Jack Myers joined Melanie Hamilton, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Sales for Comcast Advertising for this episode of "Legends & Leadership," at the FreeWheel Beach during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Melanie focused on the intricacies of addressable advertising and its growing importance in the media landscape. View the full video above or here.
Melanie emphasized the significance of addressable advertising, describing it as Comcast Advertising's "crown jewel." She explained that addressable advertising allows for precise targeting. Powered through Ampersand, the MVPD addressable footprint reaches over 75% of U.S homes, translating to 64 million households. This capability enables advertisers to effectively reach their desired audiences, making addressable a cornerstone in modern advertising strategies.
"We have a 95% match rate to the home," Melanie shared. "This allows the buy side to have confidence that their dollars are placed where they will reach their marketing KPIs."
In the wide-ranging conversation, Melanie also discussed the evolution from traditional demographics to audience-based buying. This approach, now well understood by marketers, is being adapted for linear TV through addressable advertising. This blend of digital precision and the reach of linear TV is reshaping how media buys are planned and executed.
"We're able to bring the best of linear to marketers in a way that we've never done before," Melanie explained. "It's almost like making linear digital."
Collaboration and Innovation within Comcast Advertising
She highlighted the collaborative efforts within Comcast Advertising and its partners, such as Ampersand, to enhance the impact of addressable advertising and described ongoing projects that utilize Comcast's data capabilities and advanced technologies to drive innovation in media buying.
"We work on proof of concepts, utilizing Comcast data insights, FreeWheel's DSP, Beeswax, and NBCU's extensive experience with Upfronts," she noted. "This collective expertise allows us to create greater impact and partnerships with major advertisers."
Educating the Next Generation of Media Buyers
With many new entrants into the advertising industry, education is crucial. Melanie stressed the importance of ensuring that young media buyers understand the value and potential of addressable advertising. "We want media buyers to know that our solution is deterministic and reliable," she said. "We anchor them to a media buy that they can trust, helping them understand that we are innovative despite being a legacy company."
Melanie is optimistic about the future of addressable advertising, hoping for significant growth in its adoption over the next year. She envisions a scenario where the industry fully embraces the potential of addressable advertising, significantly expanding its use among marketers.
"By next year at Cannes, I hope the growth of addressable marketers has massively accelerated," Melanie projected. "Our goal is to double the number of addressable advertisers, making it a standard part of marketing strategies."
This conversation with Melanie Hamilton provides a glimpse into the strategic thinking and innovative approaches that Comcast Advertising is employing to lead the way in addressable advertising. For a deeper dive into these insights, viewers are encouraged to watch the full video of the discussion.
Be sure to also watch Jack Myers' Legends & Leadership Conversation from Cannes with Melanie's colleague, Katy Loria, CFO of FreeWheel here.