SAN JUAN, PR — John Hoctor started Data+Math with the idea that TV was “under credited.”
Meaning that the medium as a whole was not getting the credit it deserved and was thus becoming undervalued.
“What we set out to do was to apply larger data sets to the problem,” says Hoctor, who is now LiveRamp’s GM of Measurement, following the acquisition of his company. “We felt like the traditional ways of measuring TVs performance were really failing the industry. And that TV needed a way to leverage much bigger data sets in order to measure the true effects of the medium.”
Hoctor says his team was building out a kind of “measurement at a different scale.” That means using set top box data, ACR data, and data from streaming platforms to one get a holistic view of the consumption that is happening across many different screens.
For Hoctor, one of the biggest challenges for measurement today is the fragmentation that results due to the increasing number of TV shows and places to watch them. That results in more and more choice for consumers, which makes it more difficult to rely on just a handful of networks to achieve reach and frequency goals.
“So that first step is assembling all those exposures that are happening across all those different screens, because if you’re a marketer, you’re buying traditional TV, but you’re also buying the streaming platforms—you’re buying Google, you’re buying Roku you’re buying full episode players from the networks. That’s all TV. ”
That’s why Hoctor is happy to be able to make use of LiveRamp’s identity graph, which he says is an easy way to stitch all those exposures together to provide a unified view, which can then be used to determine whether those exposures drove marketing outcomes.
Interestingly, it is within the walled gardens of Google and Facebook that Hoctor sees a roadmap for the television industry’s future growth.
“I think they are getting more than their fair share of credit because they’re happy to take first party data put it into a clean room environment, match it against their exposures and show you—‘Look how great we are at driving these outcomes for you!’ Imagine if TV had a similar technology partner! That is exactly what Data+Math is trying to provide.”
Hoctor was interviewed by TV[R]EV co-founder Alan Wolk at Beet Retreat San Juan 2020, where he was a participant.
This video was produced at the Beet Retreat San Juan 2020 sponsored by 605, DISH Media, NBCU, Roundel & Tubi. For more videos from the series, please visit this landing page.
