Could a Unified, Independent Measurement System for CTV Be Close?

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This post was created in partnership with Viant

Key takeaways

  • Connected TV has matured, but measuring ads on these platforms still comes with challenges.
  • Measurement transparency on CTV is a huge concern for marketers.
  • While bidding, optimization, and measurement are all part of the CTV ad process, marketers can’t lose sight of the creative.

CTV is an incredibly powerful platform for marketers, but the ecosystem is maturing, leading to new challenges and opportunities. While measurement tools are evolving, marketers must contend with distracted audiences and opaque supply.

During an ADWEEK House Possible group chat co-hosted with Viant, industry leaders sat down to discuss the big questions surrounding the future of CTV advertising.

Challenges in CTV measurement

Chris Vanderhook, co-founder, COO, and board member at Viant, opened the conversation by laying out the current TV landscape and its challenges, particularly in measurement.

“Everybody’s kind of measuring themselves. Walled gardens are measuring themselves. Linear TV—Nielsen measures it. And in CTV, you get somewhere in between with open internet CTV platforms,” Vanderhook said. “I think marketers want a unified, independent measurement system.”

Vanderhook shared that to help create that system, Viant recently acquired TVision, a company that gathers CTV data via cameras. TVision can track the number of people in a room and whether viewers are engaged using eye tracking.

Yan Liu, co-founder and CEO of TVision, agreed with Vanderhook, explaining that measurement and transparency have room for improvement. Oftentimes, marketers who buy CTV programmatically don’t know what they’re buying.

Liu shared a concerning stat: “40% of the time, you don’t even know which app an ad is running in, right? That’s scary.” For the other 60% of the time, advertisers don’t know what show they’re advertising on.

Buying CTV the ‘right’ way

In this fast-changing landscape, the panelists offered advice on how to buy CTV more effectively

Jen Duensing, SVP of performance media at Spark Foundry, brought up the importance of supply inventory data. She talked about it from the buyer side, saying there needs to be transparency so that advertisers can scale.

“It’s about getting down to the supplier’s data as close as possible—it’s critical. Ensuring that you have as much inventory,” Duensing said. “Otherwise, scaling is challenging.”

Elizabeth Latham, VP of Riott Media strategy and operations at Marriott International, also discussed inventory, but from the seller side. She urged publishers to be transparent about selling supply and making it clear what audiences are being reached.

“I think publishers need to step up and make their supply more overt in what it is, while still putting their value proposition forward, which is, ‘Buy the audience, don’t buy the supply,’” Latham explained.

Creativity is king

In the age of distraction and second screens, marketers must lean on creative more than ever. “We’re in media—bidding, optimization, measurement—but the creative is the thing that consumers actually see,” Vanderhook said

Vanderhook shared the recent Molson Coors ad starring actor Christopher Walken as an example of powerful creative that holds the viewer’s attention.

Anna Johnson, director of precision at Molson Coors Brewing Company, said that effective creative is about knowing your diverse audience and finding the right message to reach them.

“It’s really understanding who all of our different audiences are and matching those relevant messages,” Johnson shared. “How can we start with the big buckets of the big audiences? Are you a regular drinker? Are you in the category? Are you in the adjacent category? How can we try to speak to you differently?”

David Isaac, VP of marketing operations and creative production at Chobani, said that his strategy is to connect with viewers on a human level.

“On the creative side of things for us, it’s bringing a really human message and giving that audience just a moment of connection in a sea of a lot of sameness out there. Just something more authentic, something that actually is worth their time,” he said.

Isaac also emphasized the importance of creative marketing to focus the audience’s attention. He recommended that marketers look “beyond the metrics of impressions” and get the right message in front of the right person at the right time.

Vanderhook urged marketers to understand the types of shows and content that their ads are playing on so they can have creative that matches the tone and style.

“When you do that, attention levels are super high,” Vanderhook explained.

Featured Conversation Leaders

  • Jen Duensing, SVP, Performance Media, Spark Foundry
  • David Isaac, VP, Marketing Operations and Creative Production, Chobani
  • Anna Johnson, Director, Precision, Molson Coors Brewing Company
  • Elizabeth Latham, VP, Riott Media Strategy and Operations, Marriott International
  • Will Lee, CEO, ADWEEK
  • Yan Liu, Co-Founder and CEO, TVision
  • Chris Vanderhook, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Board Member, Viant

Justin Chin

Justin Chin is a contributing writer for ADWEEK.

Justin Chin is a contributing writer for ADWEEK.

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