If it's opening day of the annual Digital Content NewFronts, organized by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, count on Google to open the parade of presentations. Sure enough, when this year's NewFronts started in New York on April 29, Google -- the event's principal sponsor -- held serve from Horizon Hall, the auditorium inside its Pier 57 office complex. Usually, YouTube is the dominant subject, two weeks ahead of their Brandcast Upfront spectacle. Not this time out.
The Big Message: Smart TV-minded advertisers and programming ventures alike can realize a boost in viewership, sales and revenue from deploying Google's toolbox of artificial intelligence formats and Display & Video 360, a platform capable of accelerating a variety of functions from programmatic ad sales to audience targeting and measurement. Programmers and multichannel bundles engaged with either or both initiatives include NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Roku Channel, Tubi and Pluto TV. On the sponsor and agency side, the client roster includes Omnicom Media Group, Essence Mediacom and Mars' pet nutrition products. "We have seen a shift in how people watch what they love," explained Sean Downey, Google's President of America and Global Partners, referring to the rapid growth of watching content via smart TV sets and devices. "That shift is reaching a tipping point. Just because your viewers are fragmented doesn't mean your media needs to be. AI is only as good as the data you put into it. AI will help us reimagine everything we do."
Hosts: Kristen O'Hara, Vice President of Agency, Platforms and Client Solutions at Google, handled the lion's share of the presentation. She followed Downey and passed the baton to colleagues Adam Stewart (Consumer Goods, Government and Entertainment Vice President) and Bill Reardon (Enterprise Platforms General Manager). O'Hara demonstrated a knack for engaging the crowd and demonstrating a sense of humor at unexpected moments.
What Worked: Segment after segment explored Display & Video 360 and Google AI's abilities in understandable detail, often with support from client testimonials.
What Also Worked: Well-synchronized videos and graphics on the wide screen behind the stage as O'Hara, other Google officials and their advertiser/programmer guests served their talking points.
What Can Work Here: Unscripted executive interviews that illustrate the points without executives using the teleprompter as a crutch for every word they speak. Just by being off-the-cuff and trusting each other, with assistance from O'Hara, Paramount Global Vice President Pete Chelala and Warner Bros. Discovery Senior Vice President Jill Steinhauser crafted a top presentation highlight.
Data Points: Display & Video 360 reaches 92 percent of all U.S. smart TV households. Viewership of YouTube Shorts via smart TV products increased 75 percent from January to September 2023. Dairy product maker Danone, using Display & Video 360, cut its advertising costs 20 percent, while increasing the effectiveness of its campaigns 30 percent. Mars' pet product line saved several million dollars off its annual ad budget -- and pushed ad effectiveness among its target population up 12 percent.
News: Generative AI will be the backbone of a number of new Display & Video 360 features launching in the months ahead. One is "Audience Persona," generating a combination of audience demographics that matches an advertiser or programmer's goals. Also, IAB's technology lab will collaborate with Google on Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation (PAIR), an initiative that provides a privacy-focused way to secure and reconcile first-party data.
Bonus Points: Two easily come to mind: a pre-presentation breakfast spread with chicken sausage, vegan apple cinnamon and banana muffins among the delicacies, and YouTube foodie celebrities Andrew Lee and Lisa Nguyen making cake pops on stage, with every member of the audience getting their own pop to pop open and devour.
Parting Words: "Creator content can drive viewership and relevance at scale. Creators are the next-generation studios of Hollywood." -David Cohen, IAB Chief Executive Officer
"Here's another idea: turn marketing from a cost center to a growth driver." -Google President, America and Global Partners Sean Downey
"Marketing is at an inflection point. Getting through it starts with partnerships not only with us, but with anyone you deal with." -Kristen O'Hara, Google Vice President, Agency, Platforms and Client Solutions
"I'm binging Survivor. Been around for 100 years and still great." -Warner Bros. Discovery Senior Vice President Jill Steinhauser
"People like watching cooking fail. Very entertaining. Consumers like a break from videos that are too perfect and polished. That makes me feel better about my fails." -YouTube personality Lisa Nguyen
"It's time to unlock the essential potential of AI. The opportunity is unparalleled. Make it grow." -Bill Reardon, Google's General Manager of Enterprise Platforms
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