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Perspectives

Q&A: Mike Kisseberth, Chief Revenue Officer of Purch, on Creating Native Advertising Content

This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights… If you want to learn more, keep an eye out on our site for more interviews. Today’s Three on Three interview is with Mike Kisseberth, Chief Revenue Officer of Purch, on Creating a Native Advertising Content.

Mike Kisseberth HeadshotQ: Describe the importance of quality content in the Native Advertising value proposition:

A: Quality is of the utmost importance when it comes to native. Consumers are smart and discerning. They will quickly disregard content if it isn’t providing value or enhancing their overall experience. Quality content, regardless of the source, also ensures publication integrity long-term. Without that, you’re not a credible venue for any type of promotion.

That’s why our editorial leadership is deeply involved with decisions regarding programs that could be considered native. When content creation is a part of the project, they will provide high-level direction to assure the approach will resonate with the audience. Since page design plays a huge factor in whether that content achieves the engagement the marketer is striving for, our editors will also work with our design and analytics teams to make sure the data says we got the experience right.

Finally, of course, is our passionate community of over 78 million readers worldwide. They keep us honest and let us know what they like or don’t like. They’re our best assets for quality control.

Q: Describe the way in which your organization handles the creation of Native Advertising content:

A: We’ve been hosting native campaigns, advertorials, and other forms of custom content, for years.

We have a very rich tool set to achieve a wide variety of objectives – from the beginning of the sales cycle to the final design. As a publisher that works in both programmatic and highly-customized campaigns, our direct sales team plays a tremendous role in providing potential buyers and clients with the deep contextual grounding and insight that is needed to develop and execute a standout, impactful campaign right from the start.  They are backed by a product marketing team that has built out a proprietary content discovery platform that works across all of our sites and our partner sites.  That team also project manages the programs from start to finish to assure flawless execution.

If content creation is part of the project, we call upon our editorial leadership for direction and thought leadership. We develop the content with a team of subject matter experts outside of the editorial team. All content requires the approval of our editorial leadership.

Recently we have become most excited by the mix of Brand Impact and Direct Response Performance that we have been able to achieve by optimizing page design of our own in-market content.  In some cases, this can include wiping all the ads off the page to focus the audience’s attention on the action the marketer is striving for, even if that is just deeper consideration of the content. We have seen performance for many of these pages out stripe that of any marketing tactic our customers engage.

Q: What types of marketing initiatives lend themselves best to leveraging Native Advertising and how can they be designed to better deliver on their objectives?

A: It really depends upon the marketer and the media property that will host the content. Brand themes, thought leadership, even demand generation can be accomplished by a Native Advertising effort. The most important thing to consider is how you can serve the target audience first with the content you are delivering. If you can deliver value to the audience and your marketing objectives, then you can achieve performance that is hard to match through most any other marketing effort. Marketers and publishers who are considering sponsored content as part of their overall marketing mix need to get the order right though, serve the audience first with content that will be of genuine interest.

As Chief Revenue Officer, Mike oversees Purch’s (formerly called TechMedia Network) multiple advertising revenue streams. Most recently, Mike was the President and CEO of International Data Groups (IDG) Consumer & SMB division, where he led the growth of PC World and Macworld, evolving both to digital media and more than doubling the audience size. He also launched a new brand, TechHive, built a marketing services business “Content Works” and dramatically expanded IDG’s mobile and paid product offerings. Prior to IDG, Mike held high level positions at CNET Networks, Inc serving as SVP/Corporate Sales and Operations, where he led sales efforts and played an active role in implementing business strategies for every brand under the CNET Networks umbrella.

Note: This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights.

