Life at Cadent: Annie Bickel, Senior Director of Advanced TV Solutions

Meet Annie – a Midwest transplant, she left her home state of Iowa after college to pursue a career in advertising in New York City. Early in her career, Annie worked for GroupM (at MEC, now Wavemaker), in their national broadcast buying department, and later Starcom, as an Activation Associate. Annie would then take a role at CBS as an account service representative for primetime advertisers. Now, for over four years, Annie has been an integral part of Cadent as the company’s advanced TV solutions evolved. When she is not supporting the Advanced TV Solutions team, you’ll find Annie kayaking, DIYing, or wedding planning with her fiancé. Recently, we spoke with Annie to learn more about her role and experiences since joining Cadent.  

Tell us a fun fact about yourself. 

I was born and raised in Iowa and grew up in a small rural community. Farming and agriculture have always played a big role in my life. I was the Vice President of my school’s FFA chapter and showed livestock when I was growing up.

Where can we find you when you are not at work?  

This past June, my fiancé and I bought a house on Indian Lake in New Jersey! So, when I’m not working, I’m either kayaking and enjoying the lake, fixing up our house, or planning our wedding. Traveling home and spending time with my family is also one of my favorite ways to spend my time off. 

You recently bought a new house, that’s exciting can you tell us a little more about it? 

After moving to the city and living there for 12 years, I finally moved out to the ‘burbs! My home is on a private lake which has provided an amazing sense of community to us – especially considering we didn’t know anyone who lived there before we moved. The lake club organizes parties and fundraisers for the lake community, which has been a great way to get to know our neighbors and other community members. Everyone has been super friendly! It’s been a great transition which I’m very thankful for – so far, being a new homeowner has been very fulfilling. 

What is the most interesting part of your job? 

Working on the Advanced TV Solutions team requires a versatile set of skills; although our primary role is sales support, I love being able to help clients with their questions. I get to help them understand how they can leverage data and technology to better harness the power of audience targeting through television. 

Since starting to work at Cadent, how has your view on TV changed?  

Oh man, this is a tough one because it’s changed an incredible amount! My experience prior to working at Cadent had strictly been in linear television, so buying based on Nielsen demos. Since working here, I’ve been able to learn so much about data, targeting audiences, and measurement. Before, I never knew that, outside of ratings, there is tangible data that proves TV advertising works. I love that with addressable TV, for example, we can show the path a consumer takes from start to finish. For instance, a consumer views an ad, which triggers them to take action – whether that be to look online at a website, learn more about a specific product, or visit a brick-and-mortar store – and finally, that consumer makes a purchase – all of which can be measured. We have the data to show clients how their ad dollars and media campaigns are generating real results. 

What is one thing you wish you would have known prior to joining Cadent? 

Prior to working at Cadent, I worked at larger companies, like GroupM and CBS. It’s been exciting seeing just how much change and progress a smaller company can go through! I originally joined one2one media working on the addressable team. Since then, we’ve joined forces with Cadent and merged teams. I have also had the experience of working in several different capacities within the company, which is a luxury I don’t think many people get at larger companies.

Learn more about life at Cadent and see available roles on our Careers page.