Q&A with Cristina Sagarduy of Omnicom’s Annalect

By Archived Rubicon Project Archives
Cover image for  article: Q&A with Cristina Sagarduy of Omnicom’s Annalect

This is one in a series of interviews with leading buyers across EMEA titled “Automation and TV in EMEA.” Cristina Sagarduy appeared to discuss these topics with Jay Sears, Senoir Vice President Marketplace Development of Rubicon Project, at The 3rd Annual Real Time Trading Update from Europe’s Buy Side in London, UK on March 26, 2015.

Your Name: Cristina Sagarduy      

Your Company: Annalect

Your Title: Deputy MD EMEA

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

SAGARDUY: Financial Times, Twitter, Feeds

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

SAGARDUY:I call them.

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

SAGARDUY:Financial Times, Ad Week, ExchangeWire, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.

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

SAGARDUY:No idea.

SEARS: With regards to advertising automation and programmatic, what are Annalect’s three biggest EMEA initiatives in 2015?

SAGARDUY:

  1. Get closer to publishers
  2. Make sure all clients benefit from programmatic optimization even if they still book partially through IO
  3. Integrate deeper with our brand agencies

SEARS: On average in the EMEA market -- out of each $1.00 spent on media (all media, not just digital) by one of your advertisers -- how much today (in 2015) is spent on automated or programmatic channels?

SAGARDUY: Difficult to say.

SEARS: What will this number be in 2017?

SAGARDUY: Undoubtedly more.

SEARS: Tell us the about the EMEA operations of Annalect:

SAGARDUY: Young, energetic, smart and challenging the norm.

SEARS: How many employees are there in EMEA?

SAGARDUY: Total: In excess of 150.

SEARS: What countries are you entering in 2015?

SAGARDUY: We have Accuen operations in all EMEA territories G-6, Nordics, MENA, CEE, Turkey, Russia, Portugal.

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?

SAGARDUY: We are warming up … The game has not yet started, we are all warming up.  We have the ball, the boots and the stadium is set, but the opponent team is missing a few players, so we are…

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

SAGARDUY: It can help by bringing the insights into one screen, making it easier to forecast results. But also making it easier to find new inventories and audiences.

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

SAGARDUY: Yes, however the question could be, would that be a good thing? And for which advertisers, media owners, agencies?

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

SAGARDUY:I would not know.

SEARS: Transparency -- on media costs, on data, on inventory -- has become a lightning rod issue. Should transparency be a negotiated benefit for the advertiser client, yes or no?

SAGARDUY: The important thing it is to drive the results that the clients want and make sure that we keep helping to drive their business forward.

SEARS: Which of the following will accelerate the automation of site direct (direct orders) budget? Pick all that apply:

  1. Dynamic access to all publisher inventory [vs. just “remnant” or “auction”]
  2. Ability to leverage publisher first party data
  3. Ability to leverage advertiser first party data [against all publisher inventory, especially premium]
  4. Availability of rich media, expandable units and larger IAB Rising Star formats
  5. Ability to more easily curate audiences for specific advertisers across the premium content of multiple publishers
  6. All of the above

SAGARDUY:Probably all of them and maybe new commercial arrangements between supply and demand.

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?

SAGARDUY: My husband, anywhere …

SEARS: What is your favorite restaurant in the world?

SAGARDUY: My mother’s house.

SEARS: Thanks, Cristina!

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