Also in this series:

Q&A: Edward Menicheschi, VP & publisher of Vanity Fair, on Creating Native Advertising Content

Innovation

Condé Nast Traveler’s New Gold List App Focuses on Social Life and Good Taste

This week, Condé Nast Traveler launched its new Gold List app, available for iOS and Android, to leverage the usefulness and popularity of its listings of hotels, resorts, restaurants and hotel bars as well as to maximize the social influence of this type of content. According to Creative Services Director Dana Devito, “social is a very big part of our editorial play online and off.”
The app, says Devito, “is a true extension of our brand, not just a guide.” In particular, she cites Condé Nast Traveler’s Tastemakers—something the publication recently introduced as it shifts from its focus on travel to a broader lifestyle perspective. Tastemakers are those the publication deems influential in a wide range of areas, who offer up their distinct view on the most interesting places, things to do, and much more. The app specifically leverages the social footprint of these tastemakers because, as Devito puts it, “the biggest form of ad delivery is word of mouth.” Within the app, each Very Important Tastemaker (including stylist Ann Caruso, gallery owner Blair Voltz Clark, and hotelier Jeff Klien) has their own “VIT” page which highlights their picks (look for more emphasis on these tastemakers in the publication’s website relaunch, coming in August).

Conde Nast Gold List App ScreenThe emphasis on social can be seen everywhere in the app but the social strategy is not solely focused on external channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest. They’ve included their own Pinterest-like virtual bookmarking tool which allows users to cut and paste photos and videos to populate their own public or private social stream, which Devito calls “our own Condé Nast Traveler inspiration board. ”Social integration was a key element of The Gold List app, says Devito, “because it creates a two-way platform. We’re not just pushing out information; we want to hear from our users too.”

At launch, the Gold List app includes more than 600 hotels and resorts and 300-plus restaurants and hotel bars, searchable by country, region and city. The top-ranked hotels and resorts were reader-selected in Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Reader’s Choice Survey. The app emphasizes Devito, “delivers on our twin promises of inspiration and service” with its “Stream” function, which provides a running visual archive of anything that users have shared or saved in the app.  “The beautiful part of this app,” says Devito, “is that, sure, it is a resource to plan your next trip. But it is also a great tool to find a restaurant or bar at home or whatever city you find yourself in.”

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Perspectives

Q&A: Wade Rifkin, VP, Programmatic, DigitasLBi on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights… If you want to learn more, keep an eye out on our site for more interviews. Today’s Three on Three interview is with Wade Rifkin, VP, Programmatic, DigitasLBi on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces.

Wade Rifkin HeadshotQ: Are you shifting budget to programmatic?

A: There’s still a good amount of variance in programmatic investment based on client, category and objective. The first wave of brands to embrace the programmatic transactional means and toolkit fell more in the direct response space, and some of those clients are now spending up to 50% of their budgets in programmatic. Following in line, brand advertisers have started to embrace it and are spending more around 20-25%, with ambitions to grow that to a good degree over the next 6-12 months.

By shifting more money into programmatic transactions, we’ll be able to establish more control of our buys – frequency management, media decisioning – through the demand side platform, and centralize knowledge in our data management platform.  With these tools, every impression is now an opportunity for us to extract greater media value for our clients and to derive intelligence in a new way about individuals.

Q: Do you use programmatic for upper funnel programs? Do you think you could/would in a private marketplace?

A: Yes, the misconception that programmatic is only for DR is just that, a misconception. As the world goes programmatic, there are clear places for brand advertisers to play there, even in the biddable environment – video, social, mobile, out of home and eventually TV. Dynamic creative will become a huge transformative capability for brand advertisers, tailoring messaging to audiences in an incredibly specific and powerful way, made possible by programmatic technology.

Private Deals do, however, represent the singularly largest opportunity to shift share into programmatic for brand advertisers, but it requires a reimagining – and more due diligence – around negotiations, supply chain management and ad tech infrastructure.

Q: Who sets up private marketplace relationships? What are important considerations when selecting partners for private marketplaces and what have you learned through the process?

A: There are three levels at which you can set up a private marketplace: at an account level, at an agency level and at a holding company level. As you move from the first to last, clout increases, but site diversification, terms and targeting can get a little more diluted. There are pros and cons at each level, but in the long term, I think there’ll be many agency-level private marketplaces that each account can take and customize, with master rates / volume discounts that can apply at a holding company level.

