How Nimble and Innovate TV Can and Needs To Be. Interview with clypd’s Mark Mitchell

Mark Mitchell started his career as a TV buyer at Y&R before entering broadcast television at ABC in sales and then venturing into a series of start-ups. Now, as Chief Relationship Officer, clypd, he is on the cutting edge of audience-based advertising.  Clypd, which recently entered into an agreement with Nielsen, is a software and services provider to network television ad sales organizations. 

Charlene Weisler:  What is your current job responsibility? 

Mark Mitchell: I establish and manage our partnerships with the TV Networks for clypd.  Four years ago when we started the company, a ton of effort went into convincing sales leaders that the industry needed to begin to change.   Those early days of "programmatic TV" were all about educating, building trust and testing new transaction models.  We're now at the point where everyone sees the benefit of selling advanced audiences, and market adoption is underway.  

Weisler:  What is your definition of programmatic TV?

Mitchell: The application of rich audience data for targeting to improve television advertising outcomes, with underlying technology that allows this to happen in an efficient, streamlined fashion.

Weisler: What are the advantages of an Open Marketplace, of a Private Marketplace and what are the challenges in each?

Mitchell: The private marketplace (PMP) model puts clypd's advance audience forecasting and optimization capabilities into the hands of the Network teams for execution of Advanced TV sales strategies.  They are able to operationalize any advanced audience data, create optimized proposals and then manage those deals through their existing sales systems.  

The clypd open marketplace (OMP) was initially developed to provide non-traditional buyers, DSPs and digital agencies, the means to purchase linear TV inventory, where conventional relationships with TV sales orgs may not have exist.  At the same time, it gave TV media owners access to new sources of demand.  While a robust marketplace, OMP's managed service approach falls short of the hands-on control that traditional TV buyers need.  For that reason, we are launching a self-service OMP application that will allow holding companies to transact across all of our partner networks, in a semi-private environment.  Networks will use clypd's software to manage agency/advertiser-specific deal terms, just as they would in an offline sale today.  Think of it as a convenient Amazon-esqe experience for buying and selling linear TV advertising.  

In both cases, the biggest challenge is changing legacy behaviors and beliefs.  Some people embrace it, while others need a bit more convincing and support.  

Weisler:  What is your definition of television?  

Mitchell: Wow.  Harder to define every day.  Having grown up in this business, I still see it as the viewing experience of programming supplied by a media owner who operates linear channels.  Distribution and consumption of that content has and will continue to change in ways that best serve the consumer, with business models evolving to support it.

Weisler:  What is the biggest challenge for an agency / advertiser in buying television through a platform?  

Mitchell: Transparency, trust and costs.  How direct is the access to the inventory and the audiences that am I getting, and what impact is it having on the cost of media.

Weisler:  Where do you see television in general and television sales in the next three years? 

Mitchell: The TV advertising industry is going through a renaissance, which is essential for it to compete with the likes of Google, FB and eventually Amazon.   The sales side of network television has always attracted some of the brightest people in the industry.  Many get a bad rap for holding onto old ways of doing business.  But those "old ways" drove some amazing profits.  Now you will begin go see just how nimble and innovative this community can really be. 

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com

Thinking Out of the Box in Syndication. Interview with Jodi Chisarick of 21st Century Fox

Jodi Chisarick, Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager, 21^st Century Fox, realized after changing her college major three times that communications was her forte. She started in the media business straight out of college at a small ad agency where she learned the national side of TV and advertising. From there she went to CBS Networks in planning and then to Fox in 1995 where she has been ever since. 

Such longevity is rare in media nowadays and she sometimes reflects on the road not taken. “Did I do the right thing for my career by staying in the same place for so long and in such a specific area?” she mused. “Maybe if I moved around I would have been exposed to things beyond syndication. But then I realize that I had the ability to raise my three children as well as run the department that I grew up in. And I love my job,” she concluded. 

Weisler: What is your definition of TV and where do you see the future of linear TV?

Chisarick: My definition of TV is watching a TV show on my TV set. I do watch on mobile and on the computer but it tends to be when I am traveling or commuting. If I am at home I would never choose to watch it on any other screen than my big TV screen. There has been a lot of conversation over the past couple of years about what is the future of linear TV. When you look at the quality of shows being produced – whether it is on Netflix or HBO or cable or broadcast, and you look at the amount of people you still reach through linear TV, you realize that it is not going anywhere any time soon. There will still be challenges and changes and we may see some of the long tail, third tier cable networks not surviving. There might be fallout but I still think that content is what it is all about. Without the right content there is nothing to watch no matter where you are trying to watch it. The most money is still being spent on linear TV content. 

