Advanced TV technology continues to evolve as advertisers seek improved ad targeting to reach the growing number of households that are connecting their TVs directly to the internet. Measuring that audience is a priority for media buyers like Andy Fisher, head of Merkury Advanced TV at marketing agency Merkle.
In this interview with Beet.TV, Fisher describes how the TV landscape is changing, and why his company is participating in a test program by Samsung Ads, the media sales division of the consumer electronics giant, to harness data from connected devices to improve ad targeting. Carmaker General Motors was the first advertiser to participate in the Samsung Measurement pilot.
“Samsung has a very unique data set because they’re a TV manufacturer,” Fisher said. “They have the ability to see both the linear TV that runs on their sets and the connected TV campaigns that we buy. Their data set is one of the biggest in the industry.”
He likens the evolution of automotive advertising on TV to the direct-mail practices of the financial services industry, which relies on data to match offers with consumers based on their income and spending patterns. Carmakers like GM can gain a more comprehensive look at consumers to tailor offers through advanced TV.
“As more streaming opportunities open up, as streaming scales … it makes sense for auto to have a big presence there,” Fisher said. “A very important part of streaming is that it can be very targetable. It’s getting better at understanding specific audiences and targeting those audiences.”
Cross-Platform Measurement
With consumers watching video on a broader variety of devices, or within the digital “walled gardens” of social media platforms, cross-device measurement is a key priority.
“One of the biggest challenges right now is that every platform has its own approach for measurement,” Fisher said. “The ability to have a more standardized access to that data, while making sure that we’re privacy-safe and privacy-compliant would be important. There are many platforms with many approaches, and to get this to work, you have to understand each platform.”
Marketers also are more concerned about ad fraud as more CTV advertising is bought through programmatic auctions, which aren’t always transparent outside of direct deals or private marketplaces (PMPs).
“There’s a huge demand for general knowledge about the CTV world, and the addressable TV world. It’s big, it’s fragmented and it’s constantly changing,” Fisher said. ” People are very concerned about fraud, and understanding how to detect, how to avoid fraud is very important.”
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