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In today’s digital age, where businesses heavily rely on advertising to reach their target audience, understanding the impact of media campaigns is crucial for driving success. That's why NuSpark Consulting leader Paul Mosenson launched his e-book, "Performance Media Buying: Measuring What Works." The e-book equips marketers, advertisers, and business owners with the knowledge and approaches to effectively measure their campaigns, ensuring maximum ROI and informed decision-making. It also offers a deep dive into measuring all mediums, covering traditional channels like print, radio, and television, as well as digital platforms such as social media, search engine marketing, and display advertising. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each medium, readers can optimize their campaigns to reach the right audience at the right time, maximizing their reach and impact. If you want to learn best practices on measuring media attribution and how to plan conversion lookback windows, among other key topics, click here to learn more about NuSpark Consulting and download the e-book today!

By Matt Wasserlauf On Monday, June 19, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) released results from its fraud study conducted during the past four years. What did they show? How about $13 billion to $20 billion of digital fraud from programmatic advertising? The study was conducted in partnership with PwC, and with little to no cooperation from the two biggest programmatic platforms in the world: Google and The Trade Desk. This revelation should shock no one in the business. Fraud has been growing now for the past 15 years. When DoubleVerify entered the market in 2008, conventional wisdom was that if they were successful, the minimal amount of fraud then would be washed away. Rather, in the 15 years since, it has grown to the $20 billion it is today. With that monumental growth, DoubleVerify has grown too. They and IAS are both multi-billion companies. They grow as the fraud grows! With incentives aligned in this way, it is no surprise that we’re in this predicament. The bad actors are way ahead of the good actors — and that lead gets bigger and bigger with the enormous monies entering digital advertising. With government oversight nowhere to be found, these bad actors are not only making money hand over fist, but they also have no consequences. Even the ANA’s findings likely will do little to stop this disturbing trend. As a pioneer in the industry and a man with a front row seat on all of this, I am highly upset. In the advertising business I have built and grown to love, I see a complacency and complicity that is sickening. At $20 billion, digital advertising is now the second largest fraud ring in the world behind illicit drugs and ahead of illicit guns. This is very hard to take. Four years ago, I started Blockboard to solve this problem, and I am proud to say that we are. For advertisers such as Planet Fitness, Chipotle, and Dexcom, we are eliminating waste and driving powerful results. I don’t want this to be a sales piece, so suffice it to say, there is some momentum toward a better and cleaner way to do digital advertising. It helps me sleep at night knowing the industry has hope for a better future. Still, I can point to two distinct things that I learned in the traditional TV business that foretold the predicament we’re in today. The first is a lack of the third-party auditing in digital advertising that was so rudimentary in television. The second was the advent of verification companies. My 10-year run in the TV business was a blast and understanding the business and its landscape was simple compared to digital video. With the millions of websites online, TV had a comparably smaller number of broadcast and cable networks, so it was much easier to buy and manage. When my manager asked me to go home and log the spots we aired on TV, it was easy to watch a show and record the times those spots aired. Everything was transparent. Online, it’s the opposite. No agency or client can find their spots online. In fact, the head of media at a major holding company told me that in the 20 years he ran his agency, he never once saw his clients’ ads online! The dominant programmatic platforms prey on this and reveal little to nothing about how their advertisers’ ads run across their systems. These “black boxes” operate with no third-party auditing and their work has gone unchecked for more than 10 years. This is why the fraud problem has reached the heights it has — with no end in sight. The second sign I read from my traditional TV experience was the arrival of the verification companies into the business. As soon as I learned of DoubleVerify, MOAT, and IAS, I was confused. Why, after all, did we need verification companies if we go about our business with integrity? TV never had verification companies! But as I said earlier, these verification companies grow as the amount of fraud grows. The incentives are completely misaligned, and the method to which they do their work through consensus and buy-in from all sides of the transactions is a complete disaster. I have spoken with clients from Citibank to Merck who have openly complained to me about this process and the lack of integrity in their data. The process is completely broken. So, here we are. The ANA has given us our problem: $20 billion of waste across programmatic. Now, what are you going to do? Matt Wasserlauf, one of the original disruptors of the TV business, is known as the visionary who revolutionized advertising by enticing television advertisers to invest their marketing dollars online. In 2020, iMedia recognized him with the “Conviction Award” for his unwavering belief and conviction in the future of video beyond TV. In 2004, he founded Broadband Enterprises (BBE), the industry’s first online video company, and he co-founded the mobile video platform Torrential in 2013. He recently sold Torrential to the television company ITN, an unwired broadcast network. In May 2019, Wasserlauf launched his newest, and arguably most exciting venture yet, Blockboard: a new digital distribution platform service that utilizes blockchain technology to distribute videos. As advertisers continue to shift their attention toward OTT and non-linear television, Wasserlauf created BLOCKBOARD to ensure trust, full transparency, and verification in the shifting advertising landscape.

Members of the PDMI’s Women’s Leadership Council talk about why inclusion matters and what they’re hoping the new group can accomplish together. By Thomas Haire Launched in January, the PDMI’s Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) recently surpassed 60 total members, making it — by far — the fastest-growing council in the association’s five years of existence. The WLC is the PDMI’s sixth council, but one that’s unique in structure, membership, and vision. Led by DR Hall of Famer Fern Lee, CEO of PDMI founding member THOR Associates, the council is designed to provide a forum for women in performance and direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing to learn, grow, and connect. It also provides a trusting community for leaders at every level — from those new to the business to industry legends — to share their expertise, build partnerships, and create a vision for the future of performance marketing. The Women’s Leadership Council is working inclusively and collectively to create content for all the PDMI’s educational outlets: panel discussions at in-person conferences; webinars; the PDMI’s website; its quarterly publication (Results Magazine); and its weekly e-newsletter. In addition, the WLC has already begun work on a peer-to-peer mentorship program, with more than half the council’s members raising a hand to participate. The council’s mentoring program will allow younger industry executives to team with and learn from the most experienced leaders in direct-to-consumer marketing. As part of its mission, the WLC hosted an educational session on March 22 during PDMI East in Miami Beach, Fla. Titled "Brand Leadership and the Customer Experience," the panel featured Lee as the moderator with Direct Results’ Jill Albert, Bluewater’s Sarah Andreadakis, Contour Products’ Brooke Davis, Angi’s Racine Levy, and Media Culture’s Lori Lasky providing powerful commentary and insight on performance marketing campaigns. During this on-stage conversation, the challenges and opportunities women face in performance and D2C marketing came up time and again. Inclusion, leadership, and growth were recurring themes. In the weeks following the session, we reached out to members of the WLC with a set of questions about those topics — as well as about what they’re looking to give to and get from membership in the council itself. Read on for the thoughts of more than a dozen WLC members about these topics and more. One of the biggest questions from the Women’s Leadership Council’s panel conversation in Miami was "Does inclusion matter?" How do you respond? Jill Albert, Direct Results: Absolutely! As humans, we so often navigate to friends, family, and colleagues that are like minded and aspirational. Sometimes we get lazy and fall back on the familiar. As marketers and humans, we should also seek relationships outside of our comfort zone. We want to understand others’ points of view, challenges, and goals. Expanding knowledge and boundaries and looking out into the world is thrilling. How can we market effectively without this understanding and — more so — without working with colleagues that live and think differently? Lee Allis-Hayes, Allis-Hayes Consulting: Inclusion is key to allowing people to thrive. People can only do their best work when they feel respected, included, and in the know. Even if they are not a decision maker, having transparency and open communication helps every employee build a sense of ownership in the success of a business. Keri Beale, QuickBox Fulfillment: Yes, inclusion matters more now than ever. After the pandemic, many companies were in disarray and trying to find their way. The pandemic left many people wondering what to do next. Diversity and inclusion can enhance the problem-solving necessary to rethink businesses and reimagine industries in the face of unprecedented disruption. And more diverse teams are better at anticipating changes in consumer needs and buying patterns, which can lead to more rapid product and service innovation. Yeniseth Birrueta, Pacific Media Technologies: It’s funny, as I constantly have this conversation with my kids at home, I have to say it really depends on the scenario. At times, our own misconception of inclusion has led us to miss the mark, and we have made mistakes. Carey Chase, Modus Direct: Yes, it matters. Why? Because inclusion inherently means growth — both in numbers and, perhaps more importantly, in understanding. There should always be room at the table. If not, make it larger. More perspectives at that table enrich the conversation and the probability that you will learn something new. Christine Georgakakis, REELZ: Inclusion is very important to an organization’s performance. In these environments, people feel they are valued, respected, and supported. Inclusion allows for creativity and productive thought processes that lead to overall growth. Employees thrive and so do their organizations. Caitlin Haire, Cannella Media: Inclusion absolutely matters. Without it, you’re only seeing part of the picture, having part of the conversation, reaching part of the audience — even if you don’t realize it. Without inclusion, we are limiting our potential. If we want to be our best, as people and as professionals, inclusion is key. Caitlin Monaghan, a4 Advertising: Inclusion — giving everyone equal access to opportunities and resources