There’s enough disruption in digital advertising, so a flap at Facebook and uncertainty surrounding Twitter are best dealt with quickly. That’s the view of Mainardo de Nardis, CEO of OMD Worldwide, Omnicom’s global media communications agency.
Last month, Facebook apologized after major agencies became aware that the social media behemoth had erred in the way it computed one of its video viewing metrics, as The Wall Street Journal reports. It’s something that’s “been blown out of every proportion,” de Nardis says in an interview with BeetTV at the annual IAB MIXX conference in Manhattan.
“Let’s not make it a huge problem, because it’s been managed quite well,” he says, adding that Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s VP of Global Marketing Solutions, “has been very forthcoming with their explanation. Mistakes happen, so let’s learn from them.”
Nonetheless, there is a bigger issue at hand. “It proves the point that we need third-party measurement, we need more control over the data and I think the whole industry needs to evolve in a better direction,” says de Nardis. “Third-party measurement is a key part of it and I think we need more consistency in the way it’s applied.”
When the subject turns to Twitter, one senses that like much of the ad world, de Nardis wishes for a speedier denouement.
“I just wish that Twitter finds their roots, they find the right place where they want to be because there has been too much speculation,” says deNardis. “I think they need to have the time just to focus on what they want to do without the speculation of a possible acquisition. Whatever it is, I hope it happens quickly, if it has to happen at all.”
A logical ending would be for Twitter to remain a media company, “because that’s what they have become,” possibly becoming integral to a bigger media organization, according to de Nardis.
The union of Verizon and Yahoo holds the potential for “where one plus one does not equal two but four or five,” de Nardis believes. “I look forward to what Verizon is going to do with its new assets.”
Asked about addressable advertising, he notes that one-to-one marketing has been a desire for at least two decades. “I think the big difference now is that one to one marketing at scale is possible. I think everything’s becoming addressable. It’s becoming the norm.”
This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the IAB MIXX Conference, 2016, presented by The TradeDesk. Please find additional videos from the Conference here.