As you go to set up a private marketplace, you need to evaluate two levels of partner relationships:

  1. The marketplace enabler, or gateway: this generally sits within a DSP or supply side platform (or, in some cases, both)
  2. The end publisher set you’re actually procuring inventory from

The biggest potential pitfall is from not scrutinizing the deal structure enough. You need to evaluate which flavor of private marketplaces / deals you’re looking at: automated guaranteed (in many cases, not truly programmatic media decisioning), unreserved fixed rate or private auctions, then decide on the right tech partners that can execute against these with the right placement in your target publishers’ inventory queues. Not thinking this through and vetting upfront with the right lens will result in watered down inventory and a net result that’s only marginally better than ad network and open exchange inventory. If that happens, it’s a huge missed opportunity.

Wade Rifkin is VP, Programmatic at DigitasLBi, a leading full service advertising agency with digital at its core. Wade works across the agency’s client base to help them understand and embrace the growing real time programmatic marketing space. With a background in cross-platform media planning & buying, Wade is specialized in emerging channels like mobile, social media and data-driven audience buying.  Prior to joining DigitasLBi, he worked across clients in the CPG, telecom, auto and entertainment spaces at other Publicis agencies, as well as Wieden+Kennedy.

Note: This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights.

Also in this series:

Q&A: Bruce Kiernan Partner, Senior Director Digital, MEC on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

Q&A: Christopher Murphy, VP Media Investment, Accuen on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

Innovation

Discovery Digital Networks Partners with Magisto to Become Part of People’s Video Memories

Everyone wants to be in the video business these days—and for good reason. The audience for digital video is expected to climb from 190.6 million this year to 204.6 million in 2017, with almost 117 million watching on mobile devices. For Discovery Digital Networks, its 30-year legacy of creating compelling video gives it a solid lead. The trick, of course, is to maximize those assets.

According to Jim Louderback, GM of Discovery Digital Networks, the company is always exploring new ways to leverage its digital video. The latest example can be seen in its partnership with cloud-based mobile platform Magisto, which allows users to mash-up Discovery Digital Networks’ video content with their own.

Magisto employs Artificial Intelligence-driven technology that analyzes and automatically edits and produces raw video and photos to recreate life experiences and personal memories for their network of 35 million users. This collaboration lets consumers tell their own stories mashed up with Discovery Digital Networks’ content, enhancing their storytelling and inserting the brand into consumers’ personal stories.

As Louderback sees it, “video is a natural communication medium for anyone under the age of 25. I don’t think it will ever replace text, but it is taking on an important role for many media consumers.” Unfortunately, many who get into the game view it through the traditional broadcast lens. “Which is exactly the wrong thing to do. You have to think about it being more of a conversational medium.” And when he says conversation, he means an interaction, not an “old media megaphone” model.

Discovery Magesto ScreenDiscovery Digital Networks began its relationship with Magisto earlier this year with a single travel theme that proved wildly popular: In two months, users created 800,000 Discovery Digital branded travel movies which received more than 5 million views. Now the two have launched the “Wild Nature” custom Magisto theme, which will incorporate footage of 3D life-like dinosaurs and sloths from Discovery Digital Network’s upcoming Sloth Week. Louderback is looking forward to “the summer of sloth,” when Magisto users mash-up of videos of lazy summer days and Sloth Week footage.

Beyond entertainment and engagement, the opportunity, says Lauderback, is to become integrated into the most intimate and important pieces of people’s lives. “Think about it: They are creating the story of a graduation, a child’s birthday, or the biggest fish they caught and now they can layer in our video to tell these stories in an even more meaningful, dramatic way. You have these incredible moments in your lives and Discovery is woven into them.”

Having joined the company through its acquisition of Revision 3, where he was CEO, Lauderback describes Discovery Digital Networks as “very forward-thinking…we try things and sometimes we fail, but we always learn.” With the Magisto partnership, he sees the possibility of new monetization opportunities for the company’s valuable video assets. “These experiments are important.”

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Perspectives

Q&A: Christopher Murphy, VP Media Investment, Accuen on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights… If you want to learn more, keep an eye out on our site for more interviews. Today’s Three on Three interview is with  Christopher Murphy, VP Media Investment at Accuen, on Premium Programmatic.

Chris Murphy HeadshotQ: Are you shifting budget to programmatic?

