09/27/17: Live from Advertising Week

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NAB Show New York …

Explore What Advertisers Want, NAB Show New York, Oct. 18-19, Javits Convention Center

Check out Wednesday’s session: How Advanced Advertising Will Grow TV & Unite with Digital Video

How do you combine the data intensity of internet advertising with the clear value from television ads? Dive into the automation of planning, buying and media monetization across screens, the unification of TV and digital data, and unlocking premium inventory on OTT and VOD.

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Cynopsis Presents:

Live from Advertising Week

09/26/17

Randee Dawn

Advertising Week sailed into day two with even more packed panels and special events. It was also packed with summits, from “The Power of Audio Summit,” to the “Healthcare Marketing Summit” and “The New Chinese Consumer: Going Beyond Borders.” The Tech Xperience continued with strong attendance, while the evening was capped off with the D&AD Impact Awards Ceremony, hosted by The Daily Show‘s Hasan Minhaj. Meanwhile, storytelling had a moment in the sun with a series of panels that ranged from “Storytelling is Dead” to “Brave Storytelling: Managing Trust and Truth” and “Wired Brand Storytellers.” Here’s our own story that recaps some of what you might have missed….

PROGRAMMATIC YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

When it comes to the science behind getting machines to buy ads – the essence, if not the entirety, of what’s known as “programmatic” – interest among the Advertising Week crowds was intense, which meant “The Next Era of Programmatic” was standing room only. Despite some glitches – including a late start and microphones quitting – the panelists, who included OpenX CEO Tim Cadogan; The Washington Post‘s Jason Tollestrup, Director of Programmatic Advertising and Business Intelligence; Pandora‘s VP Programmatic Sales Strategy Jeremy Randol; Adobe‘s EVP of Advertising Cloud Keith Eadie and Nielsen Marketing Cloud‘s Global Chief Revenue Officer Damian Garbaccio, were eager to talk shop and a little sports to get their message across.

Early on, the question was exactly where programmatic was in this day and age, approximately a decade into its use. Cadogan noted that OpenX had been “doing programmatic for about ten years,” but it’s all come in stages of about five years, from proving it will work to expanding the scope. Now it’s about making it the “default of television media,” he noted. “Amazing potential in front of us if we can work with it.”

Eadie suggested that the “tactical era” of programmatic was coming to an end, as are the silos of information that have been accrued. “We’re moving to a world where data becomes an asset, and consolidates … such that it can be activated from customer touchpoints,” he said.

That said, it’s been hard to prove that it works in the way everyone hopes it will. “Some of the programming and data targeting that’s being used is being done because budgets exist,” suggested Garbaccio. “If you’re a marketer or even a media company I wouldn’t go buy a software platform and bring in all my programmatic [data] without proving it can work. The measurement and attribution part of it needs to be proven. It’s a pain point.”

The panelists also discussed auction dynamics, and just how important it is to grab the right slot in an ad auction. In the end, though, programmatic – even ten years in, or in its fourth inning (in baseball terms one panelist used) – remains a watchword that’s still evolving. A watchword that’s also attached to a gold rush of companies hoping to be the ones who manage to tame the beast.

“When the gold rush happens,” noted Cadogan, “it sucks people in.”

For information on coverage of related content next month go here.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM PBS

PBS delivers exciting, educational and brand-safe Science & Nature

And PBS ranks #1 in nearly every single demo for the program category

But our viewers not only watch….They open their hearts & wallets

Compared to other networks, PBS viewers are over 50% more likely to support the outdoors including caring about a company’s clean reputation and buying eco-friendly products, even if it costs more

Get them while they’re thinking….Pbs.org/sponsorship/

Sources: Nielsen NPower & MRI Fusion P2+ Live +7, 2016—2017

TOP OF THE MORNING
If you’re looking for a network that “gets” millennials, look no farther than Adult Swim – where thinking has been out-of-the-box and targeted to the up-and-coming generation for years now. SVP marketing and partnerships for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang Jill King, who participated in the “Not Your Parents’ Branded Content” panel spoke with Cynopsis about how to lasso the wild millennial viewer. Tip: Keep them guessing.

There’s a social media meme about millennials ruining everything. Do you laugh at that because you know differently?
Millennials are forcing a lot of change, which is great. The creatives behind Adult Swim created this distinct point of view, as if there’s a human behind the network, and millennials will seek us out wherever we are – even if it’s not on TV. We know that audience and have that one-to-one relationship, and lead in fan engagement with programs like Adult Swim on the Green, where we pop up in cities at beautiful locations and hold premieres and screen pilots. It’s about unique interactive experiences.

