Our very own, Gina Whelehan, Video Channel Director, had the privilege of attending and speaking at MediaPost’s TV & Video Insider Summit. The event attracted marketing professionals from brands, agencies, and partners across the tech, measurement, data, and media industries. Hot button topics that dominated the conversations of the week included frequency control, measurement, finding the right video mix, keeping up with an ever-changing landscape, and of course, as the conference was in Texas, where to find the best BBQ.
We’re sharing our top takeaways that have left our team inspired and excited for the future of the video landscape.
Embrace the Heart of Your Bsiness
Cicis Pizza’s CMO, Stephanie Hoppe and Kelly Scott Madison’s SVP, Kay Wesolowsk shared critical steps along their process that lead to a significant resurgence of Cicis Pizza in just two years. Their guiding pillars centered around creative that was bold, segmentation that made sense, engagement at the right time and place, and an agile test and learn mentality. The dynamic duo deployed a multi-video channel strategy (among other channels) that enabled broader reach to their core audience and allowed each channel to perform based on optimization and results. They understood that performance would look different for each channel and that each channel could teach them something new or different about their target audience. That understanding lead to a successfully informed future messaging strategy that resonated with their audience.
Cicis Pizza saw 17% growth in week one of the campaign launch, 33% growth year-over-year, and 18.5% growth year to date. A key element that fueled success for the brand was the dynamic partnership and leadership between Stephanie and Kay that fostered a strategic and innovative approach to video.
Diverse Channel Sets Requires Diverse KPIs
It wouldn’t be a video conference without a measurement discussion. These conversations brought insight, perspective, receptiveness, and acknowledgement for diverse success definitions through measurement studies. While the video framework has ample room for growth through fragmentation, our industry recognizes that the video ecosystem isn’t a one-size-fits-all tactic.
One panel discussion dove into a fragmented ecosystem, necessitating the need for a multidimensional measurement framework that measures the right KPI for each specific video channel. This point resonates with video experts facing challenges in channel diversification and fitting KPIs into a single neat box.</>
Lance Demonteiro of Horizon Next provided thoughtful input on the challenge with frequency control and how programmatic offers campaign-level visibility and learnings that can enable better campaign management and performance. Justin Smith of VMLY&R noted ‘share of search’ as an emerging leading indicator and one that gives marketers greater visibility to the impact of video during the customer journey.
A diverse channel set, wide adoption of video, and emerging metrics has opened doors for verticals like B2B that historically did not play in the video space. Featured panelists went on to discuss measuring incrementality, the importance of establishing baselines to understand gains, accounting for noise, and the barriers we continue to face with walled garden giants.
Not Another Streaming Platform
Gina, alongside Courtney McCormick of Safelite and Erlyns Portillo of Carlberg discussed navigating the growing space of advertising-based video on demand (AVOD). This group of experts within the video landscape shared their expertise on taking an audience-first approach, the importance of testing new partners, having effective measurement plans, and standing out in a sea of clutter. They compared experiences shifting investments from linear to streaming, the challenges this presented, and how to successfully attain stakeholder buy in.
As marketers, we’ve faced similar challenges in fragmentation when cable networks emerged, the digital boom took hold, and viewers started accessing different content across different devices and platforms. This means that as the video landscape continues to evolve, our industry will also evolve to face unforeseen challenges, tackle new opportunities, and expand the capabilities of video.
Are We Speaking the Same Language
This year’s summit fueled impactful conversation around the growth potential of video and how we are at the cusp of the next big iteration of video marketing. That being said, we shouldn’t forget the basics and should consider simple, but impactful practices. Simulmedia states, “if you’re going to use an acronym, then you need to explain it within the next sentence.” Our industry is riddled with acronyms that mean nothing to the everyday consumer. We make sweeping assumptions that everyone speaks the same language, but the reality is we have created our own language and sublanguages inside the walls of our own businesses and industries. The solution? Stop talking in code.
At Butler/Till, our experts make it our mission to understand the jargon, sort through the sea of clutter, collaborate with expert partners, and bring video to life through strategy, measurement, diversification, and fragmentation. We speak the universal language of results–overdelivering on our clients’ expectations and bringing transformational business impact to their campaigns.
Ready to dive into the world of video? Connect with our experts.
