers.  

Consumers gravitate towards platforms that focus on new content, and marketers will always want to reach a scaled audience connected to that premium content.  

YY: How do revenue models and distribution agreements play a role in the developing landscape of streaming TV? What changes can publishers expect to see in this regard?

JC: Streaming has had the benefit of massive budgets to develop content. They were already feeling the burn of needing to offset with new ad-supported revenue models. Legacy publishers are finding a way to have distribution agreements as a means to diversify revenue streams and support growth versus weighing them down. We will see more of the merging of these revenue models and distribution agreements – not less.  

YY: How does this new agreement impact consumers and their access to content? Are there any pricing or access changes on the horizon?

JC: Streaming platforms understand that economic pressures make it impossible for consumers to subscribe to multiple platforms, so we’re already seeing all major streaming platforms increase prices. Additionally, streaming platforms understand offering various levels of tiers to content that consumers can choose which best suits their budgets and needs is a logical next step. 

However, with access to streaming content being gated, it’s already leading to new consumer behaviors of churn from services of either pausing or ending subscriptions and rotating to other platforms that better suit their budgetary needs and provide access to new content. 

YY: With the continued growth of streaming, how do you foresee the future of cable television?

JC: As the market contends with increased offerings and fragmentation, the shift moves towards profitability. The future will be simplifying consumer access, scaled ad environments, and a lot of growing pains in between. Revenue per user (RPU) will accelerate while the marketplace begins to understand consumer willingness to pay across various platforms. 

The post Exploring the Impact of Disney and Charter Communications’ New Deal on the Future of Streaming appeared first on AdMonsters.

Social media, content, influencer marketing, TV, radio, print, events and more. These days, we marketers are lucky to have such a vast array of options at our fingertips, each channel offering unique opportunities to connect with consumers. With that infinite universe, however, comes a need to evaluate the effectiveness of each advertising channel in achieving our goals so that we can optimize otherwise endless spending. 

Media mix modeling is what most industry professionals call this marketing analytics technique, but market mix modeling is far more descriptive as a term. If we’re doing our jobs right, we don’t just consider media. We’re constantly looking at an entire market—its seasonalities, pricing, promotions, and more. And because we work within a dynamic and uncertain landscape, we need a type of model that considers these variables. 

These days, inflationary pressures, stock issues, and changing media costs aren’t making our jobs any easier. But having a robust performance forecast enables us to think on our feet and react accordingly—as long as we’re working with modern market mix modeling. Now, you may be wondering what are the markers of a modern marketing mix and what are the go-to-market attributes of progressive brands in their marketing mix. I’m glad you asked. Here’s the answer. 

Be Aligned With Business Outcomes and Changing Market Conditions

One key aspect of a modern marketing mix is the possibility of adapting to the desired business outcome. Imagine, for example, the board comes to you with the pressing need to generate sales in the short term. The mix needs to be flexible enough to deliver those short-term results, but it can’t neglect long-term growth in the name of focusing on the now. 

The key is to be agile and plan for the moment. By that, I mean considering broader categories rather than focusing on specific tactics like linear, CTV, or social. Optimizing fluidly across “video,” for example, businesses can adapt and deliver objectives while not harming long-term growth. It’s a more flexible approach that helps you make data-driven decisions based on current performance, market conditions, and consumer behavior.

Value Quick Measurement

You can be perfectly aligned with the ideal business outcomes and the changing market conditions, but none of that serves a purpose if you can’t measure channels and use this evidence to define what works best for your brand. Thanks to new automation and technology solutions, it’s easier than ever to measure quickly and frequently—and then act on it.

A modern model is built on automation and technology solutions that streamline your marketing efforts and provide speedy insights into your campaigns’ performance. Only then will you be able to do scenario planning, assess the economic risk and forecast different outcomes in changing market conditions. In other words, get more profit out of your marketing budget.

Avoid Outdated Rules

Speaking of marketing budgets, there’s been much ink spilled about the ideal brand split, with many taking the Binet/Field 60:40 rule out of context and using that as a hard and fast split. 

If you’re not familiar with it, this split suggests you should spend 60% of your budget on brand building and 40% on performance-driven tactics. This is an average of the study Binet and Field conducted (which aligns with our own benchmarks pre-Covid-19), but if you dig deeper into their work, you’ll see they recommend flexing this by category, position in the market, etc. 

We have measured that after Covid, there has been a shift in consumer behavior, and the optimal mix has seen an increase in performance-driven tactics.

Instead of going with the aggregate 60:40 rule, consider your brand’s unique market position, sector, and audience (as Binet and Field suggest). All of these factors will significantly impact the brand split. For some, it will be 90:10. For others, 50:50. 

Similarly, outdated tactics have got you following arbitrary distinctions between digital and traditional marketing. In today’s world, 80% of all buying can be digitalized, and the lines between traditional and digital marketing have blurred. Therefore, it is essential to focus on what works best for the brand, whether it’s a traditional billboard or a social media ad.

Engage With Finance Teams

In times of contracting markets and increasing costs, P&Ls are doomed to be reviewed and scrutinized more frequently. With marketing budgets often seen as “easy” to reduce, ensuring every investment is justified, evaluated, and optimized becomes vital. 

