Traditional TV viewing may be waning – but TV’s new tricks mean the medium remains an important part of a leading agency’s media planning.
That is the view of an experienced advertising exec who has skated on both sides of the ice.
In this video interview by Beet.TV guest host Tim Spengler of Amobee, Vinny Rinaldi, head of activation and audience at GroupM’s Wavemaker, says the new approach is to separate linear from over-the-top TV’s offer, whilst nevertheless treating the two holistically.
OTT + TV
“The way that we’re thinking about this ecosystem more than ever before is separating out,” Rinaldi says. “The reality is that screen, that television ecosystem has … been consumed more than ever before.
“The marketplace has diminishing returns in supply across linear capabilities, (but) we’re still looking at ‘What is the whole screen with these broadcast partner going to give us?’.
“Their capabilities have only grown. There’s a ‘plus’ on the backend of every single broadcast partner right now that allows you to have content at your fingertips. And there is nothing more powerful than that because it’s on the big screen still and those eyeballs are still there.”
Upfronts’ big year
Major broadcast owners’ upfronts presentations kicked off in April, with digital NewFronts continuing into June.
Last year’s TV upfronts were affected by pandemic ad spending constraint and turmoil. Many brands called for a delay to the season.
Many brands have tried to move toward more agile ad-buying approaches, which connected and addressable TV is seen as catering to.
But the move to this kind of buying was underway before the pandemic. Many think the 2021 upfronts is when pandemic agility, declining linear viewership and the emerging comfort with targeted TV buying is when the advanced TV technique will take off.
Holistic approach
“We’re working on (it) really holistically,” Rinaldi adds. “Not only do we have to think about it from a linear perspective, those eyeballs that are leaving.
“What content are they still consuming within those broadcast partners and how do we leverage these new areas like a Peacock, like a Paramount to get integrated for holistic buying ecosystems versus just separating out linear and digital?
“How do we integrate brands’ presence across everything within those environments?
“That’s why the upfronts are still important. I think the discussions in the upfronts are just changing a bit into a much more data-driven conversation.”
Still got it?
Rinaldi’s comments will be welcomed by TV networks as evidence their evolving offering still resonates with the biggest media buyers around.
But Rinaldi says the extent to which Wavemaker buys TV, and different kinds of TV, will vary from brand to brand. Software, he says, is key to making that happen.
“I think we’ve got to hone in and really create a structure with technology as that layer that informs our media ecosystem,” he adds. “And I think from what we’ve seen (in the) early stages as we go to the upfronts, there’s a few platforms who are separating themselves from the pack very quickly and we’re really excited to work with in this data-driven linear ecosystem.”
You are watching “Optimizing a Rapidly Converging TV & Video Marketplace: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Amobee. For more videos, please visit this page.