Weisler: What are the opportunities and challenges going forward in syndication?

Chisarick: Over the past two upfronts we have definitely seen the opportunity for syndication. We are viewed live, have shorter pods and reach more people than a lot of broadcast television and a lot of cable TV. We are a more efficient vehicle and we have seen a tremendous increase in demand in syndication from last upfront and even heading into scatter for next year. People are retooling how they are using linear TV. One of our biggest challenges is that there are a lot of (younger) people out there who aren’t quite sure what syndication is and what bucket we fit into. We go into agencies and give a Syndication 101 presentation – what is it, how it is bought – and we try to make ourselves stand-out. We are told we are not sexy enough, we have too many repeats, we are only daytime so we have met with a lot of outside companies to come up with different opportunities to offer advertisers. Unless it is first run programming we can’t offer integration, sponsorships and branding in the off-net shows. We have come up with a couple of different ways to create custom content so advertisers can tie into to favorite off-net shows. But it is a slow go. We are doing these native-in-video ads that are digitally integrating a product into the content but the agencies don’t know where to fund it because there are no GRPs against it. It is not a commercial but it doesn’t come from digital. We want to be able to offer 360 and turnkey opportunities but also be able to execute them as well as get the agencies and clients to execute them. We need to think out of the box to make this happen.

Charlene Weisler: Did you always want to go into sales?

Jodi Chisarick: I studied advertising in college and I think I have the right personality for sales. Once I was in sales in CBS I just knew that this is what I wanted to do. What I always loved most about this business is that I could have an interesting conversation with anyone around a dining room table and talk about what I did. I love television. I am a big network TV watcher and I can go home and still be in my work world. 

Weisler: So how to you achieve life balance?

Chisarick: It is really hard, especially with a long commute. I do the best I can and I have always worked for very understanding management. So if I needed to leave early, it was not a problem. I am very lucky that I have three very independent children. My husband pitches in to help when he can and I always had help at home. Despite being tired all the time, I am happy that I did not take time off when having children so I could continue in my career. I think it would be hard to re-enter the workforce after a few years out of it. I am lucky too that I live in a town where everyone helps each other out. It does take a village.

Weisler: What advice would you give a college student today about a career in media?

Chisarick: Definitely get digital experience. TV is still King but having digital experience is good on your resume. Be patient, work hard, thank people for the opportunities that come your way and double-check your work. Be responsible for your work. It is a hard business. It is not what it used to be. Companies are running leaner than they were before. But it is still a great business. You will love it. 

And my advice to management is to bring the younger people into meetings so they can see how the process works and how decisions are being made.

This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com

The Future of “The Big Screen.” Strategist Stu Rodnick Talks TV

There has been a lot of industry talk about the future of television as it is impacted by the expansion of platform choices and greater, faster technological advancements. Stu Rodnick, founder of the strategic advisory firm Three Screen Nation, has years of experience as an entrepreneur, business strategist and consumer marketer with a specialty in identifying opportunities created from technology usage trends, digital innovations and demographic shifts.

He learned early on that household databases are the bedrock for marketers to deliver meaningful and measurable messages. Rodnick expects that the growth of connected TV will “offer a utopian environment for marketers to deliver ad experience that provide utility and interactivity to consumers, fulfilling many of the long hoped for possibilities of digital aided marketing.”  He shared with me some of his opinions on the subject of television.

Charlene Weisler: First off, what is your definition of TV?

Stu Rodnick: The big screen through which the majority of our video content is viewed, and a key influencer of our pop-culture. 

Weisler: Do you think programmatic will help or hurt the TV economic model?

Rodnick: I’d expect both, because while it would be more profitable to keep the status quo, the reality is that the market is changing due to technology.  And, with content viewed across many different platforms, it’s necessary to have programmatic technologies to automate processes and enable the advanced targeting & measurement capabilities that digital supports so well. Fortunately for television, there are lots of learnings already in place on what works and what doesn’t work with programmatic technologies & business models.

