Q&A: IPG on Automation, Programmatic and TV

In the photo above, Jay Sears of Rubicon Project (far left), Arun Kumar of IPG's Cadreon, Stephan Beringer of Publicis' VivaKi, Ashwini Karandikar of Dentsu Aegis Network's Amnet, Adam Shlachter of Digitas and Lou Paskalis of Bank of America discuss ad automation issues of the day in Cannes, France.

Your Name:Arun Kumar

Your Company:Cadreon

Your Title:Global President

SEARS: What do you read to keep up with politics, art and culture?

KUMAR: Economist, The New York Times

SEARS: What do you read to keep up with friends?

KUMAR: Whatsapp

SEARS: What do you read to keep up with our industry?

KUMAR: The Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, MediaPost, AdExchanger, ExchangeWire

SEARS: What's your favorite commercial of all time?

KUMAR: The Volkswagen TV commercial where constant squeaking in the car frustrates a man enough for him to take it to a mechanic who finds the sound coming from the earrings of a lady asleep in the car.

SEARS: With regards to advertising automation and programmatic, what are Cadreon's three biggest global initiatives in 2015?

KUMAR:

1. Consolidate and democratize data availability organization-wide.
2. Learn how to teach: Training people to help others learn. Often training is misunderstood as slide ware delivered over a few hours. A training program structured to help people learn requires a different approach and different training material.

SEARS: Tell us the about the global operations of Cadreon.

KUMAR: Cadreon is an ad tech incubator that facilitates adoption of data driven marketing at scale across platforms for its clients as well as agency partners.

SEARS: Draw an analogy between the automation of television and a European football game. Are we in the pre-game? Still driving to the stadium?

KUMAR:We are practicing in the ground before kick-off. There is still a fair amount of confusion on team composition, tactics and frankly whether a couple of rules would be changed/modified before kick-off.

SEARS: How can advertising automation help the strategy and planning functions (directly or indirectly) at an advertising agency?

KUMAR: The most direct impact is felt in the way an agency approaches strategic planning. Planners can manipulate data sets, create custom audience segments and see their buying counterparts work with those same definitions to execute.

SEARS: Can linear TV be automated, yes or no?

KUMAR: Yes. Every buy can be automated; the question is whether the players have the appetite to do so and whether everyone is clear on the objectives of doing so.

SEARS: What two or three events or happenings will accelerate the automation of television?

KUMAR:

1. When TV stations recognize the importance of custom audience segments for sales.
2. When media agencies understand how and why TV planning has to change.

SEARS: If you could go to the airport right now with friends or family and fly anywhere in the world for vacation, who would you take and where would you go?

KUMAR: I would fly with my wife to Venice.

SEARS: If you could create an endowment to fund any existing non-profit you designated, what lucky non-profit organization would that be?

KUMAR: The Gates Foundation.

SEARS: What is your favorite restaurant in the world?

KUMAR: Still trying to find the pasta place mentioned a couple of years ago in Nice.

SEARS: Thanks, Arun!

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