and creating an environment where ideas and points of view can be shared openly — is critical to getting the best out of your employees and partners. Collaboration, critical thinking, and real debate push companies to be better and, ultimately, can push them to be more successful. It’s not a straight line, but if we can start with getting the best out of people because their ideas feel heard, and they have opportunities to grow and learn, then they can feel invested in and thus have the potential to give more back. Jenny Parrish, Ringba: Yes, inclusion matters for several reasons. Diverse teams are more likely to make better decisions because they bring different perspectives to the table. Diverse teams are more likely to be creative and innovative because they are not limited by a single way of thinking. For business owners and managers, it means improved employee morale and productivity. Employees who feel included are more likely to be happy and productive at work. Also, it creates a stronger brand. Companies that are inclusive are seen as more desirable places to work and do business with. Shira Witelson, RSLT: Being inclusive is being receptive to diverse viewpoints. Why is it important? Because seeking the assistance of people from diverse backgrounds not only fosters equality but also benefits your company by enabling the development of more innovative marketing tactics and strengthening ties with a range of audiences. Jenny Wixen, NBCUniversal: Yes, inclusion matters not only in the workplace but also in everyday life. Regardless of ethnicity, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender, religion, we all breathe air, we all bleed, and we all are entitled to be treated kindly and as human beings. Without mutual respect for all, life is unbalanced and unnecessarily violent. The more we can help to prevent negativity, the better off we are as a team and an individual. I know that’s idealistic but it’s how I live my life and how I try to inspire my almost 5-year-old to live hers. Why did you choose to join the PDMI’s Women’s Leadership Council? Brooke Davis, Contour Products: I joined WLC to grow my connections and learn from the all the legendary women. It’s amazing to have a community that comes together to help each other learn and adapt to each change in our industry. Fern Lee, THOR Associates: I chose to give birth to the Women’s Leadership Council because I was fortunate, as a woman, to be mentored by strong, intellectual, caring women who wanted me to succeed. I was able to overcome the glass ceiling and want to foster relationships between women that allow women to have opportunities to succeed. Alexis Rosenberg, Dish Media: I joined the Women’s Leadership Council to meet, learn from, and network with a group of successful women that all had their own experiences in different parts of the performance ecosystem. Lori Zeller, THOR Associates: The Women’s Leadership Council offers unity among the women in our membership. The experience and ages of the WLC membership vary, yet there is common intention for supportive collaboration, connection, and personal growth. Albert: Fern Lee! But now that I have sat in on a couple of meetings, I am inspired to learn from and contribute to the council. Allis-Hayes: I’m in awe of the depth of experience, support, and pure awesomeness that resonates on the screen in the Zoom meeting that is the PDMI Women’s Leadership Council. I’ve yet to meet these leaders in person, and I feel like I have 50 mentors on my side. Beale: In my industry — third-party logistics, warehousing, and distribution — there are not as many women. It is nice to learn additional leadership principles from other powerful women, and to understand their struggles and learn from what got them through it. The networking is great as well. Birrueta: Networking and bouncing ideas off other women in the industry. Chase: Being involved in this industry for most of my career, I have benefited greatly from working for two women-owned businesses. Additionally, I have had the privilege of working and learning alongside countless other women, many in leadership roles. I truly appreciate the brain trust that the women within the performance media industry have built and was excited for the opportunity to learn and share within the WLC community. Georgakakis: To be mentored and to be able to offer mentorship. Our work together will be inherently different and compassionate. We are a group of women with varying accomplishments and are willing to support each other in accomplishing further goals. We will support each other to be successful. Haire: To help build and participate in a community of women within our industry. Together, we can create something that is greater than the sum of our parts. Externally, we can unify and amplify our voices on topics and questions that are important to us, as well as to share our unique perspectives. Internally, there’s a tremendous wealth of knowledge, experience, and support within this council community, providing a platform for members to connect, educate, share, and lift up one another. Parrish: I pursued joining the Women’s Leadership Council for a several reasons, but at the top of that list is to gain experience. Serving on this council is a great way to gain experience in leadership, public speaking, and problem solving. This experience will be valuable in both my personal and professional life. I also recognized that serving on the WLC is a great way to network with other professionals and industry leaders — truly the best of the best. I know this will prove to be beneficial for both personal and professional development. With mentorship programs, written content contributions, and Ted Talk opportunities, joining is also a way to give back. Serving on our council is a chance to make a positive impact on the lives of others. What are the council’s biggest opportunities to help its members learn, grow, and connect? Albert: Everything in the space of marketing is changing. As women, we take on the world’s challenges. It is our nature. As leaders, we are uber busy, yet focus will always be among the most important factors to drive success. Together we can develop partnerships and trust that will drive collaboration, sharing of ideas and knowledge, inspiration to challenge one another through discussion and conflict, and the opportunity to learn and expand expertise together. I’d love to see this team identify core goals and perhaps break out into teams to tackle subjects of important learnings. Each team would then present findings to the entire WLC — perhaps monthly. Allis-Hayes: Local opportunities in other cities would be helpful. I was unable to make it to Miami, and I’m not sure I can get to San Diego, but I may try. Beale: Widening the industry backgrounds with new members would be very helpful. It would pull strong leaders from multiple industries. Birrueta: With so many women in different stages of their careers, the WLC has a unique opportunity to learn from each other, find ways to give back to the community, and see if there are ways to attract new customers to the conventions. Chase: We are all connected via social media/video meetings/webinars, and PDMI does a great job managing those touchpoints. That said, I think there is a big desire for people to meet up and see each other in person. In addition to the two major conferences, maybe sponsoring some smaller, regional events in key media cities could introduce PDMI to a new audience? This would be an opportunity to do something fun on a smaller scale and build relationships. Davis: I think three main opportunities the WLC can focus on are mentorship, career development, and regular networking events. This is a large group of women, all with unique and different talents across the nation. Setting time for us to learn from each other during our monthly Ted Talks has already impacted my own career by exposing me to different sides of TV media I don’t see in my everyday job responsibilities. It has also helped me plan my own career and shown me new opportunities I didn’t know existed. Georgakakis: Opportunities to meet and discuss varying topics at conferences or smaller gatherings. Knowledge sharing via workshop opportunities, Ted Talks, and volunteer work together. Haire: The mentor program is an incredibly valuable asset to the council. The benefit of formalizing such a program within this context, on top of all the other benefits, is that it presents the opportunity to take the feedback from the mentor/mentee relationships and compare/contrast across the group to identify common themes and features to help the council shape its agenda going forward, increasing the impact, and serving the most good. In general, though, through giving the women on the council the skills and confidence — be it education, networking, awareness, mentorship, etc. — to find their own voice in a way that’s authentic to them, the WLC is providing members with their own tools needed to learn, grow, and connect. Lee: We do monthly TED-style talks, which are inspiring and thought provoking for growth. We are also instituting a mentor-mentee program that will open the funnel for thought leadership and overcoming day-to-day job challenges. Parrish: Provide training and development opportunities: WLC could consider providing training and development opportunities on a variety of topics for personal and professional growth. Create opportunities for networking: WLC could create opportunities for members to network with each other and with other professionals in our industry. This can help members to build relationships and to learn from each other. Support professional development: WLC can support professional development for its members by providing recommendations for conferences, workshops, and other educational opportunities. This can help members to stay up to date on the latest trends and to develop new skills. Finally, provide mentorship programs. Zeller: Meeting monthly and in person at PDMI East and West. Contributing to articles and speaking at the meetings or being on a panel. And being able to pick up the phone or write an email, such as: Dear XXX, As a member of the WLC, I am grateful to have the opportunity to reach out to you. Would you please send me a few times next week that I can send you a meeting Invite to discuss (a personal matter) or (something that came up that I don’t know how to respond to) or (an idea I have for XXX). What areas can the WLC not only help its members achieve their goals but also help drive the goals of the PDMI as a whole? Albert: Inclusion; artificial intelligence (AI); audio; best practices with influencers/public relations; and ideation — bold ideas! Allis-Hayes: Networking, job resources, skill sets. We’re all busy, so finding time is a challenge. Chase: We are at such a pivotal moment in media, linear/streaming television, and advertising. There are days that feel like everything is changing all at once. Now more than ever is a great time to share varied experiences to hear what is working, what is not, and what needs to happen for a successful future. We need to rewrite the playbook. Davis: One goal the WLC can help PDMI with is continuing education. Every year, new hurdles pop up between legal, tech, or just the way consumers purchase. The WLC already has a focus on sharing knowledge between members, and that can certainly be expanded to all of the PDMI. One example is creating space for younger members to interact with the legends, either to pick their brains on potential business ideas or navigating a new career. We can work harder to connect every PDMI member so that we can grow and learn together. Georgakakis: Be a resource for women in business, whether leadership or female-owned business. Offer workshops, speaking opportunities, publications, and