Steve Bagdasarian
Chief Commercial OfficerComscore
The media industry has been experiencing exponential digital growth in recent years, resulting in well over half of all hours spent consuming video content happening on digital platforms rather than traditional linear channels. In order to be successful in this continuously evolving landscape, it’s vital to consider cross-platform solutions. Our customers are looking for ways to reach their total audience, not just segments broken out by channel.
Linear tv remains a unique vehicle for reach and can be a valuable tool to help inform Connected TV (CTV) strategies. However, the expansion of digital consumption enables brands and advertisers to optimize for reach and performance KPIs with speed and precision. This means that for the first time, we can consider wholistic approaches to maximizing reach across all screens & viewing experiences, ultimately driving better ROI and even a more optimal consumer experience.
As the industry climbs to new heights in digital video consumption in 2024, we are incredibly excited to be partnered with The Trade Desk for measurement with Comscore Campaign Ratings and for programmatic targeting with our Proximic by Comscore solutions.
CTV Connect highlights
What does our integration with The Trade Desk (TTD) mean in an evolving landscape?
It’s a question we unpacked with The Trade Desk’s Jonathan Low at the inaugural CTV Connect event in New York in March 2024. His role at The Trade Desk is to bring in partners to help deliver on the platform’s priorities, build tools internally and help TTD’s clients optimize between the linear buy and the CTV buy.
Through the lens of Comscore Campaign Ratings, The Trade Desk clients are able to advertise nationally and optimize locally. In doing so, they answer key questions:
CTV’s Real-Time Optimization Opportunity
Jonathan Low shared with the audience that while we’re seeing CTV expand rapidly, it could be growing faster.
He explained that advertisers need minute-by-minute data to get a true understanding of campaign performance in a way that enables them to update their audience or other campaign parameters in real-time to drive stronger performance. Low recognized that linear doesn’t have the same campaign controls or real-time data optimization, but he pointed out how valuable it can be to use linear insights. As he phrased it, “Putting all of those insights together is what really drives ROI to make sure that those dollars that are being used in that ecosystem are working as hard as possible.”
A Focus on Local
Today, there’s a $172 billion total addressable market (TAM) in the US* for local advertising across TV OTA, TV Digital, and CTV, which demands the attention of advertisers and ad tech companies alike. According to BIA Advisory Services, that TAM represents a 9% growth over last year, largely due to the political spend forecast in 2024. More than ever, we’re seeing massive advertisers such as CPG and auto customers implementing local campaign targeting and geographic strategies to maximize each market’s potential.
Jonathan Low went on to explain why ad tech players need to meet advertiser demand for local optimization.
- “Focusing down on that local level with the new relationship that we established with Comscore Campaign Ratings, and being able to have local metrics, and a local understanding of what you're doing, we're now finally bringing the kind of tools and products for those very advertiser-specific needs.”
Jonathan Low, Senior Director, CTV Partnerships
The Trade Desk
The Need for Unification
Advertisers have traditionally been faced with the challenge of finding a programmatic platform, a targeting partner, an optimization partner, and a measurement partner, only to repeat that across each media channel. They end up with siloed reports that don’t allow for a deduplicated view of their campaign or any meaningful unification insights. That’s why Comscore’s integration with The Trade Desk is vital. It’s a one stop shop combining The Trade Desk’s programmatic expertise with Comscore’s targeting, optimization, and measurement assets.
Privacy-Forward Innovation
These dramatic shifts in video consumption habits are all happening against the backdrop of ever-growing consumer data and privacy legislation. Comscore’s programmatic targeting division, Proximic by Comscore, offers ID-free audiences to help advertisers reach their target audience despite this complicated landscape. Proximic’s Angela Rodriguez told the panel that in the past two months she has seen advertisers adopting these programmatic campaign platform segments like never before as they try to make sure they're still hitting KPIs at scale while remaining cost efficient.
- “We have performative targeting solutions that will hit KPIs and enable advertisers to make sure they have efficiencies despite signal loss and privacy challenges. It's not just cookies that are a challenge, it’s iOS and other privacy changes. At the end of the day, advertisers are wondering, “Am I still doing well?” At Comscore, we want to make sure they can reach their target audience and verify that they performed as well.”
Angela Rodriguez, Global Head of Sales
Proximic by Comscore
Looking Ahead
2024 is set to be a major media year with the US Presidential election and the Paris Summer Olympics on deck. At Comscore, we strive to be proactive and anticipate the industry’s evolution and forthcoming challenges. We’ve intentionally crafted our solutions to perform across all platforms, at scale with a focus on measurability and enhanced privacy.
We’re excited to continue providing cutting-edge targeting and measurement tools to the market, surfaced within The Trade Desk for seamless advertiser access across all channels & formats.
If you want to connect on ways to better optimize your cross-platform targeting strategies, get in touch with me here.
Source: Bia Advisory Service, US Local Advertising Estimate March 2024