On hand at the Cynopsis Big TV Conference will be Albert Thompson, Managing Director, Digital Innovation, at Walton Isaacson – a bold thinker and straight talker helping to untangle technology and chart a path to the future. Here, he answers some questions ahead of the September 27-28 event.
How concerned are you about AI?
Once the machines are properly programmed, the Artificial General Intelligence will have the ability to outclass professionals in terms of intelligence and reaction speed in certain domains. The greatest threat will be two-fold: 1) What they call Narrow Ai – that has a very focused utilization to solve specific points of friction; and 2) the inherent danger in outsourcing “agency” or decisioning via Ai tools
What’s the greatest threat AI poses to the Linear/CTV business?
Ai has the ability to identify clear intent signals in consumer preferences. It will be the “intellectual equalizer” in the Supply Path conversation and will surpass much of what your sales team has historically been telling the clients.
What is the biggest mistake you see media companies making right now?
Every major media channel has “omni-channel” possibilities whether the focus is Retail Media, Paid Social, DOOH, Video, or Gaming. There needs to be re-education for brands on how to maximize the entire universe based on how their consumer executes “decisioning” around purchasing. Stop behaving as if it’s the B2B business. It’s the B2B2C business. C is for the consumer.
If you could give one piece of advice to networks regarding ad sales, what would it be?
The consumer journey isn’t linear (literally). They move across the entire video ecosystem from OLV to TikTok to streaming platforms to cable networks to Reels and back. Therefore, your planning approach needs to mirror the only one who’s guaranteed to win – the consumer; instead of selling it based on your organization silos or investment silos of Agency Holdcos.
