Q+A with Initiative: How Content Object Signals are Impacting CTV/OTT Strategy

Global media agency Initiative unlocks business growth for some of the world’s most ambitious brands, orchestrating a brand’s entire consumer experience by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. To do that, CTV/OTT is becoming an increasingly important format, but ensuring ads resonate with the right audiences is key. We spoke to Carl Strum, Director of Video Futures at Initiative, to find out more about how contextual data – specifically content object signals – is impacting CTV/OTT strategies.

1. What types of data are helping Initiative and its buyers to better plan, execute, and report on CTV/OTT campaigns?

We leverage a mix of audience data, device-level insights, content signals, and so forth, but ultimately, it’s all about connecting our messaging to our target audience’s actual viewing experience. Optimizing advertising opportunities in the time and place that make the most sense for our users is a priority; increasingly, how often users see ad messaging is even more relevant when it comes to contextual advertising.

Contextual data plays an important role in ensuring that our ads resonate with the right audience in the right environment. For CTV and OTT, this means leveraging visibility into genre, TV rating, language, and show-level information to place ads in contextually relevant and brand-safe content. It’s not just about reaching an audience but reaching them in a moment that enhances the brand message, leading to better engagement.

2. How is the availability of content object signals – and other contextual data – impacting your clients’ CTV/OTT strategy?

Content object signals are a unique tool in our arsenal when available. They allow us to fine-tune our approach, particularly when aligning ad content with relevant programming. However, the impact varies; some campaigns benefit more from these signals than others, depending on the specific objectives. In general, the more granular the data, the more opportunities there are to optimize.

We’re definitely seeing positive impacts, especially in terms of optimizing for overall content quality and relevance – but it’s important to note that while metadata can enhance performance, it’s not the sole driver. We balance it with other factors like audience targeting and creative strategy to deliver the best results. Content signals speak to “what” and “where,” but we also need to make sure the “who,” “why,” and “how often” (targeting, strategy, frequency) also match up.

3. What are the biggest obstacles or challenges to using content object signals, and how do you see the industry overcoming these?

One of the biggest challenges is the inconsistent availability of content object signals, much of which is driven by privacy regulations like the VPPA that require the industry to handle this data in a very secure and anonymized way (and, if not, halts being passed at all). The industry needs to continue working on ways to anonymize and aggregate data to ensure it can be used safely and legally. Additionally, standardizing how these signals are shared and used across platforms could help streamline their application, making it easier for agencies and clients to tap into the right inventory.

4. How are Initiative clients using content object signals? What success have you seen through their use?

Our clients use content object signals, when securely available, for transparency, targeting, and optimization. It’s a way to ensure that their ads appear in contexts that align with their brand values and campaign goals, but from a broader standpoint, we might prioritize inventory where content signals indicate high production quality and in trusted and attentive environments

We’ve had success with clients who use content signals to match their ad messaging with specific types of programming. For example, a brand with a sports-focused message could match on content heavy on sports programming, driving overall relevance up.

From a broader standpoint, the very presence of content signals helps inform bidding on quality inventory. For example, we’ve adopted The Trade Desk’s TV Quality Index (TVQI) optimization tools, which help us set thresholds to optimize inventory at certain scoring based on present content signals, but without hindering scale when signals are not present.

Again – while content signals aren’t the only factor, they’ve contributed to more effective placements in certain cases.

5. What is Initiative doing to make content object signals more available to their clients?

We’re actively working with our partners to encourage the safe and compliant sharing of content signals. This includes advocating for data anonymization and aggregation to ensure it can be passed through bid streams. We’re also continuously educating our clients on how to leverage these signals within their broader strategy.

6. How is Magnite helping Initiative and its buyers access the right inventory for their campaigns using content object signals?

Magnite allows us to tap into CTV/OTT inventory that helps us grow the amount of media with actively populating content object signals into our campaigns. While we have many direct partner relationships in the streaming video space, Magnite inventory lets us fill gaps in reach with access to growing streaming platforms, such as Free Ad Serving TV services (FAST) which overwhelmingly have content signals available due to their agreements with content owners.