A: Clients shift budgets to programmatic when there is a clear opportunity for media efficiency, efficacy and savings. Bigger shifts come from clients leaning in to audience data and analytics on both direct and programmatic campaigns, identifying key differences between partners and tactics. Ultimately, we see programmatic adoption as the path to drive results for clients and to limit the amount of guessing in media buying.

Q: Do you use programmatic for upper funnel programs? Do you think you could/would in a private marketplace?

A: Programmatic is simply a path, not a strategy in itself. It’s only limited by the creativity and strategy of those using it. All successful upper funnel programs, whether programmatic or not, are driven by great planning and execution based on core marketing fundamentals. Our clients definitely use programmatic for upper funnel programs, and sometimes it’s through private marketplaces. Early adopters to private marketplaces included retail and CPG brands had broad audience requirements and were open to testing around their KPIs. They were interested in leveraging efficiencies of programmatic, but wanted to guarantee certain contexts. Now seeing interest from clients in a broad range of verticals, including financial services, B2B and travel and hospitality brands.

Q: Who sets up private marketplace relationships? What are important considerations when selecting partners for private marketplaces and what have you learned through the process?

A: OMD and PHD media teams negotiate private marketplace relationships, often in conjunction with Accuen team members to help facilitate the technical aspects of the deal. In general, private marketplaces aren’t viewed as a separate tactic or channel, but are seen as a way to integrate more deeply with publishers and deliver greater results from those programs. For publishers without an Omnicom Media Group contact, we recommend going through an ad exchange or SSP for an introduction.

When we partner with publishers, there are a couple of key standards we look for: first, excellent customer service is table stakes; second, publishers need to ensure that what’s promised is delivered as expected; and last, flexibility across sales channel management, deal economics, and inventory packaging. We want to partner with publishers who offer up ideas rather than a standard sales deck or an ad package in a UI. Highlight site engagement, audience composition, and their unique assets using a mix of qualitative and quantitative factors. For instance, don’t just repeat traditional volume and scale rankings.

Christopher is the VP of Marketing & Media Investment for Accuen, overseeing brand positioning, product marketing, PR and communications as well as exploring programmatic partnerships with leading ad technology, data, and media companies. Prior to Accuen, Christopher was Sr. Director of Platform Products at Glam Media and spent 5 years at Right Media/Yahoo! At Glam Media, he led the marketplace channel, working with advertisers and partners to pioneer RTB and private exchange relationships. While at Right Media/Yahoo!, Christopher covered numerous roles including publisher business development, professional services, and network operations.

Note: This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights.

Also in this series:

Q&A: Bruce Kiernan Partner, Senior Director Digital, MEC on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

Q&A: Wade Rifkin, VP, Programmatic, DigitasLBi on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

Perspectives

New OPA CEO’s Introductory Letter to the Board

Here at the OPA, we are excited to begin a new phase in our evolution, as we continue to support the trusted brands that publish the content people love. We welcome a new leader, CEO Jason Kint, who kicked off his tenure with a note to the OPA Board, setting the tone for his tenure and providing a bit of insight into where the organization is headed:

Board Members –

Thank you for the kind introduction at our meeting two weeks ago.  I’m thrilled to officially begin my new role.  I’ll be working aggressively to sit down with each and every one of you over the next sixty days.  Your perspective on our digital world holds unique value as each of you has a role in the impact and importance of its future.

I have recently been on a journey through the research and application of trust in the digital ecosystem.  I find myself fascinated by the evolving relationship between consumers, marketers and digital media.  The opportunity I now have to strengthen these relationships is one I don’t take lightly.

It’s critical to understand that the Online Publishers Association is the only organization that exclusively represents the unique and diverse needs of high-quality digital publishers who manage trusted, direct relationships with consumers and marketers.  We have the lofty responsibility of representing the future for the most respected brands in the professional content industry.

Consumers come to our brands because they trust what will be delivered.  Whether it’s comedy entertainment, live action, financial analysis or investigative reporting, consumers know we’ll honor their many choices in how they spend their time and relentlessly advocate for their respect.

Marketers also have more and more choices across a growing multitude of platforms.  Their world gets more complex with each day.  It’s on all of us to shine a light on falsehoods and misconceptions.  Marketers choose to invest dollars in our content and brands to associate with the high-quality, trusted experiences that we deliver.

