Recently, I read an article about an online retailer, Uncommon Goods, titled, “Retailer Trading Facebook for TV Following MeasurementIssues.” The concerns facing Facebook (and digital in general) about environment and independent measurement haven’t been a secret, but, especially during what has been the most innovative time for TV and TV measurement—a medium which has been forced to play defense to digital for too long—I couldn’t help but have the following thoughts regarding the state of digital advertising:
Again, independent, third-party data sources that are transparent and can be trusted are needed for advertisers to achieve the most efficient and effective buys possible—and this is exactly the type of data TVSquared is providing for TV.(Uncommon Goods, I’m waiting for your call!)
Previously, digital sold their story of better data, targeting and measurement (all while pushing print to life support)—but TV has now pulled level. For years, TV continued to do reasonably well because advertisers have always valued the brand-safe environments associated with TV programming and live TV events. That has not changed. What is changing is that converged TV, finally, has access to better data, measurement and targeting—effectively neutralizing the advantages digital once had.
With it being such an exciting and innovative time in TV’s evolution, I’m not surprised that brands like Uncommon Goods are moving money to TV. I just wonder, what took so long?