When the world’s biggest ad buyers start advising clients to lean into connected TV, you know the channel has finally made it.
For years, CTV has been a side note to many media plans.
But, in this video interview with Beet.TV, Digitas VP Beth Weeks says brands in the current season of upfront ad sales deals should embrace the channel.
Upfront tipping point?
“For many advertisers that are big linear spenders, this year, this upfront year is going to look different and that we really need to embrace different video channels and different means because consumers’ behaviours are changing,” says Weeks.
“We’re really seeing consumers shifting over to streaming … it’s critical to really ensure that our clients are up to speed and aware on this changing and dynamic marketplace.
“It’s also critical for our brands to be changing the way that they’re investing.”
Similarly, GroupM executive director Jen Soch has told Beet.TV that some clients are considering CTV “their main foot forward”, an approach she endorses.
Understanding the market
These agency buyer sentiments are important because they point to addressable and connected TV having solidified in the marketplace.
That tipping point starts with responding to consumer behavior, but it continues in the proliferating number of ad options available in the channel.
“It’s critical to understand the dynamics of the connected TV marketplace, because we know that it is dynamically and rapidly changing,” Weeks says.
“We’re seeing new partners emerge. We’re seeing reach in different places and spaces, and it’s becoming far more competitive. It’s also becoming more competitive for where you can reach your consumers within ad-supported environments.”
Easing complexity
Still, as ad buyers lean into CTV and addressable opportunities, they nevertheless must brace themselves for a world of complexity.
Repeated buyer sentiment surveys tend to show up frustration at what is a fragmented landscape, unlike TV before it.
Digitas’ Weeks is excited by the opportunity to reach individual customers at distinct points in their buying journey and the ability to reduce ad loads.
But she wants to reduce fragmentation in doing so.
Role of SSPs
Technology is the solution, Weeks says, and supply-side platforms (SSPs) have a critical role.
“Some publishers are striking certain supply deals with a certain SSP,” she says.
“So it’s important to be able to kind of follow the inventory.
“As we work with SSPs, I think there is a great opportunity to take advantage of more programmatic guaranteed buying as we look to the upfront and being able to secure inventory in a programmatic fashion.”
You are watching “Convergent TV: Driving Addressability Across Traditional and Connected TV,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Beachfront. For more videos, please visit this page.
