Publishers should avoid giving away connected TV ads for free, warns Christie Hartbarger, VP of Connected Devices at Yume. That devalues the inventory and makes it harder for publishers to keep agencies on board as clients, she says in this interview with Beet.TV. Besides, studies have shown that connected TV ads are worth the premium since they generate high recall rates with consumers, she says.
That’s why she cautions publishers from making the same mistakes that TV networks and others did in the early days of digital by giving away ads on additional screens for free. “If you give it away you are saying you see little or no value in it for you. Then you have a low-involved partnership and it’s going to be hard to get them back as a client,” Hartbarger explains. Ideally, publishers should aim to demonstrate the value of connected TV ads, the recall rates, and the growth of the medium. That will help bring agencies and brands on board and give them reasons to try a new ad venue at an appropriate price, she says.
Daisy Whitney