I assure you that we will be aggressive in having a seat at the table whether it be with the press, policy makers, marketers, academia or the many informal discussions across social media.  We’ll be transparent in the way that we operate and the positions we take.  Additionally, our members and staff will be a trusted source of information and thought leadership as you make decisions.

It’s on all of us to pave the future for high-quality digital media.  I will look to each of you to help make the valuable connections and engage directly in our conversations about digital innovation and the future.  If we do this right, we’ll create opportunities not only for many of our members but, just as importantly, for consumers, marketers and the high-quality digital media companies of the future.

Warm Regards,

Jason
Jason Kint
CEO

Follow Jason @Jason_Kint

Follow the OPA @OPA_Org

Innovation | Video

Scripps Networks Interactive Continues ulive Momentum with Three New Shows

This week, Scripps Networks Interactive’s online lifestyle channel ulive announced the launch of three new series, marking the continued expansion of the digital network’s original programming. Lisa Choi Owens, COO of ulive says the channel “has not only seen growth in the network and publisher partners, we’ve seen tremendous growth in our programming, with well over 100 original series, many returning from last year,” including the two it renewed this week, EstheKitchen and Sick Kitchens with Nadia G.

Owens was instrumental in the launch of ulive last October when she and Jeff Meyer, now the President of ulive, realized that they had significantly more demand than supply for Scripps’ video inventory, which boasts popular brands such as HGTV, DIY Network and the Food Network. As Owens says, “It is also hard to see hockey stick growth from established websites.” The two recognized they were “sitting on a demo where a lot of content was not available in the market.” ulive was launched to fill that gap, as well as to expand Scripps’ existing lifestyle dominion from food, home and travel to include “all those things the average female viewer is interested in” including wellness, exercise, pets, parenting and more.

ulive ScreenThe ulive network has been particularly successful with the 25-39 female demographic, which Owens describes as “both fortuitous and planned, given that this is a desirable demographic for us, but also that this type of content will naturally resonate with that audience.”

“This audience goes online to be informed, entertained, and inspired,” says Lauren McGrath, Development Coordinator at ulive, who cites recent research undertaken by ulive and POPSUGAR as confirmation. She and Owens agree that the new shows in the lineup fit the bill perfectly:

  • In Dear Buddha, comedian Carey Reilly explores non-traditional roads to wellness, like sound therapy, equine therapy and reiki;
  • 5 Minute Relaxation Anywhere features fitness guru Natasha Lloyd as she helps viewers chillax, as the title promises, anywhere, anytime;
  • In Fit Nonstop, SoulCycle instructor and YouTuber Kym Perfetto shows viewers how to adopt her no-BS approach to fitness, no gym required.

McGrath says that “last year’s 5-minute Workout Anywhere with Craig Ramsay was a huge success,” which she attributes to the optimal content, format, and delivery—suited to the audience’s busy lifestyle. The newly announced programming will all be short-form, running three to five minutes per episode. Owens says that ulive’s research clearly shows that “for our categories, short form works best.”

According to McGrath, what also works well for this audience are hosts that both entertain and inform, “Carey perfectly encapsulates our demo. She is a real life mom that brings comedy and entertainment value, but is always striving to learn more and better herself. That authenticity makes her incredibly fun to watch.”

Given its growth trajectory, ulive is in the market to develop new programming. And this week, the company announced a partnership with the New York Television Festival as a development partner. The two have also teamed up, along with fellow Scripps Networks Interactive brand the Travel Channel, to award a digital series to an independent artist participating in this year’s New York Television Festival. Original concepts will be vetted from the NYTVF’s 2014 class of Official Artists who participate in the NYTVF Pitch this fall. “This is a great way to partner and incubate talent,” says McGrath. “We feel that the talent pool of independent artists is incredibly deep and we look at the NYTVF participants as the future of content creators in our industry—including talent, producers and production companies.”

As ulive continues to develop its programming, Owens emphasizes that it isn’t a question of volume. “We’re dedicated to creating very focused content that continues to be useful, but also entertaining and authentic.”