use social media to highlight our work. Haire: The stronger we’re able to make our council members, the stronger assets they are to the PDMI. I see a lot of value in addressing topics surrounding how we can better identify and advocate for our own success within a traditional workplace environment. Examples include recognizing and addressing unconscious bias in the workplace; education on differences between men and women when it comes to work styles, communication, etc.; how to advocate for oneself; and so on. However, looking at the council: having us identify and agree on, say, three or four common goals for us as a group that we could also utilize to educate and advocate for within the larger PDMI could be very beneficial. It would give us something that we could structure our content creation around for wider efforts and could help to provide inspiration for council Ted Talks, check ins or open conversation, etc. Lee: Inclusion; learning how to open up with thought leadership; how to speak to other team members; education; and the ability to speak out. Parrish: Education and training: WLC can partner with members to offer training courses, or they can develop their own in-house training programs. They can also host webinars and other online educational events. Networking: WLC can host regular networking events, such as conferences, trade shows, and social gatherings. They can also create online forums and discussion groups where members can connect with each other. Advocacy: WLC can lobby government officials on behalf of their members, and they can also develop and publish position papers on key industry issues. Public relations: WLC can create and distribute press releases, develop and maintain websites, and use social media to promote the industry and its benefits. Zeller: Boundaries when it comes to inappropriate work behavior. Education in different aspects of the changing marketing landscape. Subcommittees that overlap the WLC and PDMI Council initiatives. What does leadership mean to you? Albert: Empowering, inspiring, developing bold ideas. Working outside the lines, listening, teaching, serving. Allis-Hayes: Leadership means working for the good of the group, not the individual leader. Egos are put aside, and the right thing is done. Leadership involves vision and a mission, but also heart and realistic life values. Beale: Inspiring others to work together toward a common goal. It encourages and enables people to do their best work. Leadership is understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, and admitting them, as well as those of the team. Holding people accountable and being consistent and fair within all levels of an organization. Birrueta: The best way for me to describe leadership is being able to bring a group together and grow each day. Having them tap into their creativity, talent, and then they feel like they want to provide input to you without hesitation because you listen. Leadership is knowing you don’t have all the answers and, even if you have been doing it for 25 years, there might be a better way of doing something if you give someone five minutes of your time to show you. Chase: It means sharing what you have learned but also listening to those you lead. Davis: Leadership means putting others before yourself. You are actively thinking and implementing new ways to improve someone else’s life. This could be catering lunches each month to show appreciation, or it could be having a tough conversation with someone who’s been slipping. Your goal is always to serve others and guide them to greatness. Georgakakis: Being an inspiration to others and motivating them to achieve great things. Being able to guide people to their highest achievements. Haire: Leadership is about finding unity and inspiration in chaos, harnessing that chaos, and transforming it from a scary unknown to a propelling force forward — all the while connecting with and motivating those around you to keep going forward. Totally easy, right? Lee: Leadership is channeling your thoughts to assist team members and have people align their collective ways to execute various needs of an organization to move all forward with positive intent. Monaghan: Leadership is the practice of setting an example for others — and it doesn’t matter what level your job title is. I think leadership often gets confused with being a manager. You don’t need to manage people to be a good leader, and I have often experienced managers who are not great leaders. It’s the act of showing up and being accountable. It means a great deal to me in my role and in my career, and it’s something to always to be improved upon, to learn about. Parrish: To me, leadership is about inspiring and motivating others to achieve a common goal. It’s about creating a vision and a plan, and then working with others to make that vision a reality. It’s about being accountable for your own actions and the actions of those you lead. And it’s about always striving to do better, to be better, and to make a difference and a positive impact. Zeller: Leadership is the ability to see in others what they don’t see in themselves and guide them to their potential. To join the PDMI Women’s Leadership Council, you must be an employee of a PDMI member company. Membership on the WLC does not preclude you from serving on any of the other PDMI member councils. To get involved, simply reach out to Thomas Haire at thaire@definitivemediagroup.com.

The Performance-Driven Marketing Institute celebrates its fifth anniversary in July. How did we get here? Where do we go next? PDMI council chairs and leaders of Founding Member companies share their thoughts. By Thomas Haire When the Performance-Driven Marketing Institute (PDMI) opened its doors in mid-July 2018 by sending an announcement of its formation and of a planned industry event only two months later — during a time of turmoil for the direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing industry — the group’s leadership could only hope that its years of service to the business would help it find support from important initial stakeholders. That September in Las Vegas, more than 800 industry leaders heard the call and attended the PDMI’s inaugural event. In November 2018, the 501(c)6 not-for-profit association began accepting members, and by late March 2019, nearly 90 companies had become Founding Members. Yet, after a pair of successful (and growing) events in 2019 welcomed nearly 2,000 combined attendees (and membership grew to nearly 150 companies), the fledgling PDMI faced — like you — one of the greatest challenges of this century: the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Forced to abandon in-person events for two years (PDMI East and West 2020 and PDMI East 2021 were scrapped), the association once again found itself in a familiar place: coming up with new concepts to connect members while relying on the good will the PDMI had built in hopes that membership would remain supportive of its efforts during the turmoil. Maintaining its focus on service in four key areas — education, networking, advocacy, and marketing — helped the PDMI survive the pandemic. Creating a trio of multi-day, multi-webinar educational events gave members and other industry leaders a continued connection to what the PDMI could do for — and with — them. At the same time, with the help of its members, the PDMI built a pair of regularly scheduled webinar series — the Brand Response Council’s Take 20 and the Workshop/E-Commerce Councils’ Seasonal Seminar Series — that continue to educate and connect performance marketing executives at least three times a month. Though membership dipped slightly in 2020, the PDMI rebuilt its base in 2021 and maintains a strong array of invested member companies. The PDMI has also hosted four successful in-person events since returning to the calendar in October 2021. Though attendance has not yet reached the organization’s pre-pandemic highs (an issue for all event organizers in post-COVID times), each of the four events has shown growth. Who’s responsible for the PDMI’s initial success, ability to make it through the pandemic, and its opportunity to once again thrive as the 2020s move forward? It’s you: the PDMI membership, as well as its non-member followers and event attendees. More specifically, it’s our Founding Member companies — those who’ve been with us from the start — and the chairs of the six PDMI member councils, the backbone of industry support that is instrumental in allowing the association to execute on its plans and reach its goals. As the PDMI closes in on this milestone event — five years in business — it turned to leaders of Founding Member companies as well as those council chairs with a set of questions about the PDMI: what have we accomplished together, where are our biggest opportunities looking ahead, and what steps should we take to get there. Read on to hear feedback from a half-dozen of the PDMI’s most invested members, as well as from CEO John Yarrington. Then, ask yourself: what can I do to make the PDMI a stronger organization that helps my company reach its own goals? As the PDMI reaches its fifth anniversary, what would you consider its biggest success so far? Nancy Arnold, chief marketing officer, Diray Media (founding member): We think the biggest success was keeping the community informed and connected. The trade show industry took a big hit during COVID, and PDMI faced its challenges by embracing the community through successful online sessions until in-person events came back. Yeniseth Birrueta, executive vice president, Pacific Media Technologies (founding member; U.S. Hispanic Council; Women’s Leadership Council): Surviving and thriving during COVID. Fern Lee, CEO, THOR Associates (founding member; E-Commerce Council; chair, Women’s Leadership Council): The biggest success is the strength of the commitment of John Yarrington and Tom Haire to continually provide a unified trust within our industry, allowing for growth, leadership, and collaboration. The pandemic could have destroyed the mission. It did not. Accolades to the team at the PDMI for leading us into the future. Lucio Maramba, CEO and owner, Maramba Insights Inc. (founding member): Having a professional organization that companies can coalesce around is vital to the longevity and perpetuation of any industry. The PDMI has successfully created an environment of professionalism and comradery that had been missing for quite a while. Connections are king, and none of our companies can survive without an organizing body to help canvass and solidify our principles and encourage and foster growth and evolution in our industry. Greg Sarnow, founder and CEO, Direct Response Academy/Allegro Response (founding member; U.S. Hispanic Council): Who would have imagined the degree to which a virus could disrupt the lives of everyone on the entire planet? Keeping the direct-to-consumer community engaged has been no small task. Yet the PDMI team managed to do it, and that is saying something. We are not just talking about a trade conference. The weekly events the PDMI offers and the PDMI website have played a huge role in fulfilling the objective the PDMI has of helping its members and the D2C community grow. Gregory Silvano, CEO, Buyist (chair, E-Commerce Council): Adaptation to an ever-changing environment and keeping its members informed. Every year since 2018 has been unlike the previous year, without exception. And the differences have been industry-changing, not just incremental. Quarantine, global supply chain issues, inflation, privacy changes, and more. John Yarrington, CEO/co-founder, The PDMI: The PDMI’s greatest success during our first five years has been the continual growth and development of the services and benefits the association offers its members. Since