Commentary

Optimizing Linear

by Nina Lentini , Staff Writer @Nina_Lentini, February 26, 2019

“No silo, no solo, no bozos -- I believe in that,” said Josh Martin, EVP & Head of Mass Acquisition Media, Performics, quoting an agency he works with. “Search is the foundation, the backbone. We have to break down clients' siloes as well to propel the campaign forward.”

He was speaking at MediaPost's TV & Video Insider Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, on a panel. Moderator Ben Angle, Senior Media Buyer at National Media, put him on the spot, asking Martin to give an example of when optimizing linear worked and when it did not.

He was ready. “Optimization works at about 75% of the cases for our clients. Where it doesn't, it’s due to confusion of data, especially for data that have large baselines. There is new measurement in place that gets me excited, I'm nerdy that way. It doesn't assume everyone is responding to an ad. There’s something to be said that someone would respond regardless. It's important to pay attention to that. In terms of when they don't work, it's due to large baseline clients and assuming net effect due to consumer behavior not impacted by the advertising.”

In terms of the future, he sees advancements in measurement and a programmatic-like structure for linear. "The spot market will hit before national cable."

Sonya Svaty, VP, Media, Klick Health, said “it would be amazing if we could really understand the purchase funnel. From the TV ad to a search on Google, how they went to the website, went to a doctor, the pharmacy. How that messaging comes together to convert someone would be amazing.”