How does one media agency group set a goal of 50% automation when it comes to media buying? You look closely at lots of media and lot of data. But you still need to convince big media
sellers -- TV networks.
Fifty percent media buying automation in two years is a goal Matt Seiler, global chief executive officer at IPGMediabrands, set out for
its Magna Global unit. This means more than the somewhat narrow “programmatic” focus.
Speaking at OMMA Audience Targeting, Todd Gordon, executive
vp, U.S. Head of Investment for Magna Global, says it comes about looking at how to apply data to all media planning and buying.
For a long time TV was content about using an
age/sex demo for targeting, says Gordon. But now clients want a lot more — with digital platforms pushing them in that direction. In particular, it comes in convincing TV networks -- cable
networks, for example, in coming up with new ways to sell.
“For TV it has been become a much tougher business. Growth is tougher if you are a cable network. For a
long time, you were growing because of your growing subscriber base, growing ratings, and stealing share from broadcast. But now it has become an inventory yield game. Most cable networks aren’t
growing; they are fully distributed."
He adds: "If they going to for grow their revenue [now], there are two things they can do: They can get advertisers paying low prices off the air
— which is very hard to do because they are your biggest advertisers -- or you can find smarter ways of selling your inventory. And we feel 'audience' is a smarter way of selling your
inventory.”