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Perspectives

Q&A: Bruce Kiernan Partner, Senior Director Digital, MEC on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights… If you want to learn more, keep an eye out on our site for more interviews. Today’s Three on Three interview is with Bruce Kiernan Partner, Senior Director Digital, MEC on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces.

Bruce Kiernan HeadshotQ: Are you shifting budget to programmatic, what percentage of budget is being spent in programmatic?

A: Programmatic is a crucial component of our digital strategy for AT&T. We have seen positive growth in both investment and learnings YOY since programmatic became part of our digital planning architecture. With projections indicating continued growth in programmatic we expect further insights and enhancements on the value we are able to capture for our client. We also anticipate the introduction of programmatic capabilities to a broader view of our planning objectives. Leveraging programmatic to drive brand, direct response and retention across all our key KPI’s is a priority to fulfill our primary objective in growing AT&T’s ROI.

Q: Do you use programmatic for upper funnel programs? Do you think you could/would in a private marketplace?

A: While we actively pursue and evaluate the full funnel capabilities of our programmatic partners, the largest portion of AT&T’s programmatic budget remains grounded in driving lower funnel response. The most common roadblocks we have experienced in pushing programmatic up the planning funnel are inventory quality, lack of real-time brand measurement capabilities and customization. Although we have seen tremendous improvement in the inventory quality of key exchanges there is still a sense of the unknown when investing in this model.

Private Marketplaces offer a solution to many of these unknown elements. Many of the private marketplace packages we have evaluated include more customized and measureable media opportunities. We expect these opportunities will lead to a wider adoption of private marketplace activity and, thus more focus on brand metrics and solutions within the programmatic space.

Q: Who sets up private marketplace relationships?  What are important considerations when selecting partners for private marketplaces and what have you learned through the process?

A: Our agency planning team meets directly with publishers to evaluate private marketplace opportunities for AT&T. We find that many of the components discussed in this type of dialogue are closely aligned with some of our direct publisher relationships. Having a more strategic, holistic conversation that could potentially tie in ways to leverage private marketplaces as a complement to our media strategy with each individual publisher is a productive way to craft an integrated relationship that works for both parties.

One of the key objectives we task ourselves and media partners with is identifying tangible value from building a private programmatic channel.  Our open market programmatic buying strategy has yielded positive results and is made up, in part, of the many publishers who are currently promoting private marketplaces as part of their product offering. To justify potential fragmentation of this open model we need to secure considerable benefits in a private marketplace package.

In some cases value is pitched solely as the premium nature of publisher content. However, with growing usage of pre-bid technology filters we are able to identify open market display opportunities in-view and aligned with relevant brand safe content. With these verification capabilities the gap between premium digital publishers and long tail remnant properties appears to be closing.

Additionally, as these pre bid technologies are relatively new we have yet to see the impact it will have on the market value of some of our premium publishers who operate in any open exchange. Should pre-bid verification filters used in the open market begin to form a divide between premium digital publishers and long tail remnant properties the idea of a private marketplace to concentrate programmatic impressions in a more premium environment becomes less valid. As an advertiser it may be more effective for me to use the best pre-bid technology available and let the open market determine where the most efficient brand experiences will be.

When a publisher is able to go beyond or better define the “premium” label by offering unique inventory, data or creative not available in the open market we begin to really see the value in investing within private marketplaces.

Bruce Kiernan is a Senior Director at MEC leading all programmatic strategy for AT&T, focusing on the growth of ROI through the use of data and real-time buying.  In keeping abreast of the evolving media landscape, Bruce’s work has become concentrated on providing guidance and helping clients navigate the complexities of the data and programmatic space. In Bruce’s ten years within the digital media community he has worked across a wide range of well-known brands including IBM, Intel, Sprint Nextel, Reckitt Benckiser, and Farmers Insurance.  Before coming to MEC, he spent five years helping to build digital media strategy for Sprint Nextel as a buyer/strategist for Mindshare’s New York office.

Note: This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights.