Weisler: How can we best facilitate cross platform measurement?

Rodnick: It's necessary to deploy multiple approaches, because there is no easy solution. Likely a combination of working with the incumbents, licensing cable & wireless carrier data, and investing in new approaches which rely upon transactional databases. 

Weisler: How can the Internet of Things help in TV measurement, if at all?

Rodnick: With audio watermarking offering promise as a proxy for viewership, there should be a way for consumers to be compensated to share data collected on mics from their smartphones, watches or connected TV devices. Seems like an area filled with opportunity, and Alexa like devices offer the potential to measure viewing behaviors in ways that were not previously possible. We need to recognize that the voice assistant market is still at a very, very early stage. And, Amazon has been smart to enable all Fire branded products with Alexa, doubling down on its first mover lead.

Weisler: Where do you see the state of TV in the next five years?

Rodnick: The app phenomenon will carry over from smartphones to televisions, as internet connected television reaches significant penetration levels. This will lead to more & more of our viewing experiences being controlled by apps over the next few years. We’re already starting to see this trend take place. And, we can expect it to accelerate across the mass market as apps are better integrated into televisions & game consoles, become integrated within set-top boxes, remotes & voice assistants, and sales of stand-alone internet connected devices keep increasing. With around 80% of our mobile time spent using apps, we already know that consumers love this sort of navigation and are used to it. The future of TV will be highly influenced by software and the simple & elegant experiences it provides for audiences.

This article first appeared in www.Mediapost.com

Ben Tatta of 605 on the Future of Legacy Measurement

As Co-Founder and President of 605, Ben Tatta has embarked on an exciting new venture, working alongside Kristin Dolan, who has a deep appreciation for the increasing value and importance of data and analytics in the media and entertainment industries. 

605 launched late last year when Dolan Family Ventures acquired Analytics Media Group (AMG), which targeted and optimized TV messages for the 2012 Obama campaign and transitioned into advising corporations in their marketing and advertising efforts through analysis of a national footprint of viewing data from a variety of sources.

Twenty-five years ago Tatta worked for the publishing division of ABC when it was just starting to convert everything from print to digital. Following that, he helped large media companies adopt a web presence. Next, at USA Network, he began to work in the convergence of digital and television. It was there he gained more appreciation for advanced TV, which solidified a triple play of experience in cross platform conversion, data and advanced media. Tatta and I met while we both worked for Cablevision (I was at a division of Cablevision - Rainbow Media, now AMC Networks) where he was a huge supporter of set-top box data and a source of knowledge on sales applications like telescoping. He ran the media sales division and also launched their new data analytics group where he "cut his teeth" learning and applying innovative firsts using set-top box data for advertising and programming analytics.

I reconnected with my former colleague to ask him about his new venture.

Charlene Weisler: What is your definition of TV?

Ben Tatta: I see it more as content. Television is programming predominantly watched on the large screen -- but it doesn't need to be. TV content is pushed online but commoditizing it as video doesn't do it justice. A lot of TV is characterized as video content but not a lot of video content is TV-worthy content. There is a great difference between commercial, paid TV programming and user-generated video in terms of the storytelling, the episodic nature and session lengths of either -- the average length of view.  Its like a novel versus comics.  Both could be considered forms of literature but each is different (because of) the way viewers consume and interact with them.

Weisler: Tell me about 605.

Tatta: The business is focused on leveraging census-level audience data derived from set-top boxes and other connected devices to provide more precise measurement for programmers and advertisers. We feel strongly that today's legacy measurement is not adequate in keeping up with audience fragmentation and it is certainly data that is not actionable. TV can gain tremendously by being able to mirror a lot of the optimization and measurement capabilities that are currently available on digital platforms. We are focused on aggregating as much set-top box data as possible from MVPDs across the country and then putting that into a form that is both actionable and measureable. In this way, programmers and advertisers can get more actionable data and insights to understand how content and advertising is performing and how to best optimize it.

Weisler: What do you think the future is for legacy measurement of age and gender?

Tatta: These are two attributes among thousands that are currently available and so they are a proxy for what an advertiser is really interested in. Many major marketers today have very granular CRM systems and know who their audiences are. The more that we as an industry can extend their own definition of customer and prospect rather than having to put it through an age and gender sell through, the better we are. The big question is "Are age and gender going to continue to be the basis of currency?"  Our general philosophy is that even though advertisers are buying on age and gender today, that doesn't mean that they can't measure and optimize on more granular attributes. For the time being, there is an opportunity to augment age and gender with a whole litany of other attributes. Over time it will evolve to a hybrid or new currency.