inception, the focus has been to build a platform for the industry that delivers meaningful services in four key categories: networking, education, advocacy, and marketing, while concurrently championing the voice of our members through a for-the-members and by-the-members philosophy. By listening to the feedback of our community, the PDMI has launched six member councils, submitted four comments on behalf of our community to the FTC on industry-critical causes, started multiple webinar series, implemented a complimentary badge program to invite new attendees to our in-person events, and has shared valuable resources, such as our annual ad outlet directory. Plus, we are in the process of building a first-class educational program under the working name "PDMI University," a mentoring program in our Women’s Leadership Council where senior female executives mentor the future female leaders of tomorrow, and an ambassador program to help new members successfully navigate the industry — all this thanks to the assistance of industry veterans whom the PDMI calls members. What’s been the key moment for your company as a member during the past five years? Arnold: Having the opportunity to show PDMI support by being a founding member, sponsoring events, and participating in speaking sessions. Birrueta: Joining the PDMI councils. Lee: Giving birth to the Women’s Leadership Council. We are more than 60 members and growing — and our mission statement goal is to "Learn, Grow, and Connect." Maramba: Like the PDMI, Maramba Insights Inc. was founded in 2018. It’s not an exaggeration to say that our company’s success and growth is inextricably tied to the quality networking opportunities and numerous resources provided by the PDMI. We are thrilled to be a Founding Member company and are excited again about the future of our industry! Silvano: Buyist has grown up into a major DRTV brand in the past five years with a client base that includes nearly every major marketer in the industry. Quarantine really tested our ability to scale when traffic and sales through the Buyist platform increased more than 400 percent in just a matter of weeks. What is the PDMI’s biggest strength? And where are its biggest opportunities? Arnold: PDMI’s biggest strength is people! Its biggest opportunity is building more relationships in emerging categories and to expand relationships with more media measurement companies, i.e., VideoAmp, Innovid, Transunion, Nielsen One, Comscore, Flowcode, etc. It also must continue to support inventors and bring in digital and linear video production/creative content agencies. Birrueta:  The people that run it — John, Tom, and Jessica Delich — love what they do, and it shows. They constantly reach out — especially Jessica — because they want you involved. They create opportunities for us to get promoted and network and get the best for our sponsorship. Lee: PDMI’s biggest strength is the longevity of the relationships fostered over the years, whether new or seasoned members. Having the ability to cross over from the DRMA to the PDMI has been instrumental in brand and direct response initiatives. Maramba: From the onset, the experience brought to the table by the PDMI team has been crucial in building trust and participation from member companies. I appreciate the efforts they have made to reengage with veteran DR companies, and to actively bring onboard newer companies to broaden the scope of our member companies. As our industry continues to evolve in digital areas like streaming, CTV, and virtual reality (VR), I’d like to see the PDMI continue to recruit more providers and stakeholders in those industries. Silvano: The PDMI’s biggest strength is the willingness of its member base to share knowledge amongst each other. The PDMI isn’t a top-down dissemination of information. It’s peer-to-peer, and that’s a big deal. There’s too much for any single person or company to know today to run an effective direct-to-consumer campaign. You’d need to know the production, creative, offers, television, radio, a dozen digital platforms (at least), e-commerce, fulfillment, credit card processing, and at least a dozen other things. It’s impossible to keep up with all of them because they’re each evolving quickly. With experts in each of those verticals as PDMI members, who are all willing to freely share their expertise, it makes it much more likely you’ll succeed. Yarrington: Our biggest strength is the goodwill and respect the leadership team has earned from our members, sponsors, and attendees for the countless years of dedication and service to the industry. Nothing is greater than a meaningful and genuine relationship, and nothing is more fulfilling than seeing those you’ve supported and championed succeed. We’ve been blessed with great partners — which are more like friends and family — and our mutual admiration for one another, coupled with our symbiotic desire to thrive, has helped all of us mitigate challenges and unforeseen hurdles while finding the pathways to our individual successes. The biggest opportunities for the PDMI come in the form of technology. Whether it be digital media, OTT, CTV, or AI, the future is bright and plentiful for both the association and our membership. More transparency, more accountability, more access, and more creativity are coming, and, with this, more members will flock to the association — meaning our members will have more campaigns, customers, and profits. What PDMI member benefits are you utilizing the most — and how effective are they for your business? What other member benefits would you like to see the PDMI offer? Arnold: Clients need more help managing today’s challenging retail landscape. They are asking for more data to support recommendations, and we think PDMI members would benefit from more research tools or reports to help guide and educate them. We think it would be helpful to categorize online member list like past magazine directories were set up. Birrueta: Attending the conventions. More networking events. Lee: Access to membership by writing articles for Results Magazine, being interviewed for feature stories, being involved with the numerous councils offered, meeting colleagues and new business partners at PDMI East and West — all have been instrumental during the past five years. THOR Associates has been fortunate in utilizing all that PDMI has to offer and appreciates how hard PDMI works to provide a diversified member organization, which is key for business growth and partnerships. Other member benefits we would like to see offered are the expansion of outside experts in various fields — whether through the output of webinars or Ted -style talks at PDMI East and West. The ability to bring in thought leaders beyond our member organization is key in fostering growth among our membership and beyond. Maramba:  Large in-person gatherings like PDMI West and East are cornerstones of our networking and marketing efforts during the year. In addition, I’d love to see more in-person, regional networking events. Sarnow: Being on the Hispanic Council. Meeting new people that are both marketers and vendors that participate at events. Silvano: For Buyist, it’s the conferences. We live in an ever-increasing Zoom world so it’s nice to get a few days a year where we’re all in the same room. If you’re involved, what’s the most effective part of serving on a PDMI member council? And where could these councils improve? Lee: Both Lori Zeller and I serve on different councils. I joined the E-Commerce Council to expand my relationships and understanding of the e-commerce, digital, and affiliate genres. Lori has shared her enthusiasm being involved with the Workshop Council. The members of the Workshop Council are expansive and diligent at opening educational and networking opportunities for PDMI members. Silvano: I’m involved but could certainly do a better job leading the E-Commerce Council. I’m "there" and provide input, mostly. I know my overall ideas tend to influence the topics we discuss in webinars and conferences, but I don’t take action to get the other council members more involved. Which is how the councils can improve: more involvement from the members of the councils. I think 80 percent of the members are simply present and just show up to the Zoom. To fix that, we must have something for them to do. But I’m not exactly sure what that would be. Yarrington: While I don’t serve in a voluntary capacity on a PDMI member council, I have the great privilege of participating monthly in six very special council meetings as PDMI staff. My primary purpose is to serve as a liaison between the membership and the association and to ensure the councils have the necessary information, resources, and access to fulfill their agendas. Through this process, I have had the opportunity to listen to some incredibly thoughtful and intelligent people who are not only masters at their crafts, but legitimately care about the current state and future of our business. My involvement with these councils has helped me grow and mature as both a student of our industry and as a professional. And, most importantly, my involvement with these councils has broadened my perspective and has helped me become a better version of myself. While I’m hard-pressed to find ways to enhance the value generated by each council, I can think of one thing that will improve the outcome of the great work these volunteers do: get involved! Adding more voices, more thoughts, and more diversity to the mix will only add value. If you’re not currently serving on a council, give me a call so we can discuss where you can best fit. Where would you like to see the PDMI be five years from now? How can the association most effectively reach that goal? Arnold: Our agency would like to see PDMI recruit more members from other sectors. Placing more focus on digital subscriber-based channels, measurement companies, CPG companies, and DTC brands to join the community would benefit everyone. Birrueta: Twice the size! Think out of the box like back at the beginning when this started. Lee: It is of the utmost import to have a diversified membership. By creating new councils, we can expand on the genres that we need to become more inclusive. The way to keep diversifying and growing is through touch, touch, and touching: word of mouth and businesses bringing in their clientele is key to the PDMI’s growth. Showing the value of our trade shows is a strong initiative! Maramba: As long as the frequency and quality of educational and networking opportunities remain consistent, I can see the PDMI surpass and eclipse the success of the previous DR Industry organizations. Diversity of member marketers, agencies, vendors, and outlets as our industry evolves in the Streaming Era is crucial to keeping the PDMI current and relevant. Silvano: Much. Bigger. Conferences. Start back at square one and re-invent the show. Use the history of the DRMA and PDMI to get street cred and spend the next 18 months making the October 2024 show the biggest you’ve ever had. More products, more experts, more everything. Yarrington: In the next five years, I’d like to see the association servicing triple the number of members and positively affecting all aspects of online and offline performance marketing. To accomplish this goal, I’d like to encourage our members to refer their clients, prospects, and partners to get involved in the association. I’d also like to encourage all members to get actively engaged in the benefits of the association by serving on councils, contributing articles, volunteering to participate in webinars, being involved in our mentoring, ambassador, and university programs, and sponsoring our in-person events. As the old saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I can’t wait to go on this journey with all of you!

