Next in Media – Details, episodes & analysis

Next in Media spoke with Sean Cunningham, president and CEO of the Video Advertising Bureau, on the industries debate over what constitutes premium content, and why in his view brands should demand far more control and transparency for their campaigns on social platforms.

Takeaways:

• State of the TV Ad Market: The TV ad market is in flux, influenced by shifts to streaming, social video, and significant changes in major players and distribution formats.

• Importance of Premium Content: Premium video content is defined by being professionally produced, long-form, significantly engaging, and brand-safe, which distinguishes it from user-generated content and social videos.

• Brand Safety Concerns: There is a growing emphasis on brand safety, with many advertisers becoming increasingly cautious about where their ads are placed, particularly on platforms that lack transparency.

• Role of AI in Media Buying: AI and automation are becoming more integrated into media buying and planning, raising concerns about transparency and the potential for decreased brand safety.

• Granularity in Ad Placement: Advertisers are demanding greater granularity and transparency in ad placement, including details about platform type, device, content length, and the nature of the content.

• Trust and Partnership: The trust between marketers and media partners is crucial, particularly in ensuring that investments lead to effective advertising and that there is a clear path to remedy any issues that arise.

• Evolving Role of Media Agencies: Media agencies must continue to evolve, offering sophisticated tools and strategies that go beyond traditional media buying to thrive in the changing landscape.

• Dual Focus on Brand and Performance: Successful marketing strategies should balance long-term brand-building efforts with short-term performance goals.

• Future of Premium Advertising: The industry needs to clearly define what constitutes a premium advertising experience to avoid commoditization and ensure continued investment in high-quality content.

Guest: Sean Cunningham

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsored by: Acast & Precise TV

Produced by: FEL Creative

Next in Media spoke with Daniel Folkman, Gopuff's SVP of business, about the company's growing footprint in the ad business despite the fact that he thinks there are way too many retail media networks.

Takeaways:

• Business Overview and Evolution: Gopuff started over 10 years ago, focusing on delivering convenience products like snacks and drinks. It has since evolved to carry over 5,000 SKUs, including groceries, home essentials, and alcohol.  

• Target Customer Demographics: Gopuff’s primary demographic is 18-35 year olds, with a strong focus on young parents.  

• Sustainable Business Model: The company uses its funds to build infrastructure, technology, and fulfillment centers, focusing on long-term sustainability rather than short-term customer acquisition​.

• Retail Media and Advertising: Gopuff entered the retail media space with its own advertising platform, which leverages the company’s unique selling points: instant delivery, a young and targeted demographic, and specialized consumer data.  

• In-house Ad Platform: Gopuff decided to build its ad platform internally to maintain control over its unique consumer data and optimize targeting.  

• Future of Retail Media: The company sees consolidation challenges in the retail media space, arguing that many current retail media networks are not sustainable long-term.  

• Customer-Centric Advertising: Gopuff focuses on delivering ads that feel like relevant content rather than spam. This strategy aims to enhance user experience while also improving ad performance and profitability​.

Guest: Daniel Folkman

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsored by: Acast & Precise TV

Produced by: FEL Creative

Next in Media spoke with U of Digital Founder Shiv Gupta about the Trade Desk's recent ranking of the top 100 publishers, why he thinks Nextflix has moved too slowly into advertising, and whether ad tech is really contracting.

Takeaways

• Salespeople in the digital advertising industry often struggle to contextualize their products within the larger industry landscape.

• There is a need for scaled structured enablement to help people in the industry stay ahead of the rapidly changing landscape.

• The ad tech industry may experience a contraction as the internet becomes more dominated by walled gardens.

• The post-cookie world presents challenges for the industry, including limitations on addressability.

• The integration of advertising in streaming platforms varies, with Disney taking a more proactive approach and Netflix being more cautious.

• Addressability in television is limited due to the lack of rich data and the challenges of identity mapping.

Guest: Shiv Gupta

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsored by: Epsilon

Produced by: Fresh Take

Next in Marketing spoke with Luke Kigel, who is both VP, Walgreens Media & Head of Walgreens Advertising Group, which means he oversees Walgreens' push into selling ads, while also overseeing its spending as a big advertiser. Luke said that the company's new role as a seller is dramatically changing how it operates as a marketer, as it looks to treat TV far more like digital media. That's because, in his view, many of the traditional ways of planning and buying TV have be become "antithetical to the way people live their lives".

Guest: Luke Kigel

Host: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing talked to Krystal Olivieri Global Chief Innovation Officer at GroupM & Choreograph, about her worry that the ad industry has created a 'panic' among brands angling for more first party data in a post-cookie future. And while she has high hopes for the metaverse if and when it arrives, she warns against marketers using new identifiers such as crypto wallets to target consumers. In the meantime, Olivieri is bullish on marketers employing different signals, including contextual and retail data, to better service consumers.

Guest: Krystal Olivieri

Host: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to IAB CEO David Cohen about the state of ad-supported streaming, and why he's pushing traditional TV advertisers to shift their mindsets when it comes to pricing strategy, measurement and what role the medium will play over time. Cohen also spoke about how many brands have been dragging their feet when it comes to preparing for massive changes in ad targeting, and what he thinks the prospects are for a national data privacy law.

Guest: David Cohen

Host: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to Donna Speciale President Sales and Marketing at TelevisaUnivision about what's happening in the TV ad market as Nielsen faces a number of new challengers. Not only does Speciale question whether any one company will be able to claim the measurement mantle - she believes that TelevisaUnivision's Hispanic American audience is being severely undercounted - which is why the company is going it alone in building a proprietary Hispanic audience graph.

Guest: Donna Speciale

Host: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke with Sarah Iooss Head of Sales, Americas at Twitch about how the Amazon-owned property is helping brands like Pringles connect with fans of huge video games. Iooss talked about the different ways marketers can engage with popular gaming influencers,  and how Twitch is also seeing huge growth in viewership of live music, fine arts and even chess competitions. The result is a company with an audience that is consistently comparable to TV.

Guest: Sarah Iooss

Host: Mike Shields

YuJung Kim, president of the animal focused media brand, spoke to Next in Marketing about the path from starting out as a Facebook centric brand to a company that produces content for Netflix, TikTok, Animal Planet and even a series of children's books.

Guest: YuJung Kim

Host: Mike Shields

Next in Marketing spoke to Aaron Debevoise, founder and CEO of Spotter, a company that is paying YouTube stars hundreds of millions for the rights to their older videos. Creators like Mr. Beast are using this funding to launch ambitious new content ventures, including an initiative to clean the ocean of pollution. Meanwhile Spotter is packaging this still popular content up for TV advertisers looking for big reach.

Guest: Aaron Debevoise

Host: Mike Shields