Q&A: ZenithOptimedia Canada on Automation, Programmatic + TV - Veronica Holmes

Your Name Veronica HolmesYour Company ZenithOptimediaYour Title President DigitalSEARS What do you read to keep up with politics art and cultureHOLMES I have a large selection of sites I like so I use an application Feedly to organize information to make a review of the headlines easier and fasteramp160 For pleasure I enjoy browsing the latest entertainment gossip from North America and the UK reading fiction ebooks and checking whatamp8217s popular on YouTubeamp160 I do like reading opinion pieces and longer editorial so I spend some time with The Atlantic Vice News BBC News and The New York TimesSEARS What do you read to keep up with friendsHOLMES I actually prefer to keep up with friends via a visit and a glass of wineSEARS What do you read to keep up with our industryHOLMES Trade blogs like marketinglandcom searchenginelandcom Media in Canada trade magazines like Marketing Strategy and Adweek are main sources for me to gain a little perspective I like to also keep in touch with vendorsSEARS Whatamp8217s your favorite commercial of all timeHOLMES There are many commercials I admireamp160 Hereamp8217s a recent oneSEARS With regards to advertising automation and programmatic what are Zenithamp8217s three biggest initiatives in Canada in 2015HOLMESTransparency As we developed Zenith Marketplace for our Canadian clients we did it with full transparency in mind The transparency is on both the placement and media cost as we at Zenith believe in helping the clients to truly understand how their money is spent Without the inventory transparency we couldnamp8217t achieve insights which are sorely needed to move a client in the right direction and without financial transparency our clients would not understand the true cost of media purchasedPrivate Marketplace The development of private marketplace is the foundation of proper digital execution The open exchange is performance marketing As Zenith Marketplace was developed over a year ago the main focus was on movement from direct purchase to private marketplace as it represented a natural substitution and improvement in the way Zenith executes on behalf of their clients It also represented highest brand safety which has been a concern for the industryCommunication Clarity Although it is never discussed with programmatic usage there needs to be clarity in terms of communication At Zenith our mission for the Marketplace is to deliver the best in class execution service as well as communication of results tailored to our client needs and based on our clientsamp8217 marketing goals This will enable a partnership based collaboration which is the driving factor of programmatic adaptation by clientsSEARS On average in the Canadian market out of each 100 spent on media all media not just digital by one of your advertisers how much today in 2015 is spent on automated or programmatic channelsHOLMES I would have to say that 05 of all media is spent through programmatic means That is mainly due to TV not being enabled through programmatic means in Canada just yetSEARS What will this number be in 2017HOLMES We are very careful when forecasting for the future If the advertisers move 15 to 20 of every dollar into programmatic means of execution that means that weamp8217ve had great acceptance of this avenue for media It all depends on what will happen with TV which in Canada is probably 35 years away at leastSEARS Tell us the about the Canadian operations of Zenith MarketplaceHOLMES Zenith Marketplaceamp8217s vision is to create a custom ecosystem for each client comprised of both premium fully defined publishers otherwise known as private marketplace and open exchange inventory sources to understand media composition in digital and operate more efficiently and effectively for our clientsZenith Marketplace offers a collaborative partnership where our clients and the Marketplace team define KPIs for real time bidding space as well as discuss and agree on the composition of the plans through each avenue desktop mobile social and with each environment premium and open to arrive at the best marketing mixSEARS Please tell us Overall managed budget media spend for your automated trading operations FKA trading desk expected in 2015 for CanadaHOLMES Trade secrets sorry If I gave 5 of all media in the answers above I cannot provide this informationPercentage increase managed budget media spend 2014 vs expected 2015 for CanadaHOLMES 58 depending on the client A lot of clients have stable YoY budgets associated with advertising the composition of media changesHow many employees are there in CanadaHOLMES amp160Total 120Toronto 110Montreal 10SEARS Draw an analogy between the automation of television and an ice hockey game Are we in the pregame Still driving to the stadiumHOLMES Some companies say that weamp8217re in the rink right now however I would say that in terms of linear TV in Canada we are driving to the stadium The technology is not yet there at scale and movement from broadcasters is very slow VOD is ahead of the pack however that doesnamp8217t represent majority We need a major broadcaster to invest in new technology to get into the stadiumSEARS How can advertising automation help the strategy and planning functions directly or indirectly at an advertising agencyHOLMES There are two benefits one operational and one strategic The operations benefit is based on technology in place and diminished workload Automation represents operational efficiency for advertisers The strategic benefits are getting to understand audience patterns better and limiting fragmentation of purchases By controlling and understanding the proper exposure of advertising in front of desired audience we can start to look at message sequencing and prospecting for more moments of receptivity especially in digitalSEARS Can linear TV be automated yes or no HOLMES Perhaps our thinking is limited because we focus on the current methods of delivery for television and its regulatory frameworkamp160 TV disruption is happening not sure it matters if amp8220linearamp8221 TV is automatedSEARS What twothree events or happenings will accelerate the automation of television HOLMESExperience with programmatic that truly enhances efficiency and effectivenessamp160 amp160 amp160 2amp160 TV disruption by Netflix YouTube etcA demand from advertisers to move more quickly note this would be evidenced in a shift from TV spending to other channelsSEARS 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 noHOLMES Yes but itamp8217s actually not an issue for ZenithOptimedia Canada This has been our approach from day one Transparent on costs data and inventory in order to make best decisions for the client If there is no transparency on cost and datainventory how can a client and the agency work in partnership to make best decisionsSEARS Which of the following will accelerate the automation of site direct direct orders budget Pick all that applyDynamic access to all publisher inventory vs just amp8220remnantamp8221 or amp8220auctionamp8221Ability to leverage publisher first party dataAbility to leverage advertiser first party data against all publisher inventory especially premiumAvailability of rich media expandable units and larger IAB Rising Star formatsAbility to more easily curate audiences for specific advertisers across the premium content of multiple publishersAll of the aboveHOLMES All apply A is the most important one but closely followed by all othersSEARS 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 goHOLMES Anywhere really interestingamp160 I have a long listSEARS If you could create an endowment to fund any existing nonprofit you designated what lucky nonprofit organization would that beHOLMES Health and Education are my key interestsSEARS What is your favorite restaurant in the worldHOLMES My kitchenSEARS Thanks VeronicaThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage management or associated bloggers

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Q&A: ZenithOptimedia Canada on Automation, Programmatic + TV - Veronica Holmes

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Q&A: ZenithOptimedia Canada on Automation, Programmatic + TV - Veronica Holmes

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