Weisler: Where do you see legacy measurement three years from now?

Tatta: Its hard to know where things will go but in England they have already developed a hybrid measurement. There will always be a role for focus groups or panels to study certain things and to aggregate from that. Where it is deficient is in measuring things that are too small or niche. People are moving into non-measured modes or modes that cannot be measured by the existing panel. That is a fundamental problem that needs to be fixed. Having a more census-based approach with all of this new data will tackle that. So, if an ad campaign is not converting well, we can then understand why (that is happening). Is it the message?  Is it the media?  Is it the scheduling?  We can then effectively measure the optimization techniques that are put into place. At that point, GRPs will become less relevant.

What is Working in Television Measurement? Interview with Ryan Reed of Lotame

Ryan Reed, Director of Television and Video Solutions at Lotame, started his career at Matrix Solutions , creating sales software for local television groups.  “That was a crash course in TV ad sales, going around to local stations and learning their day-to-day operations,” he said. 

From there he worked for Comcast and Canoe Ventures before moving to Lotame. “It was clear to me that data and audience-based advertising was the place to be. Now everything is coming full circle and audience data is primed to empower local television advertising as these silos break down,” he added.

Charlene Weisler:  Tell me about your company.

Ryan Reed: Lotame has the leading independent data management platform (DMP) and offer the most widely used, trusted and comprehensive data exchange in the industry. Our team aims to continuously find new and meaningful ways to help clients harness the power of data to fuel more relevant and personalized experiences across screens and devices, online and off. 

Charlene Weisler: What is the most dramatic change in the industry since you started, in your opinion?

Ryan Reed: The growth of additional media, hands down.  Some may call this fragmentation, but that’s a very pessimistic view. When you boil it down media is a competition for human attention.  Regardless of how many screens or platforms exist, there is still a pretty static number of people with only so many waking hours of the day (in the US this would be around 319 million people with 16 hours or 5.1 billion hours of attention).

The biggest difference from the start of the 21st century (when I left college) is that media is an ever-growing percentage of our available time.  Before it was only TV when you woke up, radio and billboards on your way to and from work, then TV when you got home, with some web surfing maybe thrown in.  Now we have these magical devices in our pockets giving us social media, podcasts, video, and news whenever we want. And even our work machines give us the ability to be distracted by media. If you work in media or advertising, this means that there are more and more chances to reach people, but it gets harder to reach them at scale.

Charlene Weisler: What is your opinion on local television measurement in general? What is working and what needs improvement?

Ryan Reed: Overall, the marketplace undervalues local audiences due to a lack of audience data.  Advertisers know local broadcast is the best medium and provides the best local reach.  What we need to be able to provide is dynamic audience capabilities that the large national cable and broadcasters are developing to local station groups. Brands and their agencies want to measure their impact on audiences across different screens and local television completes that picture.

Charlene Weisler: How much impact do you think programmatic TV will have on local television in the next couple of years?

Ryan Reed: It’s tough to guess this on a relatively short timeframe. Even if we had perfect technology, the TV industry is a very large ship to try to turn around.  It will only take hold if the tech can work for all parties involved. TV programmers are very protective of their inventory. So the digital version of programmatic where inventory is thrown into a black box exchange isn’t going to work. We need to demonstrate that for stations and networks, the technology is getting them full value for their inventory that wouldn’t have been achieved before. For agencies, we need to demonstrate that the audiences they’re trying to engage can be reached more efficiently without spots being thrown away on the wrong audiences

Charlene Weisler: What is your definition of TV?

Ryan Reed: The delivery of audiovisual content to a consumer’s device.

Charlene Weisler: What should local TV priorities be in the next 2-3 years?

Ryan Reed: In broad terms, it’s the same as it has always been -- providing quality news and entertainment to consumers while demonstrating value to advertisers. What that means in the 2010s is embracing clients’ data-driven demands to show how local reach engages the audience that a brand reaches on competing mediums.  This means fighting old habits of how you buy and sell while embracing empirical and impartial data to meet clients’ needs.