By Nick Pietropinto In my last article, I wrote about the reasons why your single-channel direct-to-consumer (D2C) digital and social media marketing may be hitting a wall with diminishing returns. I also introduced a powerful strategy for breaking through that wall: omnichannel marketing. Now let’s dive into that a bit deeper. First, I want you to think about all the potential opportunities your customers have to interact with your products and brand on any given day — on social media, TV, radio, podcast, outdoor billboards, magaines, and in person. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Marketing Rule of 7,” which suggests that a prospective customer needs to be exposed to a brand’s message at least seven times before they buy your products or services. Now let’s take that basic rule even further: Google research tells us that a buyer requires seven hours of interaction across 11 touchpoints in four different locations before the decide to purchase. And even that might not be enough to break through the clutter. Which means that if you’re focusing your marketing on just Facebook or Amazon or another single channel, chances are you’re going to hit that wall sooner rather than later. That’s where a robust omnichannel strategy comes into play. Before we delve into it, let’s clarify a common misperception. Omnichannel is not to be confused with multichannel. True, multichannel marketing employs more than one channel for campaigns, but that’s where the similarities end. With multichannel marketing, there’s little to no differentiation or personalization in the marketing content used across various channels. Valuing quantity over quality, multichannel casts the widest net possible to drive up customer engagement. Omnichannel marketing, on the other hand, is much more strategic and, therefore, more effective. An omnichannel strategy employs multiple channels that may include digital and social media, TV, radio, email, podcasts, web, influencers, print, outdoor billboards, mobile apps, SMS, and more to reach and attract customers. But unlike multichannel marketing, omnichannel takes a completely customer-centric approach driven by data about consumer behaviors, preferred channels, and where the consumer is in their customer journey. Leveraging this data, an omnichannel marketer will know exactly which message to show customers, using the best channels at the best time to do so. As such, omnichannel marketing becomes a highly personalized experience that generates a much higher conversation rate. The power of omnichannel to drive conversions and sales can be attributed to a number of other factors, as well. By leveraging multiple channels and capturing consumer data from each one, omnichannel marketing provides much greater visibility into how consumers engage as they switch from one channel to the next. This data can come from CRM and email platforms, website analytics, paid searches, SEO and keyword tracking, social media analytics, mobile app usage, sales or call center teams, and more. All this data provides insight into customer motivations and dynamics at each touchpoint, allowing you to create campaigns that specifically address those needs. An omnichannel marketing strategy also allows brands to make sure they're creating a unified, consistent, and seamless customer experience and messaging across all channels. This works effectively to increase brand awareness, recognition, recall, and loyalty, which — in turn — leads to repeat sales. Even better, omnichannel marketing has a butterfly effect. Much like compounding interest that allows your money to grow over time, omnichannel campaigns also have a compound benefit that builds with each layer to propel your marketing into 10X mode. When you make a change or enhancement to one channel, the ripple effect extends across all your channels so that they're continually reinforcing each other. This butterfly effect also means that your omnichannel marketing campaigns end up reaching audiences who might otherwise never encounter your brand or products. If this all sounds too good to be true, just take a look at the numbers. Research reveals that companies with well-defined omnichannel customer experience strategies achieve a 91-percent higher year-over-year increase in customer retention rate than organizations with no omnichannel strategy. An analysis of more than 135,000 campaigns sent in 2021 — representing more than 610 million messages — showed that marketers who used three or more channels in a campaign received an astounding 494-percent higher order rate than those using a single-channel campaign approach. But while many companies are striving to create an omnichannel strategy, success can be elusive. In a survey of senior consumer packaged goods (CPG) executives, 80 percent of respondents said they had launched omnichannel efforts, but less than 25 percent were confident in the direction they were going. And while more than 87 percent of them agree that having an omnichannel marketing strategy is critical to their business success, only 8 percent have succeeded in implementing one. The moral of the lesson: if you truly want to tap into the power of omnichannel, you must make sure you have the right strategy, data, and partner in place. When creating and implementing your omnichannel program, make sure you’re checking off all the critical boxes: Are you capturing the data you need to make the best decisions about where and when to place your campaigns? Does every touchpoint in your customers’ journey, across every channel, provide a consistent experience? Are you delivering relevant, personalized messages, based on data you’ve captured about your customers’ behaviors and preferences? To maximize success, you’ll also need to identify the most effective cadence for your omnichannel campaigns — where, when, and how often to engage with your audience. That includes investing the right amount of money in just the right channels at just the right time to create that customer awareness, which then unlocks other new channels that continue to amplify your exposure and expand your reach even further. Once you get that formula down, you’ll be able to maximize that butterfly effect and accelerate your marketing into 10X mode. Creating that winning formula, however, doesn’t happen by magic. It takes experience, resources, and a data-driven methodology that most D2C businesses simply don’t have on hand. That’s why working with a seasoned, proven partner with omnichannel expertise makes sense. The partner you select should be able to serve up the data you need in a single, easy-to-read dashboard. They should have a clear methodology to create that formula for your omnichannel marketing mix. And they should have the relationships and resources to negotiate and find the most advantageous terms for your media purchases. One last thought: when it comes to your marketing strategy, you may feel inclined to put all your eggs into one digital basket. Be wary of marketing partners who focus only on digital and/or social, and here’s why: traditional TV, for example, is still very much alive and kicking and deserves a very active role in your omnichannel marketing strategy. Keep in mind that more than 60 million U.S. households still have pay TV. Estimates indicated that U.S. adults will spend an average of two hours, 33 minutes watching TV each day in 2023. And TV leads the way when it comes to which device consumers are most willing to engage with advertisers. Despite its growth, in 2023, ad spend for subscription over-the-top (OTT) is expected to remain at just one-sixth of linear TV ad spend. There’s a reason marketers continue to invest more in linear TV marketing. In my next article, I’ll address why linear TV is far from being “dead,” and why it actually should be a key component of your marketing mix. We’ll also take a closer look at how to incorporate linear TV into your omnichannel marketing program. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me with any questions about how to optimize your omnichannel marketing to grow your brand and D2C success. Nick Pietropinto is the founder and CEO of Double Diamond VIP. He can be reached via email at nick@doublediamondvip.com. For more, visit TryD2C.com.

PDMI member company Ringba shares a new case study about how its client 1-800-DENTIST used its real-time bidding (RTB) technology to increase efficiency, decrease labor, and achieve more than 1 million new leads sold. Matthew Zivkovic, partner at 1-800-DENTIST, says, "We’ve brought our business into the future with Ringba. The flexibility that real-time bidding has given our organization is a true game changer. We’re operating at a level we never could before." Ringba's favorite thing is helping clients become successful. That's why it offers services without contracts, setup fees, support fees, bundled minutes, minimums, overages, project fees, port fees, or any other nonsense. Click here to access the 1-800-DENTIST case study and find out more about Ringba today.

By Nick Pietropinto These days, it seems like digital marketing agencies are a dime a dozen. And each agency makes basically the same claim: when it comes to reaching specific audiences, driving sales, and delivering returns, there’s nothing more effective than digital marketing. It’s a convincing message. So convincing, in fact, that online channels now make up 56 percent of businesses’ marketing budgets — the largest share. There’s no sign of it slowing, either. According to a HubSpot survey, 63 percent of businesses have increased their digital marketing budgets in the past year By 2026, the global digital advertising market is expected to top $780 billion. A significant portion of that spending is focused on social media. More than 91 percent of businesses report using social media for their marketing, with Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube as their top platforms of choice. Social media marketing has been an especially popular channel for direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketers seeking to drive traffic to online stores where their products are sold. All told, D2C businesses spend around 20 percent of their total marketing budgets on social media — no small chunk of change. The question remains: Are businesses truly seeing the promised returns on their digital and social media marketing investments? Not always. According to the before-mentioned HubSpot survey, 40 percent of businesses reported struggling to demonstrate the ROI of their digital marketing efforts. And even if your company is somewhere in the other 60 percent, how sure can you really be in the staying power of your digital marketing returns? Will you be able to scale to support your growth? Let’s take a look at an all-too common scenario for many D2C businesses that rely heavily on Facebook and Instagram ads. You’ve spent the time, effort, and money on fine-tuning your ads, including defining your target audience, identifying the right key words, honing the content and creative, and calibrating the bidding — all with the goal of making your ads relevant enough to be seen by your ideal customers. For a while, things seem to be going great. You’re seeing good engagement, clicks, and maybe even a bump in leads and sales. Fantastic! Then suddenly, seemingly for no reason, your click-through and conversion rates stagnate or even plummet, and your ads (as well as sales) stop performing the way they used to. What gives? There may be a few factors contributing to that friction, starting with ever-evolving algorithms and changes that digital platforms seem to make overnight. Facebook, for example, assesses the relevance of ads based on a cryptic and finicky mix of three factors: quality ranking (how your ad compares to other ads directed at the same audience); engagement rate ranking (how your ad’s expected engagement rate compares to other ads directed at the same audience); and conversion rate ranking (how your ad’s expected conversion rate compares to ads with the same conversion goal and target audience). As Facebook continually tinkers with this formula, marketers spend more time making adjustments in an effort to keep ads relevant and, therefore, seen. Then there’s consumer digital fatigue. One Deloitte study shows that about a third of U.S. consumers are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of digital content and, consequently, are tuning out. According to a survey reported by the Harvard Business Review, consumers said that as they spend more time online, they are becoming increasingly numb to and even frustrated with digital marketing. Consider, too, the competition. With more than 3 million businesses actively advertising on Facebook and more than 200 million business accounts on Instagram, your social media ads are tasked with breaking through the clutter and capturing attention. It’s enough to make you doubt all that digital marketing hype you’ve been hearing. When your social media ads plateau, the last thing you want to do is pull the plug — especially given the investment you’ve made in creating and launching them. Instead, you may decide to do a “reset” and make tweaks to your ad preferences, audience, keywords, and more. Anytime you make an update to your Facebook campaigns, you’ve flipped them back into “learning mode” while Facebook attempts to glean the best places and people to show your ads. This process used to happen within 24 to 48 hours, but now takes significantly longer. And while Facebook is “learning” where best to display your ads, those ads are likely to experience lower click-throughs, engagement, and conversions. In my experience, it can take a few weeks after a full reset to see your ads stabilize and start performing again. In the end, there may be no clear or identifiable reason why your social media and digital ads may have hit a plateau in performance. Regardless of cause, the digital marketing wall is a very real obstacle encountered by many D2C businesses — quite possibly including yours. As a D2C business, this wall stands in the way of your growth. The good news: there is life after you’ve maxed out the effectiveness of your digital marketing. This “evolution” in your marketing mix can be achieved through an omnichannel strategy. Despite its tremendous growth and increasing dominance in the D2C world, digital marketing is not the end-all-be-all answer to your success. In reality, digital marketing is just part of a part of your complete omnichannel solution. Think about all the different places where customers can find your brand and interact with your products — not just online and on social media but also on linear TV, radio, and print, as well as on billboards, in their inboxes, and, of course … in person. An omnichannel marketing approach ensures that your customers are getting a consistent and customized experience, wherever and whenever they come into contact with your products. What’s more, omnichannel is a powerful way to make your brand feel like it’s everywhere, all the time — even when it’s not. In my next article, we’ll take a deeper dive into going 10x-mode with your omnichannel marketing strategy to scale your D2C business, expand your reach, drive more leads for a lower per-lead cost, and increase conversion rates. Until then, keep an eye on any digital marketing campaigns you might be running now to see if you’ve hit that wall. Then get ready to learn how to break through it. Nick Pietropinto is the founder and CEO of Double Diamond VIP. He can be reached via email at nick@doublediamondvip.com. For more, visit TryD2C.com.

