Anthony Iaffaldano
VP, Sales Marketing & Insights
Fandom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyiaffaldano/

What are three attributes that got you where you are now?

I’d say the three main traits that have served me best are my curiosity, my ability to simplify complex stories, and a healthy sense of humor.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to enter the market?

Don’t get intimidated, just dive in, start learning and stay curious. The digital media industry changes so quickly that catching up isn’t the challenge – it’s staying current once you’re in it.

Pre-workday, what is your morning ritual?

Alarm goes off at 5 am every day – an unfortunate holdover from the commuting era. I make myself coffee and breakfast for my 13-year-old. I get him up and out the door to the bus, kiss my wife goodbye (teacher’s are still in the commuting era) and then have my coffee with a side of industry news and email, while reviewing my to-do’s for the day. When that’s done, I wake up my 9 year old and start the school routine over again. Then it’s time to log on for the morning.

What about your job keeps you up at night?

Proving the impact of every decision and every resource we’re given. It’s not a unique challenge, but in a compressed and challenging media environment, I have to make sure we’re using the whole animal, so to speak. Everything we do has to work harder, be more thoughtful and have more impact.

In an industry brimming with information, what isn’t talked about enough?

I’ve long been a champion of the idea of behavioral over demographic targeting. The idea that large swaths of people behave the same way because they happen to be the same age and from the same place has always seemed a bit fishy. I’d rather learn more about what people like and where they spend their time, and make decisions with that information first.

It’s one of the reasons I came to Fandom – we have more information than anyone on the entertainment habits of more than 350 million people. We know what they’re watching and playing, what in those franchises they’re most leaned into and how those audiences have changed and intermingled over time. There’s power in that data, not just to improve advertising spend, but to change the way entertainment is created, marketed and supported that our clients are just starting to catch on to.