Also in this series:

Q&A: Christopher Murphy, VP Media Investment, Accuen on Programmatic & Private Marketplaces

Research | Revenue

Ad spending is up. It is also all over the place: The Cross-Platform Advertising Opportunity

Recent research from ZenithOptimedia predicts that the global advertising spend will increase its growth from 3.9% in 2013 to 5.5% in 2014—reaching $537 billion by the end of the year—and then rise 5.8% in 2015 and 6.1% in 2015. And while these are promising signs of growth, the opportunity is spread across ever-more devices, with mobile growing six times faster than the internet and online video advertising growing 23% a year according to the Zenith report.

In fact, comScore’s latest research found that, as of December 2013, U.S. digital media consumers constitute the “multi-platform majority. And, as digital platforms continue to emerge, media fragmentation will only accelerate, creating the defining marketing challenge of this era.”

So the top line is that advertising has returned to pre-recession spend levels. Delivering value to the bottom line, however, relies on a cross-platform ecosystem that requires a strategic approach in order to extract the maximum value of today’s marketing spend.

Interestingly, Rachelle Considine, President Future US finds that changing the mindset of advertisers remains a hurdle in creating truly cross-platform advertising initiatives. “Our users have migrated cross-platform and expect to have a seamless experience. However the advertiser does not always see the same value of an impression across platforms.”

Other challenges brought on by cross-platform consumption are organizational. At Fox News, Chief Digital Officer Jeff Misenti says that, “as audiences become more mobile, marketers are beginning to acknowledge the need for cross-platform buys.” Misenti finds that coordinating all of the parties involved in cross-platform initiatives is difficult, and he emphasizes that everyone—from sales team to production, programming, client agencies and more—must all “fuse together seamlessly in order to reach a shared goal.”

Certainly, a shared goal across media and marketing organizations is a desire for accurate cross-platform measurement. It is one that ESPN’s Project Blue Print, NBCU’s Total Audience Measurement Index (TAMI) and Nielsen’s Cross Platform Campaign Rating are all trying to tackle. But to date, a single standard has not yet emerged.

Among those investing in solving for this essential issue is Everyday Health, Inc., which leverages its subscriber log-in as a way to target content and ad experiences across a wide range of devices. According to the company’s Chief Data Officer, Greg Jackson, the company has invested “well over $100 million to aggregate and engage our registered audience with personalized content and marketing because relevancy matters.” The targeting algorithm “learns” through user feedback and behavior in order to deliver more relevant information and marketing campaigns.

“It’s our responsibility to know our audience, provide engaging solutions across devices, and then optimize delivery based on the real behavior impact each is having,” says Jackson. And to achieve this, he emphasizes the need for a solution-oriented sales team that is not “constrained by channel silos.” Considine echoes this, saying that one of the first things they did when she joined Future in 2009 was combine sales teams so that everyone became responsible for selling across all platforms. “We sell audience,” she says. “With the cross-platform, cross-brand approach, we can give advertisers a larger total reach or allow them to go after a specific audience.”

And, as Jackson sums it up, “We believe that every digital campaign is a cross-platform campaign regardless of whether it’s intended or not. Users will access content whenever, wherever and on whatever device they want. It is our job as digital publishers and marketers to migrate our messaging across these platforms.”

Three tips for cross-platform ad success:

  • Understand your audience and how your different segments consume content on your various platforms. While there is industry research that provides a general picture of content consumption trends, demonstrating a customer’s-eye view of behavior elevates the discussions your sales team can have with marketers and illustrates the unique opportunities you can build for them to reach their targets through your content.
  • Integrate your sales teams, in spirit, if not literally. A culture of collaboration goes a long way here and truly integrated teams that understand the full value chain will offer the best chance of success.
  • Invest in improving measurement. Be it through an industry organization, partnership with an established measurement firm or by creating your own solution, cross-platform measurement is critical for sales success.
Innovation

Q&A: Kate Lewis, VP, Hearst Magazines Digital Media on Delivering Compelling Multiscreen Experiences

This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights… If you want to learn more, keep an eye out on our site for more interviews. Today’s Three on Three interview is with Kate Lewis, VP, Content Operations & Editorial Director Hearst Magazines Digital Media on Delivering Compelling Multiscreen Experiences.

Kate Lewis HeadshotQ: Where do you start in conceiving of a multiscreen user experience?

