I’m really excited to announce the program for the Connected TV Advertising Brand Suitability Summit (virtual) on November 16th and 17th. There are currently 11 sessions planned across the two afternoons, spanning every critical issue related to CTV advertising, brand suitability and safety, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DE&I"). There are 25 executives now confirmed as speakers, with many at the C-level and EVP/SVP-level. I’m extremely proud of the diversity represented by the speakers, and I’m confident that attendees will benefit from their wide range of perspectives. (There are still a few speaking slots remaining which will be filled shortly.)

A reminder, the CTV Brand Suitability Summit is the first and only connected TV advertising industry event that is 100% focused on all aspects of brand suitability and safety, including the integral role of DE&I. These are critical topics within the industry, and since CTV advertising is forecast to double to over $27 billion in the U.S. alone by 2025, it is poised to have an outsized impact.

I intend for the Summit to elevate our collective understanding of these topics and move the dialogue forward. The Summit has been really well-received by the industry and I’m gratified that GroupM, Horizon Media, Publicis, UM and Dentsu are all on board as “Agency Partners,” which means they’ll each have executives speaking and will widely promote the event to internal and external audiences (and provide complimentary passes to those interested in attending).

I am personally committing to advancing the industry by directing 10% of sponsorship revenue into a pool to be shared among the Agency Partners to support their DE&I initiatives.

Many thanks to the Summit’s Presenting Partner Pixability, Gold Partner Mediaocean and Silver Partners FreeWheel, Index Exchange and Roku (more coming shortly).

Also remember, all paid registrants will be entered to win a 50-inch Roku TV and Smart Soundbar, both generously provided by Roku.  

Learn more and register now!

Following is the program, which is also on the Summit web site.

Tuesday, November 16th

How the Tectonic Plates of the TV and Advertising Industries Are Shifting
The tectonic plates of the TV and advertising industries are shifting in front of our eyes. Every single bedrock industry assumption from as recently as 10 years ago is now up for grabs as streaming services, CTVs, cord-cutting and mobile disrupt the long-time, yet delicate, equilibrium. Learn the details of the shifts and the quantitative impact already being felt throughout the industries from one of the world’s savviest media analysts. Look ahead to 2022 and beyond for what to expect down the road.

• Michael Nathanson - Founding Partner, Senior Research Analyst, MoffettNathanson

------

Understanding Brand Suitability’s Relationship with CTV Advertising
What exactly is brand suitability and what does it has to do with CTV advertising? Why is it so critical for the CTV ecosystem? Who’s responsible? Why is brand suitability something that  all industry participants need to understand? How is the industry moving beyond conventional notions of brand safety?

• Joshua Lowcock - U.S. Chief Digital & Global Brand Safety Officer, UM
• Susan Schiekofer - Chief Digital Investment Officer, GroupM North America
• Others TBD
• David George - CEO, Pixability (moderator)

------

Why DE&I is Integral to Connected TV Advertising’s Future
Connected TV is rapidly becoming one of the most important brand and business building channels for advertisers of all sizes. Amid its explosive growth, advertisers and agencies are increasingly realizing that connected TV also represents an enormous opportunity to reflect and advance society’s diversity and its evolving values. Learn why DE&I is integral to connected TV advertising’s future and the leadership initiatives being pursued.

• Karina Dobarro - EVP, Managing Partner, Horizon Media
• Pooja Midha - Chief Growth Officer, Comcast Advertising
• Karen Schuchardt - SVP, Digital Sales & Partnerships, NBCUniversal
• Danielle DeLauro - Executive Vice President, VAB (moderator)

------

Presentation TBD
 

• Asaf Greiner - GM, Verification, Mediaocean

------

Multi-platform Meets Brand Suitability: Best Practices
What are the best practices when optimizing for brand suitability across CTV, web, mobile multi-platform/omnichannel campaigns? What is the state of the art in managing/tracking/updating all these moving pieces and what does the technology roadmap look like?
 

• Joe Barone - Managing Partner, Brand Safety Americas, GroupM
• Rayna Elliott - SVP, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Horizon Media
• Others TBD
• Eric John - VP, Media Center, IAB (moderator)

Wednesday, November 17th

How CTV is Being Embraced Throughout the Ecosystem
Covid accelerated the most important trend in the TV ecosystem: the massive shift in viewership from linear TV to streaming, with ad budgets following the eyeballs. Learn how this transition is unfolding and what it means for the future of TV and advertising.
 

• Natalie Bastian - SVP, Head of Marketing, Tubi
• Sarah Shriver - VP, Global Content Monetization & Strategy, A+E Networks
• Others TBD
• Moderator TBD

------

The ROI on BS&S and DE&I in CTV, OTT and FAST: What?!
Where in the marketplace’s acronym soup lies the financial return on brand suitability and safety and diversity, equity and inclusion? What are the KPIs to focus on and how are they being measured? What are the broader goals that don’t lend themselves as readily to quantitative measurement?
 

• Yale Cohen - EVP, Global Digital Standards, Publicis Media (tentative)
• Jackie Swansburg Paulino – Chief Product Officer, Pixability
• Others TBD
• Larry Harris - Founder and CEO, Alpha Precision Media (moderator)

------

CTV at the Intersection of Identity Management and Brand Suitability
How do brand suitability and identity/privacy/targeting and programmatic buying converge in CTV advertising? What are the unique challenges CTV faces given the fragmentation on both the buy and sell sides? How do the larger issues regulatory issues influence CTV’s future?
 

• Mike Law - President, Amplifi US | Dentsu
• Index Exchange executive TBD
• Others TBD
• Lynda Clarizio - formerly President of U.S. Media, Nielsen Holdings (moderator)

------

Day in a Brand/Buyer’s Life: Navigating the CTV Advertising Labyrinth
How are brands/buyers navigating their way through the brand suitability and safety labyrinth to enable effective CTV advertising – What data is being looked at? When and how do concerns surface? How are these addressed? Who’s impacted? Get the insiders’ view.
 

• Trace Rutland – Director, Ocean Spray Cranberries
• 1-2 others
• Moderator TBD

------

CTV Advertising: Evolving to the Full Funnel
CTV ad spending is exploding as advertisers follow viewers’ behavioral shifts in order to achieve their reach and frequency objectives. This “follow the eyeballs” strategy means there are years of strong growth ahead. But another important driver of CTV ad spending will be achieving “lower funnel” capabilities, driving advertisers’ specific KPIs. Learn how and when CTV will evolve into full funnel and what this means for the TV advertising industry.  
 

• Jessica Masters - Director, East Coast Sales, Roku
• Mike Richter - VP, Global CTV Revenue Operations, Trusted Media Brands (tentative)
• Others TBD
• Will Richmond - Editor and Publisher, VideoNuze (moderator)

------

Closing Interview – Bringing It All Together and Looking Ahead to 2022
A senior industry leader will bring together the various discussion threads from the prior two afternoons and share insights about what’s ahead in 2022.
 

• Participants TBD