MG OMD Thinkbox Televisionaries

We recently had the opportunity to host a panel of industry experts: Sarah Jones from Sky, Kelly Williams from ITV, and Verica Djurdjevic from Channel 4 who joined us at our Televisionaries event with Thinkbox. 

We gathered with our experts for a candid and insightful discussion about the future of AV and what it will continue to offer for advertisers. 

The AV market continues to go through a period of transition, which presents both challenges and opportunities for all of us. On the one hand, advertisers continue to favour linear TV, but viewing continues to fragment to broader video platforms, which can have a direct impact on effectiveness. On the other hand, the fragmentation of viewing and the shift to IP delivery creates a plethora of data-driven opportunities. All of this is complicated by the current economic climate. 

A series of key themes have emerged and were discussed by MG OMD, Thinkbox and the Broadcasters:

1. AV effectiveness is still extraordinarily strong, and TV almost always delivers the strongest ROI of any media channel. Utilising the wider AV platforms, notably BVOD (Broadcaster Video on Demand) and the premium content elements of YouTube and CTV apps will result in cost efficient and cost-effective AV strategies. We were reminded of television’s hidden capabilities, such as brand safety, shared viewing and premium content.

MG OMD has the tools to navigate this fast-paced changing marketplace.

2. Delivering growth in the current economic climate is becoming increasingly difficult. We must be unwavering in our approach to growth. Data show that commercial clients must actively steal market share, while government clients must work against competing forces.
We believe that media can make a significant contribution to our client’s competitive advantage and therefore Unlocking Competitive Advantage has become the lens through which we are thinking about all our work. In the session, we highlighted a range of examples demonstrating how we have already done this – from creativity in media placements, to disproportionate share of voice through partnerships and licensing, to homing in on brand strengths to build brands, to changing the cultural narrative on sensitive issues through content integration.

3. We are at the beginning of a long period of convergence. Over the next ten years, we will move to a position where almost 100% of AV viewing will be delivered via IP. There will still be a significant role for mass moment reach building, which TV has always excelled at. However, during this period of convergence, we will see more AV addressable advertising solutions.MG OMD has continually demonstrated how we can use data, tactics and formats within smart AV planning to deliver bespoke AV strategies to each client brief.

4. Currently, industry measurement products do not always match the capabilities of our planning tool. The Broadcasters collaborated on CFlight, which is now available to measure reach and frequency across Linear TV and BVOD for an all-adults audience. Additional audiences (1634ads, HP&CH, abc1ads) will be added over the next six months. Origin remains the long-term total media measurement solution.We will keep you up to date on all developments

5. The whole market is in a test-and-learn phase. Broadcasters have teams dedicated to data, product, and innovation that are constantly developing and testing new products. Brands will have numerous opportunities to participate in these test-and-learn opportunities. Furthermore, Broadcasters are collaborating on products and activation routes for brands more than ever before.MG OMD has Strategic Partnerships with each Broadcaster, with workstreams covering data, insights, access, product, measurement and research. Our role is to identify and develop opportunities that are relevant to client campaigns.

What we all agreed on, is that the AV marketplace is rapidly evolving to match viewer behaviour. This gives us all an exciting future!