By Alex Dinsmoor (This piece appeared previously in Search & Performance Marketing Daily on Feb. 3, 2023) Undoubtedly, there is no one thing that makes companies succeed with their marketing these days. With so many mediums, touchpoints and ways to target customers, it is clearly a combination of things that must be executed correctly to move the needle. Finding the right media and having proper analytics to optimize this media are key, but at the end of the day, consumers have to be engaged with the content you present to them. Comprehensive analysis of 20 years and billions in ad spend have shown that the creative can be two-thirds of the determinant of success of campaigns. In other words: creative matters! This may seem like a remedial statement, but in many ways creative gets overlooked in the process. So many conversations with clients include talk about just getting their product in front of their target demo will surely be successful — as if exposure is the only thing they need to sell millions of dollars’ worth of their product. If it only were that simple. There is a philosophical principle called Occam’s Razor that has been applied across science, reasoning, math, and even politics. It states that the simplest explanation is usually the best one. So, if it looks like a duck, swims luck a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's most likely a duck. The razor means that you can shave away the unlikely explanations and hypotheticals to arrive at the correct answer. The critics of Occam’s Razor state that the principle is an oversimplification of the complexities of real life and often rules out creative thinking. It would seem that creative and this principle are at odds, but there is an application that allows brands to win at performance marketing: ROI's Razor. This principle is that with all things considered in the equation of successful performance marketing, at the end of the day, the best creative wins. This could also be stated as the best story wins, or the best demonstration wins. It is not to say that you ignore media targeting and analytics, but at the core, you must make sure your creative and messaging is the foundation that all other things are built upon. Without this foundation, you are left with more questions than answers, and likely performance marketing that does not perform. Occam’s Razor is grounded to the idea of parsimony — the idea of being thrifty with your resources. This is another connection to performance marketing and making sure that efficiency is key. You can be smart with your budget when working with the right people to develop the winning creative. This likely means not working with your brand AOR that is not focused on efficiency, nor does it mean allocating insufficient budget to develop creative content. ROI's Razor also calls for the re-investment of revenues from DTC sales and performance marketing efforts into ongoing, scalable media spends. These revenues can, in many cases, pay for the ongoing media campaign — or at least act as a substantial subsidy of the media spend, thus turning a larger "gross" media spend into much smaller "net" media spend. This larger media spend is the rising tide that lifts all ships, including traditional retail sales, e-commerce partner sales, and certainly Amazon sales. None of this may seem revolutionary, but it should act as a reminder for all marketers as we strive to find success in the ever-changing advertising world. Hopefully, ROI's Razor can be a principle we apply as we incorporate all the data that is available to us when we develop campaigns for clients. Shave away all the hypotheticals, shiny objects, and marketing fads that may seem like all the rage at that moment. Focus on the creative, the messaging, and the content and you can win at performance marketing. Alex Dinsmoor is executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Script to Screen. He can be reached via email at alexd@scripttoscreen.com. For more on Script to Screen, visit scripttoscreen.com.

As streaming and connected TV continue their ascent, how quickly these ongoing changes to the TV media landscape take hold — and solidify — remains anyone’s guess. Leaders from media agencies weigh in on the latest questions. By Thomas Haire How many times have you heard the phrase "shifting TV media landscape" in the past three years? The answer is probably somewhere around the number of new free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels introduced in the connected TV (CTV) market in the past 12 months. This ongoing story commands the attention of performance and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and their agencies, who are keen to understand the best new opportunities — and must know where to find the most effective continuing opportunities — on CTV, streaming, and linear TV. What’s the latest on CTV? When is the streaming market going to consolidate (and will consumers demand it)? What’s the top streamer for performance marketing campaigns? And will there ever again be a single media currency? Below, seven media agency executives share their feedback to these questions and more — questions that also are likely be addressed in some fashion by media outlet leaders in a special panel conversation at PDMI East on March 22. What are the top two things that brands/advertisers must consider right now about the evolving television media landscape? Chris Brombach, senior vice president, integrated media, Cannella Media DTC: First, approaching video with a holistic mindset: effectively and efficiently blurring the line between linear and non-linear. Second, leveraging portfolio diversification: understanding the roles different formats and TV media types play in the overall equation. Michelle Green, president, Two Twelve Direct: The first is to recognize the increasingly powerful role of video. It’s where you are able to evoke the right emotions. There is always a story to tell. They key is to reach that consumer and evoke that emotion exactly where they are and how they are watching. That means bespoke content must be created for every environment and video customization for every single platform. Also, to further evolve, it will be key to integrate traditional and streaming data that enables measurement and targeting against the two together. There is still a tremendous amount of viewership that exists in linear channels and will continue to be utilized. But it now co-exists with growing streaming platforms. We have a begging need for these to work together seamlessly. This year should start the move toward true crossscreen, audience, and measurement delivery. Karen Kluger, founder/CEO, TouchPoint Integrated Communications: It’s projected that by 2024, non-pay-TV households will exceed pay TV households by a margin of 6 percentage points — and continue to increase. If streaming is not currently part of your media mix or planned for this year, you will fall behind competitors and miss reaching the full potential of your target audience. Creative also needs to adjust to the shorter units preferred and expected by streaming viewers, which may be a challenge for traditional DRTV brands that rely on 60s and 120s. Calls-to-action (CTAs) also will need to evolve with a strong, trackable push to web, QR code, or click-to-call/buy/shop/learn more to continue the selling process. Martin Melgoza, vice president, CTV and data, Smart Media Tech: TV is no longer just cable and broadcast. Streaming is an essential part of the TV mix now and, as its popularity grows and minutes watched overtake linear, it will be a crucial aspect of any TV campaign. Second, FAST channels will become the new "cable." This new and free streaming platform will grow massively in popularity because of the high-quality content it provides along with the zero-cost associated with it. Matt Wasserlauf, CEO and co-founder, Blockboard: First, CTV will become the fastest-growing advertising platform. There are currently more than 1.1 billion CTV devices in use worldwide. As broadcasters and media companies start to invest more in streaming offerings, marketers will inevitably be forced to shift their budgets from linear to streaming and CTV advertising. To take advantage of this growth and scale, CTV programmatic platforms will need to focus on getting rid of wasted ad spend, which has been the industry norm for years. The technology to vet every ad impression and pinpoint campaigns to specific targets and regions will become crucial. This will usher in the era of programmatic 3.0 where platforms are built on the web3 principles of transparency, authenticity, security, and accountability. With its ability to directly reach consumers where they live and view content, CTV will become a critical and leading channel within the programmatic advertising landscape. Second, the big "R" word to focus on is results, not recession. While fears about a recession are certainly warranted, it won’t be as scary as initially reported. All signs may point toward a recession, and as in any recession, advertising tends to be the first budget cut. While this will be true again in 2023, it will ultimately be short-lived, rebounding by the second half of the year. So, let’s not fear a recession because a recession will ultimately drive innovation. What brands and advertisers should instead focus on is refreshing their strategies. With CTV becoming the fastest-growing advertising platform, linear TV will no longer be the gold standard and priority moving forward. Unlike CTV, linear TV is far less accountable than online media or social media. Digital alternatives provide attribution and a direct correlation to sales and results, which is what’s needed most in a recession. What type of clients and brands are currently in the CTV marketplace? Has there been a shift or category growth in the past year? Green: Over the last year, we watched the industry evolve with twists and turns in the world of CTV, TV, linear and video. Connected TV continues to prove it’s on the rise with a predicted 14.2-percent growth from 2022 to 2023. Consumer package goods (CPG) is dominating in the shift to CTV. Pet supply brands also are taking a lead, as well as beauty and household products. CTV has shown to be an incredibly efficient channel for pharma advertisers, also. Programmatic CTV makes it easier to reach the right healthcare provider and target — very specifically and directly — pharma’s patient audiences. Kluger: While originally more of a branding/upper funnel tactic for brands with significant budgets, CTV is now seeing increased usage by digital-centric brands, or brands that couldn’t afford the investment of traditional linear TV. Most recently, there has been an influx of DTC and traditional DR advertisers due to improved targeting, data capture, shoppable CTV ad formats, and second-screen retargeting that supports lower funnel KPIs. To that end, the channel is now ripe for B2B advertising growth and those B2B brands that capitalize on the channel in 2023 have the unique opportunity to take advantage of the white space. Melgoza:  Everyone is getting into the mix. The shift to streaming is impacting all viewers, so all brands and advertisers are seeing the need to shift their budgets to streaming so they can reach their full population. With that said, performance