5 Takeaways from Our 2018 Upfront

Our upfront event this year, “Brand Advertising in a Data-Driven World,” was all about the evolution of brand advertising, the current media landscape and the future of advanced TV.

The industry is facing challenges such as audience fragmentation, media inflation and more. But as Cadent CEO Nick Troiano said, we’re excited for the evolution of TV advertising and what’s to come – and we’re here to help clients each step of the way.

Below are five highlights from the event, along with videos done in partnership with  Beet TV.

• TV remains a viable and valuable medium, Cadent CEO Nick Troiano said. While the use and influx of data is forcing evolution within the industry, Troiano says, “if we keep true to the value of television, what it means for our advertisers and for our clients, and find ways to take advantage of what technology and data offers, we’ve got a bright future.”

• Addressable advertising has evolved from test to proven media plan component, Cadent COO Jamie Power told the audience. The medium  will increase from 63 million cable and satellite households to 70 million by the end of 2018 and praises the fact that addressable is now adding transparency to TV marketing. Because post-campaign analysis can indicate return on ad spend, it’s possible to see what works and what doesn’t, discover appropriate pricing by category and advertiser, and make needed adjustments on future campaigns.

• The industry is pushing for a common currency, but there’s work to do. We need to do better, Initiative Chief Partnerships Officer Maureen Bosetti said, or money will shift to other screens as clients demand more transparent measurement.

• Marketers are looking for three things: scalability, consistency, and simplicity—all of which are possible if companies effectively harness the power of robust measurement, precision targeting, and rich (aggregated, anonymized, and privacy compliant) data. “Nobody doubts the sound strategy of using richer data to more precisely deliver audiences and measurement those audiences in more robust ways,” said According to Andrew Ward, VP, Comcast Media 360. “But we’ve got to encase that transaction in elegant architecture from pitch to pay, such that the process is simplified.”

• Trust between buyers and sellers is the key, VideoAmp chief strategy officer Jay Prasad said. He added that he looks beyond the upfronts to discuss how strong and intelligent scatter market opportunities can be leveraged during the season. If a premium broadcaster is already doing a lot of business with an agency or brand and is committed to them, the situation can be beneficial to all.

See our entire video series with Beet TV here, and learn more about how we support TV’s transformation in a blog from our CEO, Nick Troiano.