Pete Bradbury, Chief Commercial and Growth Officer @ VideoAmp shares a few insights for modern advertisers and marketers in this catch-up with MarTech Series:

Welcome to this MarTech Series chat, Pete, tell us about yourself and your role at VideoAmp?

Thank you for having me! I am Pete Bradbury, Chief Commercial and Growth Officer at VideoAmp, one of the industry’s leading media measurement companies revolutionizing the advertising industry via advanced currencies. Throughout my 30 year career in measurement, I’ve always prided myself on being a customer and client service guy, first and foremost.   Working with Fortune 500 brands across Big Tech, FMCG, CPG, media, sports, and entertainment, my North Star has always been and will always be servicing the needs of my clients.

I was consulting with one of the big firms and teaching Marketing at the University level when Peter Liguori and other VideoAmp team members approached me to join VideoAmp at the beginning of this year. Coincidentally, I had heard from many friends and industry associates that VideoAmp was on a new mission to redefine how media measurement is valued, bought, and sold, and how the company had a great product that could really move today’s measurement space into a new direction. After making the rounds within my circle of trusted confidants, I realized VideoAmp was a true watershed moment and that I could play an important role in something that would be truly groundbreaking for our industry.

It’s really reassuring when friends and former colleagues across the buy and sell side of the industry say, “You can help scale this. We’d love to see you back in the league.” That’s really all it took to stir up my excitement and get me back out on the field. I’m very fortunate that I have had the privilege of leading clients through multiple currency changes through the years.   There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that during this important time, our industry’s publishers, agencies and advertisers are 100% aligned on the need for more holistic and accurate data to plan, buy and evaluate their significant advertising investments and that the shift to more accurate and more actionable currencies is well underway.

Thinking about a marketplace for clients is always top of mind for me and VideoAmp has quickly emerged as the preferred source of measurement for many highly respected, forward-thinking industry leaders. As I work closely across all our teams, my number one priority is to help spearhead VideoAmp’s accelerated growth trajectory by leading all client, business development and commercial transformation initiatives to solidify the company as the new currency standard.

What about today’s media measurement processes and tactics need change in your view?

The old way of doing things in measurement and transacting on historically necessary but largely irrelevant audience definitions simply is not sustainable. It’s far more expensive than it once was, and not nearly as accurate as it could and should be. Babe Ruth once said, “Yesterday’s home runs won’t win today’s game.” Yesterday’s successes don’t guarantee tomorrow’s results.” The same can be said about the state of the industry – we must continue to move towards alternative currencies. We’ve reached a tipping point, where more efficient and effective measurements that enable greater outcomes will be the norm, not the exception and it’s proven to be 100% true over the past several months since I’ve been with VideoAmp.

Our clients are very smart and they understand that it’s their own money that could be lost, so they’re wanting to leverage solutions to help maximize their return on measurement and currency investments. We’re seeing a very large and accelerating shift from broader demographic based demos to much more refined data driven definitions. We’re also seeing adoption rates triple and in some cases quadruple as marketers realize the full potential of leveraging advanced currencies. The writing is on the wall and the marketplace is coming around to seeing the value of more refined currencies to drive their own performance.

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How are streaming, OTT, CTV as platforms for advertisers and marketers changing the overall game?

The way we watch TV has changed, and advertisers have a huge opportunity with streaming services. Over-the-top (OTT) platforms – subscription services, free ad-supported ones, and even online cable replacements – offer a way to reach massive, interested audiences. This shift to streaming is booming, and advertisers are taking notice. Subscription services may be slowing a bit, but ad-supported plans and the explosion of free services give advertisers great options.

Plus, as live sports head to streaming, there’s even more reason to get involved. OTT lets you target your perfect viewer way better than traditional TV ever could. To really win with OTT, advertisers need to understand how things work. They can achieve this by learning about the different types of platforms, their audiences, what kinds of ads are available, and the growing importance of connected TV (CTV). OTT is the best of both worlds – huge TV audiences with all the targeting and data you get online. It’s time advertisers and marketers jump in and make the most of where streaming is headed.

What should modern advertisers and marketers do to gain more traction in an online marketing world that is already full of noise?

Everyone in the media and measurement industry is under enormous pressure. Brands need to prove their advertising is driving sales. Agencies are under fire to make their buys more efficient. Publishers are on an urgent hunt for new profits from advertising and content. It all comes down to who is equipped to help advertisers and marketers in this critical time. I’m a big believer our teams at VideoAmp are rewriting the playbook and operating at a higher level than anyone else in the space. That’s because we’ve embraced our tech first heritage, we’re analyzing everyone’s needs, and asking how our measurement solutions can drive better business outcomes.

That’s how we were able to develop our tech-led solution VALID (VideoAmp Linked Identity & Data) which increases the precision and accuracy of reaching advanced targeted audiences. Our identity graph has a 70% higher match rate than any other solution in the marketplace, and our clean rooms enable us to combine data without compromising privacy. That’s the reason why we’ve seen 1,400% year-over-year growth in adoption for our measurement and currency solutions. We’re doing business with 98% of publishers, 11 agency groups and more than 1,000 advertisers and our client list is growing every day.

The bottom line is we’re helping the industry navigate these complicated challenges by providing the best data and technology in the market that represents actual prospects. VideoAmp is here to champion innovation and collaboration, and we are humbled that so many clients across the ecosystem have joined us in the revolution.

What is today’s state of digital advertising that needs to change drastically in your view?

Coming into 2024, the state of digital marketing was marked by an evolving focus on customer retention, first-party data, and integrating AI into programmatic advertising platforms to maximize efficiency and targeting precision. There’s no doubt advertisers and marketers can continue to use these trends to help drive successful results, but they should also be nimble to adapt to challenges.

Invest in data collection methods that prioritize user privacy and build trust. This might involve offering clear value propositions in exchange for data, obtaining explicit consent, and employing zero-party data tactics where users willingly share information. Additionally, develop a data analysis infrastructure that can glean actionable insights from the collected data to inform personalization efforts and campaign optimization.

Can you talk about the future of AI, ML and adtech/martech: what will the market look like down the line?

The rise of AI-generated creative content. It’s a powerful tool for marketers to generate ideas, personalize content at scale, and free up their time for strategic thinking. But I do think we need to become more aware of AI’s potential and how it can homogenize marketing. It shouldn’t be seen as a direct replacement for human creativity, that would be a mistake in my mind. If we walk down that path, we’ll undoubtedly lose the uniqueness of diverse perspectives that come from our human imagination. The good news is, AI isn’t going to take your job – it will likely make you more valuable if you can learn to use it effectively.