Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal’s chairman for advertising sales and client partnerships, is calling on the television industry for more change in terms of automation, consumer experience and making advertising relevant.
“The entire industry needs to do more. our future depends on it,” Yaccarino said in a speech Tuesday to the Mobile Marketing Association.
“First, we need to keep the consumer front and center, and evolve to meet their needs, and the needs of our partners," Yaccarino said.
“That’s the entire reason we rolled out commercial innovation with an isolated one minute prime pod—to give audiences more of the content they love, and to make ads during primetime more effective for marketers. And can i tell you a secret? The early data proves our hunch was right, really, really right! A great viewing experience combined with great context works better across the board and delivers results.”
Yaccarino’s second area of focus is helping marketers reach their specific audience and not a general demographic.
She said that the current ratings used to measure TV don’t reflect consumer behavior.
“So rather than speaking the obsolete language of ratings— let’s transact on and talk about something we all understand: consumers and outcome,” she said.
Yaccarino’s third point was using technology to transform the business.
“But our technology should only be used for good,” she said
Yaccarino said NBCU already as a few things in the pipeline that reflect her priorities.
“Well, it could be a new product that sets a new standard for contextual targeting,” she said.
“Just imagine what would it look like if every pod was scheduled the way our programming is – to reach the right audience, at the right time, in the best possible environment. And sell more of their products,” she said.
‘Speaking of selling products, you might not be surprised to see new forms of measurement and guarantees that demonstrate return on a marketer’s investment. And let’s face it—full automation based on audiences is inevitable and coming fast,” she said.