To do this, you need to make sure finance teams are key stakeholders in the marketing process. Build confidence in the value marketing can deliver, not only in the long term but in the immediate future too.

In doing this, quick measurement will come in handy. Suppose this evidence is collected in days instead of months. In that case, you can use it to determine where to allocate budgets, what works best, and how to act on it—all with impeccable fluidity, allowing you to deploy new tactics, content, and channels in the blink of an eye. And if you do need to cut the budget, at least you can count on these tools to indicate where it’ll have the least impact. 

Making the wrong decisions off an outdated model could cause you to lose a significant portion of your media revenue. Applying a modern market mix can pay off big time. 

Set your business up for success by ensuring a fluid process where you can allocate budgets, target audiences, and select channels with agility—measuring their effectiveness in days rather than months and making adjustments as needed. 

Remember that engagement and socialization of results and actions across the organization, particularly with Finance, is critical for ongoing success.

The post How to Optimize Your Marketing Budget with Modern Market Mix Modeling appeared first on AdMonsters.

Doing so profitably starts with performance marketing, which allows advertisers to reach their audiences at scale — and pay for results rather than impressions. 

Marketers can use the strategy across apps of all verticals and categories to stimulate specific down-funnel actions. And performance marketing is achievable across channels — including connected TV (CTV)

CTV is now in more than 90% of US households, creating a tremendous opportunity for advertisers to engage with new audiences. This is especially true for non-gaming apps, which can leverage the mobile gaming apps’ technology, strategies, and tactics to acquire high-value users on CTV and beyond. 

Let’s explore the unique challenges that non-gaming apps face in scaling their UA, how mobile apps across the board can efficiently optimize toward specific business goals, and what the dawn of precision performance marketing on CTV means for profitable mobile audience growth. 

Unique Challenges for Non-gaming Apps 

Revenue from non-gaming apps recently surpassed that of gaming apps in the US, signaling a shift in consumer behavior and an opportunity for further growth. The non-gaming category is diverse, from food delivery and finance to health and wellness. But most brands share the challenge of stimulating down-funnel actions, such as purchases, orders, or subscriptions. 

While gaming apps often rely on in-app advertising or in-app purchases as their primary source of monetization, as gamers spend minutes or even hours at a time in the app, non-gaming apps often need users to take a particular action in a limited amount of time in the app to generate value. 

For example, a food delivery app doesn’t just need people to download their app, even though that could technically qualify as UA. Instead, they need people to download the app and place their first order. Acquiring high-value new users, or those likely to make that first-time order and further purchases, requires first identifying those consumers and then reaching those audiences at scale. 

There’s a ton of data to consider, but apps don’t have to go it alone. Performance-driven data partnerships can help brands connect with high-intending audiences, measure success, and continually optimize campaigns to maximize ROI and drive incremental growth. 

Fueling More Targeted, Profitable Growth With Performance Marketing  

In the example of the food delivery app, advertisers can use performance marketing to understand the impact of their advertising beyond installs. With cost per event (CPE) analysis, campaigns can start to optimize toward the specific “event” of the first-time order. 

This performance-based approach enables marketers to understand down-funnel consumer behavior, and anything from completing a level to making a purchase can be optimized as an event. Starting with an app’s business goal, learning periods, and experimentation, marketers can identify an ideal channel mix that yields users most likely to take the specific action.

Machine learning coupled with powerful data analytics can help app advertisers find their ideal audience and continually optimize campaigns in real time to yield more of those specific down-funnel events. This allows apps to scale UA profitably and avoid ad waste on consumers unlikely to generate high lifetime value (LTV).  

Opportunity in CTV for App Marketers  

While CTV is a new and exciting marketing channel, its pricing model has historically been based on impressions, charging brands for eyeballs rather than results. This can seem hard to justify in our current economic reality, especially for apps operating on thinner margins. 

To leverage CTV efficiently, marketers should test its advantages as a performance channel and shift their buying from a CPM to CPI (cost per install) model, making it a natural extension of their UA campaigns. 

Marketers should prioritize collaborating with channel partners that provide a single access point across mobile and CTV for their performance campaigns. This enables transparent omnichannel reporting that delivers deeper insights for more holistic optimization across channels. 

For example, while tapping into performance-based buying on CTV, marketers can still track performance on a CPE basis, optimizing toward channels where users convert on the desired event, such as first-orders for food delivery apps, as mentioned earlier. This ensures sustainable, cost-effective ROI while increasing user LTV.

By only paying for installs, advertisers turn impressions into a powerful value add for additional brand awareness. For example, users who see a CTV ad for a dating app may not be able to install it immediately, but they may do so later, creating a halo effect from the campaign that delivers long-term benefits. 

As viewership reaches new heights and ad spend projected to grow 21% this year, app developers and marketers neve have had a better time to reach incremental new audiences on this channel. 

With CPI pricing, efficient performance marketing for apps — relying on the same measurement infrastructure as mobile — is more than possible on CTV. In fact, CTV may be all but necessary to stand out in the increasingly competitive app marketplace and scale revenue through the acquisition of high-value users.  

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