A: Honestly, that’s just not how we think about it. We think audience first. Our audience is coming through search, social and direct. We do find that social primarily takes place on the phone and when we factor in viral, we have to consider whether the content is something a reader is going to click on while looking at their Facebook page or Twitter feed on a phone. But we don’t obsess about whether you are on a tablet or at your desk. I don’t get data on how stories are performing on devices; I look at how a story is performing period.

To some extent, we are trying to think of everything from a mobile-first perspective now. A lot of our sites are female-driven and we find that female audiences are more phone and tablet oriented. But really, we don’t think about screens. We think about how to connect with audiences.

One thing we do look at is what we deliver at different times of day, when people are likely to be using different devices. Lunchtime is a big desktop time so we can think about delivering something longer and ways we can entice them to move around the site. At 6:00 p.m., we know it is a phone or tablet time of day. Then we are thinking about offering more “sound bites” or things like “23 Problems Only Tall Women Have.” It isn’t just a matter of device use at that time, though, it is also about how the audience is feeling and what they are in the mood for: “What can I relate to?” “What will free my mind from what I’ve been doing all day?” The content won’t change from desktop to phone.

Of course the majority of our sites are designed responsively so the experience is good on desktop and mobile. On mobile, the experience cannot be convoluted; it has to be straightforward with really clear pathing. That is affecting how we design all of our digital experiences. We want to let the content speak for itself.

Q: Describe a recent multiscreen experiences that you think worked particularly well.

Esquire Instagram ScreenA: Well, like I said, that isn’t really how we approach things. But Esquire published a piece that shows how all these screen experiences blend together:

They—rightly—felt compelled to cover what is happening in Ukraine. Yet they wanted to do it in a way that was appropriate to the brand and would take advantage of what is wonderful about digital. They didn’t want it to feel like a formal news site and they wanted it to feel connected in a human sense. The approach they took was to collect Instagram photos from before and after the uprising in the Ukraine and juxtapose them against each other. Think about it: It is so internet friendly, and nothing is more mobile-friendly than Instagram. Plus, it allowed them to tell a real news story with something totally relatable as the medium—everyone is on Instagram from Crimea to L.A.

Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunity in developing multiscreen experiences?

A: The ability to be with your audience all day, every day, everywhere. We are literally in the reader’s pocket. It is incredible. We used to think in terms of one deep experience a day. Now we think about delivering a core reader that deep experience plus making ten other touch points a day. We are holding their hand in line at the grocery store and keeping them company on a long subway ride.

This also lets us gauge in real time how stories are performing and if they resonate with our audience. There is still a lot of long tail success in our content, but there’s a lot of in-the-moment content and today we can react very quickly. We can see things in social that weren’t happening on our site and react very quickly.

All of this deepens the relationship with our audiences. They swipe the phone open and we are there. And that connection is more intimate than ever, which influences the editorial voice and how we communicate. Facebook, for example, has changed the tone of digital. Content needs to feel friendly, it also needs to feel urgent because there are so many things competing for attention on someone’s. And it needs to be engaging in the first sound bite because, on a phone, you only have a tiny screen, and a small window of opportunity, to engage.

Kate Lewis is the Vice President, Content Operations & Editorial Director at Hearst Magazines Digital Media, responsible for managing the content organizations of 24 sites, including digital brands Cosmopolitan.com, Esquire.com, Elle.com, CarandDriver.com, and HarpersBazaar.com, and pure-plays including Delish.com. January was Hearst Magazines Digital Media’s best month with 85.5 million uniques. Prior to Hearst, Lewis worked at Say Media in a similar role, overseeing content strategy and operations for a number Say’s own sites including xoJane, Remodelista, and ReadWrite, as well as a number of network sites. Originally a print editor, she spent 18 years at Conde Nast working on brands like Vanity Fair, Glamour, and SELF. Her last role there was editorial lead in the Human Resources department.

Note: This Q&A is part of OPA’s “Three on Three” series where we ask three industry executives the same three questions on a topic to uncover actionable insights.

Also in this series:

Q&A: Ryan Spoon, SVP Digital Product, ESPN on Delivering Compelling Multiscreen Experiences

Q&A: Rob Hayes, EVP Digital Media, NBCUniversal on Delivering Compelling Multiscreen Experiences

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