Strategus, a pioneer in the fast-growing connected TV space, has made a deal to be integrated into FreeWheel Advertising’s Strata system, giving buyers at the 1,100 agencies that use Strata access to Strategis’ expertises and premium inventory.
Founded in 2015, Strategus was early in helping mid and small agency’s create programmatic campaigns using over-the-top and CTV advertising. It helps those agencies manage targeting, develop cross-device strategies and provide attribution, measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns.
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“FreeWheel's partnership with Strategus easily connects our Strata platform customers to premium CTV inventory within their existing workflows while automating the buying process end-to-end,” said Jamie Donnenfield, VP, partnership solutions, at FreeWheel, Comcast’s ad tech company. “This is an exciting opportunity to help our clients deliver higher-performing campaigns and accelerated results for their customers.”
The deal also benefits Strategus by putting its capabilities in front of more advertisers and buyers with FreeWheel’s imprimatur.
"This partnership comes at a critical moment for the industry, providing more advertisers with the opportunity to maximize their cross-media CTV campaigns with ease to drive better precision, relevance and results," said Todd Porch, president of Strategus.
Porch told Broadcasting+Cable he’s familiar with Comcast having worked there for nine years, most recently as VP, client care and services at its Effectv ad sales unit.
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Strategus is growing quickly. “CTV now is on the edge of where the industry is going, so the opportunity is great,” Porch said. In particular the company is focusing on vertical markets including automotive and is developing predictive analytics.
While Strategus so far has worked mostly with mid- to smaller agencies, there are many large clients that haven’t developed the expertise to combine CTV with the linear campaigns they create using Strata.
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“We provide another tool in the FreeWheel offering in a best-in-class way,” he said, ticking off its ability to provide CTV inventory, data and back-end insights.
Porch figures this integration will be good for both companies. "There’s a name recognition benefit to us," he said. "When a company like Comcast decides to place their bet from a partnership perspective on a company like us, there’s no doubt about the value that adds to us at Strategus. But we also feel we’re adding an equal amount of value to the offering that’s already been established by the FreeWheel Advertiser side of the house."
Rachel Dillon, executive VP of sales and marketing at Strategus said that being an independently owned company that can react quickly and nimbly is a benefit for clients.
"Our clients are continually asking for more as it relates to their CTV digital strategies," Dillon said, noting that the company has been first to market, thanks in part to its innovation hub called Strategus Labs.
"We are constantly pushing our team to innovate and expand what we can deliver with regard to audience data, targeting and attribution. Our partnership with FreeWheel’s Strata platform enables more clients to easily access and take advantage of our innovative solutions," she said.