clients have been testing a lot in the space, but due to the more difficult nature of tracking/attribution, we have not seen a lot of evergreen streaming campaigns yet. We are making progress as we get more aggressive with rate negotiations, so we expect this to change. Wasserlauf: CTV is not a "must include" for all types of clients and brands. However, CTV is approached differently amongst the types of spenders. For example, large brands typically see CTV as an extension of their linear buys and categorize the experience as "branding." Yet, for performance marketers, the use case of CTV is much more directly tied to the sales funnel. It can satisfy different appetites and needs because of its big-screen consumption experience along with its inherent digital nature. NBCU recently targeted small-to-medium- sized brands (SMBs) for its array of advertising opportunities. How should SMBs focused on using D2C methods react to this and what does it mean for the future? Kluger: Capitalizing on omnichannel opportunities that are consolidated under a partnership with entities like NBCU affords SMBs streamlined access to content adjacencies that deliver borrowed equity and coveted brandsafe environments. That being said, the excitement of potentially combining sponsorship opportunities, live reads, social mentions, and media all under one insertion order, should not supersede targeted reach and measurability. When approaching omnichannel partnership opportunities, SMBs should ensure that the resulting buy utilizes first- and third-party data to deliver a strong target rating point (TRP). It should also be significant enough in its totality to understand the program’s impact as part of its larger media mix and ideally its program’s budget should not be spread too thin across the various program tactics that the impact of any one component cannot be understood for future planning. Melgoza: The new offering, which is more of a self-serve option, is great, but for SMBs to be truly successful in the TV space, agencies will be a crucial part of their media mix. Although NBCU has some of the best properties and IP in the market, viewers are watching a lot of other content outside of NBCU. So, while using their new tools is beneficial, it does not solve the larger issue of reaching their full audience. Studies show consumers becoming more cost-conscious and interested in a consolidated way to reach and view all their streaming options. When will the streaming market begin consolidating and head toward an easier-to-use, easier-to-pay-for model — like the one they gave up when they cut the cord? Joey Hastie, vice president, media investments and research, Smart Media Tech: From the revenue side of the equation, the industry has figured out how to leverage content to locate the target audience with programmatic ad-tech. From the consumer side, it’s quite the opposite. The user experience is far less exciting when searching for a program. Consumers sit on the couch, excessively scrolling with decision anxiety due to the abundance of available content. By the time you have stalled on five auto-played previews, read four show summaries, and watched three trailers, you have decided it’s too much, and you are better off going to bed. This moment in time resembles the point before there were program guides and channel-surfing was a thing. The major content providers are already taking note, which is why you are starting to see the consolidation of big media companies. Some prime examples are Disney, Warner, Paramount, and NBCU, which have bundled or are in the process of bundling. However, the next step in consolidation is much more challenging. The ease-of-use side will arrive before the ease-of-pay side with novel AI technologies like ChatGPT and AI-powered Bing search. It won’t be surprising if Apple or Roku integrate these into home screens within the next year. You might write a prompt or say, "I would like to watch a funny movie included in one of my paid subscriptions that had at least 70-percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and my kids under the age of 12 will enjoy it." Combining the assortment of subscriptions into a user-friendly package will require innovation and a model similar to an MVPD. We have seen some attempts at this, but they really haven’t been successful or well adopted. In the future, we will see one or several providers negotiate bundled pricing among various SVOD streamers to deliver a discounted subscription based on the number you opt into. A package of Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Peacock, Paramount+, Starz — and a grouping of FAST channels — may receive more favorable pricing than if you only subscribed to Netflix and Hulu. The ad revenue of AVOD and FAST channels will be essential to offset the discounts on the bundled slower-growing and premium SVOD platforms. The necessity for innovation is now due to the current media landscape and the shareholder demand for subscriber growth. I expect to start seeing a bigger shift toward larger cross-platform bundles happening over the next two years. Kluger: Consolidation of streaming options will likely come from mergers and acquisitions versus a change in model for consumers. Amazon purchased MGM for content, WB and Discovery+ merged within WBD; and HBO Max and Discovery+ may or may not be merging. It’s all about content and consumers changing their subscriptions based on the shows they watch and when the new season premieres. As more apps are available to manage a consumer’s multiple subscriptions (per PwC, most consumers subscribe to three to five streaming services), moving back to a pre-cord cutting model isn’t likely any time soon. Melgoza: This is already happening, and we are seeing the popularity of a potential replacement increase in real-time with FAST channels. FAST channels, outside of sports, have a real opportunity to fill in the gap of cable/bundling up streaming apps. All the platforms are creating their own FAST app to provide consumers with this option. Samsung, LG, Vizio, Roku, and even NBC and Warner are all creating FAST channel offerings. With that said, I do think there is going to be a massive consolidation of apps, but like with smartphones, new apps are always going to be available as the technology to launch TV apps becomes easier and more affordable to make. Wasserlauf: Along with the challenge of fragmentation for the end consumer, the ad experience must be addressed. As advertisers work with individual inventory suppliers, the likelihood of, for example, ad frequency management becomes trickier. While consolidation (or bundling) makes it easier for the end user to manage their bills and get what they want from their content, it doesn’t translate into seamless ad management. If advertisers are mindful of their story and frequency to the user across any media, they should work with partners who can manage across the top of all supply. The launch of an ad-supported tier helped Netflix regain its footing in the second half of the year, causing many analysts to say that it also had regained its leadership position. Which of the leading streamers do you believe is providing the best opportunities for advertisers and why? Kluger: From an advertiser’s perspective, multiple factors contribute to the "best opportunity" — viewership, targetability, and efficiency. While Netflix has seen an increase in subscribers to its ad-supported tier, it still carries a hefty CPM premium and limited targetability. As of now, the Disney Bundle (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN) has the most to offer from negotiable CPMs, a strong subscription base, and the opportunity to reach various segments with family-based and sports content, in addition to a loyal Hulu following. Disney also just announced that Disney+ advertisers will soon be able to access Hulu’s audience ad-targeting tools by Q2 2023. Melgoza:  This is a tough question as it really depends on the goal. If returnon-ad-spend (ROAS) is the key driver for the campaign, Tubi is the best driver from a pure ROAS standpoint. They have amazing reach and scale with very efficient rates for a premium product. If we are trying to associate the brand with the best top-tier content, Netflix is the leader currently, as it has a somewhat untouched audience and limited ad partners, so your ads won’t be as lost in the shuffle. If we are going for a combo of high-profile content and performance, Hulu has to be the top app. They consistently put out amazing shows with great viewership numbers and associating a brand with these shows can really drive performance — especially if you can lock in efficient rates. With all the buzz around streaming and CTV, what is linear TV’s role in today’s marketplace — and what will it be in 2025? Marcelino Miyares, managing director, d2H Partners: To the extent that linear still means "mass," it will always have a role. The ultimate measure of its worth will come with the globalization of media efficiency ratios (MER)/cost-per-order (CPO) and other ROI metrics. From our perspective, linear TV is the only marketing channel that has the potential to lift the tide for all other channels. But if ROI and ROAS measures are limited only to the "time-stampable" results of TV airings, then its role will be reduced to much less than its actual potential. Brombach: Linear TV is still a viable mass reach medium that drives brand engagement and response, providing marketers with the opportunity to reach more than 70 million households. That said, we reached an inflection point this year: for the first time ever, U.S. adults are spending more time viewing digital video than traditional TV. So, we foresee the scale continuing to tip further towards streaming viewership in coming years. Hastie: If you know anyone below the age of 20, it’s no secret that linear TV is going to continue to decline. Most of them have never experienced exploring a channel guide or the proliferation of DVRs. We all know the pandemic accelerated the adoption of streaming among all demographics. We’ll see an inevitable and gradual decline in viewership in linear over the next 10 years, but it is still going to be a significant medium to reach a mass audience for now. The Boomer generation is still a substantial audience that engages in the traditional linear experience. Additionally, boomers are sitting on $70 trillion in wealth, which is significantly more than Gen Z and millennials and should not be underestimated. Yes, we will see linear viewership continue to decline, but there are still several more years to tap into the spending power of those participating in that space. Kluger: While CTV subscription numbers continue to rise, most consumers watch a combination of both CTV and linear TV, depending on age. Linear TV still, and will continue to in 2025, provides mass reach while CTV complements that with stronger targeting and frequency in a less cluttered environment. The balance of usage for each tactic will continue to favor CTV as linear viewership decreases. Wasserlauf: We are already seeing marketers pull back on spending on linear broadcast TV. Broadcast ratings are down, and the major networks are lacking in new hit shows and premium content. Furthermore, some of the largest broadcast programs are making the shift to