Taking a big step into the world of the kind of more automated, data-driven ad scheduling seen in the online video world, Visible World and Suddenlink have announced a partnership to apply so-called “programmatic” scheduling to the MSO’s cross-channel advertising inventory.
Using Visible World’s platform, which uses real-time data to monitor and value ad units on an impression basis, Suddenlink will evaluate how well certain programs reach certain audiences, and automatically allocate ads within its linear TV schedule to ensure that the ads are most effective, the companies said.
“Getting the right spots in the right programs and dayparts was previously a very manual process. The new tool now makes that process much easier, more efficient and ultimately more effective, Jerry Dow, chief marketing officer of Suddenlink Communications, said in a statement.
In addition to enabling pacing adjustments to ensure that ad goals are met without over- or under-delivering on ad contracts, a key aim of the project is to “bridge the gap” between advertising operations and marketing sciences, Visible World CEO Seth Haberman said, in an interview.
The resulting scheduler optimizer product will allow Suddenlink to finesse its ad trafficking system with respect to placement, “but with a marketing mind” that can help to determine the right audience for the message, and how frequently it needs to be delivered, Haberman added.
Suddenlink has already deployed Visible World’s programmatic system across its full footprint, covering “well over a million households,” according to the Visible World exec.
Haberman noted that Visible World is testing its programmatic system for linear video advertising with another cable operator, and expects to have two multichannel video programming distributors go live with it by the end of the year.
