The IAB NewFronts this month come as media buyers focus on cross-channel opportunities including programmatic video advertising.
Jessica Brown, director of digital investment at WPP’s GroupM media agency, said the coronavirus pandemic has hastened a longer-term move from linear TV toward digital media consumption, and advertisers are taking notice.
“We always knew that streaming was going to overtake linear TV,” she said, citing research that shows viewers ages 18 to 24 led the way in that shift late last year. Digital media are becoming a way to boost gross rating points (GRPs) among younger audiences.
Streaming platforms also have become hotbeds of innovation as many Hollywood studios have suspended production of fresh programming for linear TV, giving advertisers more reasons to shift their media buying to digital.
She said clients are looking for media placements on platforms like YouTube, Google’s video-sharing site, and on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter that have expanded their video programming in recent years. There’s also greater interest in programmatic advertising including display, video and even audio formats, she said.
“We’re really open to looking at some of these alternative platforms for content,” Brown said. “We’ve also had some really good conversations internally about programmatic.”
This video is a preview in a series leading up to the 2020 IAB NewFronts. Please visit this page for additional segments from the Road to the NewFronts 2020. This Beet.TV series is presented by the IAB.