streaming, like the NFL agreement to stream all regular season Thursday night football games on Amazon Prime. Among the top 100 TV telecasts in 2022, NFL games accounted for 43 percent — making it the most-watched category, as well as the biggest ratings driver and revenue stream on TV. As the NFL continues to shift toward streaming, it will continue to destroy significant broadcast TV, which will signal to giants like Amazon, Netflix, Google, and Apple to examine these acquisition opportunities and propel consolidation opportunities. With this momentum, we expect CTV will be the biggest advertising platform by 2025. Where do you see the ongoing battle in the media currency space to provide measurement and attribution to buyers and brands heading over the next 12 to 18 months? Do we need a single media currency — and why or why not? Brombach: The additional players in the space can be viewed as a positive for marketers — providing more accuracy and accountability on the audience measurement side and evolving the attribution side to drive a more dynamic understanding of full-funnel and multitouch. Multi-currency on both the audience measurement and attribution sides will likely continue to proliferate, because it’s not a "one-size-fits-all." Kluger: The challenge with a common currency is that quality scores require a significant amount of historical data to quantify and trend a media’s impact. With the digital space continuing to evolve at a rapid pace, we’ll see devices such as smart home and wearables underrepresented, as well as new social platforms and digital-out-of-home (DOOH) formats. Until the landscape stabilizes, a single media currency will continue to chase the latest media and technology and will fall short on providing insight into the types of new media that require the most testing and analysis. NBCU’s resonance metric, scheduled to deploy in 2024, marries ad recall, media buys, and environment to provide yet another currency for advertisers and agencies to consider and incorporate. Miyares: Whether the industry consolidates to one or a handful of media currencies, what the industry needs is for the source to more accurately reflect the discrete measurement of key market segments, such as the Hispanic market. This segment is traditionally undercounted or blended in with general demographics to the detriment of us who operate in this space. Clients would like to know where their sales are coming from. Another way to look at this is that the industry cannot move towards the "D" in D2C without accurate measurement of who the "C" is. Wasserlauf: Media currency needs to be more aligned with the particular business need of the advertiser. We are at an exciting time when not only are new options of currency available, but specific metrics and measurement can be identified and used. As we move into a world of "one-size-does-not-fit-all,’ there will be a new need to think creatively and reasonably about the product and sales funnel while forging partnerships that increase transparency to allow for actionable insights.

Click here or on the image below to reach the 2023 Ad Outlet Directory in Results Magazine's March 2023 issue. There, performance and direct response marketers can find contact and demographic information from more than 135 TV channels, streaming outlets, podcast networks, and more.

Who among us hasn’t binged 12 hours of Netflix? Whether you care to confess it or not, there’s no question that streaming services have permeated the viewing culture, fueled in large part by the pandemic. By June 2020, 48% of US online adults had subscribed to at least one streaming service. And there they’ve stayed. Now, over two-thirds of US households have more than one subscription to a video-on-demand (SVOD) service. Advertisers are taking note of this accelerated growth in streaming services — as well as the opportunities they open. Given the volatility and unpredictability of the current economic climate, marketers are more focused than ever on measuring ROI to make sure they’re getting the most from their ad spends. The question is: is streaming the best place to spend those marketing dollars? Let’s dive into that. Click here to continue by visiting River Direct’s blog post on exploring the streaming space.

Podcasts have quickly become one of the most popular forms of content to deliver to users. According to the latest data from Edison Research, more than 75 percent of Americans are familiar with podcasting. Out of that pool, around 24 percent are listening to podcasts on a weekly basis. In the U.S. alone, we can estimate that around 70 million people are tuning in to at least one podcast a week. That's a lot of reach. While many small business owners are not aware of those numbers, big brands are well aware of how powerful podcast advertising can be. We discuss this all the time with performance marketing: follow the smart money. As we move deeper into 2023, a lot of advertising dollars are going into podcast ads. For advertisers and businesses, it's the perfect time to start becoming a part of the podcast advertising conversation and getting your message out to your world. Podcasts are uniquely intimate, which is why we believe it's an ideal medium for advertisers that want to connect with engaged listeners. In fact, three out of four listeners say they give their favorite podcasts their full attention. Think about that for a minute: 75 percent of listeners are giving their full attention to their favorite podcasts. What other form of media is going to give you those results? The data proves it: people are paying attention and listening. It proves that users are not just playing something in the background or zoning out in front of a screen. Rather, they’re highly engaged and often hanging on every word that is said. Imagine being able to get your ad seamlessly blended into an episode of a highly engaging podcast, or being a part of the show where you can share your story about building your company. Here are some podcast advertising tips to help you get started. What Is Podcast Advertising? Before you learn how to advertise on podcasts, it’s important to understand the core reasons you should be advertising on them. Podcast advertising allows you to speak directly to potential customers through an audio ad or audio in general. You can choose to have specific podcast hosts talk about your brand, or you can hire voice talent to help you create an ad to be placed at the beginning (preroll), middle (midroll), or end (postroll) of an episode. While ad spots are going to vary, nearly all podcasts have this type of format. When we're evaluating the best-in-class podcast ad examples, preroll and postroll ads are usually about 15 seconds, while midroll ads can go as long as 60 seconds. Some podcasts also may offer sponsored episodes or sponsored segments that run for two-to-three minutes across multiple episodes. What Gives Podcast Ads the Edge? A few interesting studies suggest that users are tired of looking at screens all day. In fact, more than 50 percent of people globally say they want an escape from visual stimulation. With that in mind, it's no wonder so many people are turning to podcasts to get exposure to content. According to another study, in the United States, over 90 percent of people report listening to most of a podcast. That's a solid engagement rate. In that same study, five out of 10 users listened to the whole podcast. What about the podcast advertising: is there any additional data that shows listeners are going to be more willing to buy from a brand? You bet. More than half of podcast fans say they’re more likely to consider buying from a brand they hear advertised on podcasts. Even better, 81 percent of them have taken action after hearing a podcast ad. This can include but is not limited to viewing a product online, engaging with a company on social media, visiting a web page, or sharing the brand with a friend. Another important note to take away is podcast advertising and streaming. Podcasts go everywhere listeners go: since you can stream your favorite podcasts from anywhere, advertisers know this is an effective strategy for engaging with their target audience. While advertising on podcasts continues to grow, the market is still a big blue ocean. There are opportunities everywhere. It may seem like podcasts are everywhere, but in the grand scheme of things, there's a huge market for all niches available. How to Grow Your Brand With Podcasts There a number of different strategies for selecting the best podcasting platforms for advertising. You're likely already creating content for your business, whether that is through social media, blogs, emails, or other means. Any type of content you're creating can be used as podcast advertising or to — at the least — inspire podcast ad creative. Before you start investing in podcast ads, you do need to make sure you have offers in place. If you are an e-commerce business, make sure you have products for sale. If you're a service-based business, you want to make sure you have complete service pages, and make sure your audience has ways to reach your email list. As long as you have something valuable to offer, podcasting can be effective. While we focused this article on podcast advertising, it's also important to note that you should consider creating your own podcasts. This gives you another content method to put out in the world. Even better, other podcasters can notice your podcasts, which can lead to opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise. If you're going to invest into advertising on podcasts, having your own podcasts enhances that advertising and often leads to additional opportunities and business. The key is going to be finding the best podcasting platforms to advertise on — that can be a challenge. It can take a little trial and error to get it right. We'll discuss finding your target audience below. How To Find Your Target Audience First things first: do your research. You'll want to think about the podcasts and podcast categories that closely resemble your industry and your consumer base. There are many podcasting categories to choose from, such as news, politics, comedy, sports, true crime, business, and more. You can also find categories in select niches, such as home repairs, taxidermy, woodworking, elk hunting, and so on. While you'd think choosing a popular podcast is a great idea, we recommend that you don't do that. Instead, you should be choosing podcasts that are closely related to your target audience. Remember, ads that directly relate to the specific topic of a show or episode are going to feel a lot more natural and authentic. You wouldn't want to join a hunting podcast and run an ad for baby dolls. Aim to align with genres, shows, and/or hosts that represent your brand values or resonate with your target audience. Start Expanding Your Reach Today The Performance-Driven Marketing Institute (PDMI) is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit trade association dedicated to promoting, protecting, and advancing business for performance-driven and direct-to-consumer marketing professionals. ​Membership in the PDMI is an opportunity for marketers and suppliers alike to show vision in the industry and to connect with like-minded partners. Join the PDMI today!