Agencies and Publishers Look Back at 2020 and Ahead to 2021

Publisher 2020 Look Back 2020 was a year of major changes from the global pandemic to the Black Lives Matter movement to the US Elections and aftermath But the first look at the year 2020 began with a push forward on addressability with Comcast Advertising39s initiative on enabling addressabilityThe full force of the global pandemic hit the market in March changing viewing patterns across dayparts devices and platforms According to FreeWheel in the first half of 2020 premium video views increased 17 yearoveryear and premium video ad views increased by 32 in the US Europe saw a significant increase in TV viewership as well with average daily viewing per household up to 6 hours and 25 minutes per day on average from 90 minutes Tent pole events had mixed performances with the Superbowl achieving a fiveyear rating high while the Oscars slumped and the Olympics in Japan were postponedCertain advertising categories benefitted from consumers sheltering at home such as Food while other categories such as Travel held more optimism for an eventual recovery in 2020 than actually happened Sports returned by the start of summer registering huge increases in viewership especially for Baseball Hockey and Basketball Publishers anxious to offer more viewing options to content starved consumers launched a range of streaming services including Peacock from NBCUAs the year progressed the Upfront proved to be very different from prior years with smallerthannormal and delayed events Adding to this difficulty was the uncertainty of TV schedules with delays in production due to the pandemic and advertisers buying closer to program airings because of the unknown Lee Barstow vice president of revenue operations at AE Networks commentsquotWe survived and thrived in 2020 and will continue with the new normal of video distanced collaboration to create stronger partnerships in product development operational execution and marketplace development This is especially relevant in the exploding CTV space where consumption continues to grow exponentially and drive advanced solutions for our advertisersquotAs 2020 wound down the world braced for a COVID19 resurgence and further lockdowns But there are signs of optimism and hope for 2021 A FreeWheel survey of 500 European Marketers reveals that when it comes to advanced TV budgets 84 expect spend to grow in the next 12 monthsAgencies 2021 Look ForwardFor agencies 2020 has been a year of adversity complexity and yes opportunity According to Comcast Advertising Measurement has risen to the top of priorities for both the buy side and sell side of the business Comcast has found that quotthe whole industry is looking for workable solutionsquot in an area that has historically lagged behind in innovation relying on legacy data setsBut 2021 looks to be a very different measurement environment According to Michael Law president Amplifi USA quotAs consumers have clearly shown they are in control of their experiences with brands and with media it39s imperative our industry works collectively to evolve to a consumercentric cross channel and platform measurement solution that can be used universally as a future trading currency and benchmark for the efficiency and effectiveness of all brand communications effortsquotProgrammatic is projected to be another hot growth area for agencies and as media converges it is accelerating adoption of this advertising format As Hayley Diamond executive vice president US digital investment and partnerships Publicis Medi noted quotTwo factors are driving new investment behavior in the TV space increased buying automation and utilizing data for enhanced targeting We see increased programmatic interest and activity directly driven by a need to drive efficiency the higher volume of options in terms of supply and investment and the unique dynamics of 2020 and into 2021quotThe Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted what has always been an important issue for agencies and our industry at largeamp8211 Diversity Equity and Inclusion There can be no more delay in implementing policies and actions that foster substantive change in this area quotDiversity equity and inclusion is a way of life not a moment We must reimagine the industry with inclusion to open all the possibilities amp8211 stronger impact increased engagement and more purposeful workquot suggested Monique Nelson chair ampamp CEO UWGA major area of change that might lead to a quotnew normalquot for viewership is streaming which is now 25 of total video consumption fostering further fragmentation Agencies realize that unification is necessary for the healthy future of television that can be bought at scale more holisticallyFueling this need for convergence is Addressable which for agencies is the necessary next step in television39s growth and relevancy to marketers Comcast Advertising noted that in June 2020 nine programmers began addressable trials for project OAR Open Addressable Ready and AMC was the first to join Comcast Advertising39s On Addressability initiative in the US This is expected to expand in 2021For Jason Han senior vice president of addressable innovation for Matterkind quotAddressable TV is taking significant steps in its evolution as programmers are opening up their national inventory and new solutions are being tested 2021 promises to unlock new levels of scale for advertisers looking to reach specific desired audiences in a premium environment that client39s valuequotWill 2021 hearken in a quotnew normalquot for our business There is every indication that the seeds planted in 2020 from measurement to addressability to programmatic to inclusion will blossom into a stronger more viable media ecosystem that is indeed a new robust normalTo download the full Publisher 2020 infographic click hereTo download the full Agency 2021 Infographic click herePhoto courtesy of ComcastClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Agencies and Publishers Look Back at 2020 and Ahead to 2021

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Charlene Weisler

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