What do you think people are most likely to misunderstand about advertising to millennials?
A lot of what people think about millennials is wrong. They’ve just taken advantage of technology and innovation available to them in ways that previous generations haven’t and, as a result, are misunderstood for it. I think they can smell BS from a mile away and appreciate good advertising when they see it

What’s one of the key advertising trends in today’s marketplace?
More advertisers are looking for branded content that will travel – by that, I mean will spark a conversation and will be shared and break through. Another trend that I’m seeing is that Millennials crave experiences and are prioritizing spending on experiences. This is opening up opportunities for brands to meet millennials IRL and on social media by creating Instagrammable and social broadcast moments at events.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Women are getting younger [in commercials and entertainment], and they’re getting dumber.” – Madeline Di Nonno, CEO Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

ALSO AROUND TIMES SQUARE….
Harry Kargman, CEO and Founder of Kargo, on “Building a Brand in a Mobile-First World”: “No one (or virtually no one) gets it right the first time – 100 percent of the best companies have to take feedback, pivot and evolve. Continual evolution of product and capabilities in a business is a requirement. So, given this requirement to learn and evolve, how can we make the right moves? By listening to Neil Blumenthal [of Warby Parker] and Jessica Alba [of The Honest Company], we can learn from their mistakes and make better decisions. The goal is: learn, and then focus on winning strategies.”

Fun fact: What’s a talent you have that few people know about?
“I was a competitive skier and spent a year in France between high school and college skiing for the United States – slalom was my specialty.”

Stephanie Abrams Cartin, Co-CEO Socialfly, said she thoroughly enjoyed attending Monday’s “The Rise of Celebrity Influencers for Subscription and E-Commerce Marketing” with reality star Ashley Iaconetti and executives from companies including HelloFresh and FabFitFun. “While I’m very familiar with influencer marketing, as our agency Socialfly specializes in it, it was interesting to hear the shared perspective about the power of influence marketing and how they continue to innovate as social platforms evolve,” she said.

Fun fact: What’s your hidden talent?
“Bowling! When I was growing up, I was on a bowling league and had a high score of over 200 at 12 years old. My team at Socialfly was surprised to learn about this on our recent team outing at Bowlmor Lanes.”

Molly DeWolf Swenson, Head of Brand and Co-Founder, RYOT, on “Courage in the Face of Controversy”: “People can be bystanders and are judged as bystanders, but brands have the opportunity to react [to controversy] at scale…. I come from the millennial generation, and stereotypically think it’s no longer enough to do no harm. You have to do good. So [the question is], as a company that advertises in the world, do you take a stand on controversial politics? And if so, when?”

Fun fact: What’s your hidden talent?
“I was a finalist on American Idol a few years ago, so maybe my singing. I got on TV – my audition went viral, partially because Randy Jackson accidentally punched me in the face during the clip.” Check it out here.

HOLY HOLOGRAM!
Augmented reality hologram company (and TechX participants) VNTANA, along with Satisfi Labs, announced the launch of the first-ever artificial intelligence hologram concierge for retail, sports and hospitality on Tuesday. VNTANA already has particular hardware and software that can project an interactive 3-D persona that can answer questions based on custom AI. The retail version will allow companies to respond to customers’ real-time needs and deliver personalized advertisements. At sporting events, the hologram (which can be an actual player) can be used to direct fans to concessions or help find seats. “Consumers will be transfixed by the technology and will truly appreciate the ease and intelligent interaction they can have with the hologram,” said Satisfi Labs’ CEO/Co-Founder Don White.

PROGRAMMATIC BY THE NUMBERS
* Nearly 4 of every 5 US digital display dollars will transact programmatically in 2017, for a total of $32.56B
* 74.5% (or $24.25B) of us digital display ad dollars transacted programmatically will go to private marketplaces and programmatic direct setups
* Nearly 8 in 10 US mobile digital display ads are purchased programmatically, which is expected to rise to 85.2% by 2019
* Nearly 75% of all video ad dollars will transact programmatically by 2018
Research courtesy eMarketer

TOMORROW AT AW
Be sure to check back in tomorrow, as we visit panels including “Bringing a Hollywood Perspective to Madison Avenue: Collaborations in Storytelling” and “Are Brands and Agencies Really the New Movie Studios,” plus hear more from RYOT‘s Molly DeWolf Swenson, who’ll immerse us all in virtual reality news. But she probably won’t sing.