LOSANGELES,Dec.2--"Withgooddata,everyonecanknowtheiraudience,"saidStevenWolfePereira,ChiefMarketingOfficer(CMO)ofQuantcast.
"AR/VRhelpsbuildtoolsforthefuture,"Google'sSpotlightStoriesExecutiveProducer,KarenDufilho,toldXinhua,inthesamemeetingroom.
WhileSuzyDeering,CMOofeBay,retorted,"andthefutureistomorrow."
AttheindustrysummithostedbyVarietyinLosAngelesThursday,industryleaderssharedacomprehensiveandexcitingvisionofhowAImarketinganalyticsandAR/VRtechnologiesareimpactingontheentertainmentindustry.
"Theindustryhaschangedmoreinthelast18monthsthanithadintheprevious18years,"keynotespeaker,LesMoonves,ChairmanandCEOofCBS,toldattendees."ThisistheGoldenAgeofTelevision.Fiveyearsagowedid25series.Thisyear,withbroadcastanddigitalcombined,we'redoing66.It'sreallyexcitingtochangehowwedobusinessandhowweviewtheworld."
AdvertisingintheDigital-AIAge
"Nowwearefishingwherethefishare,"KjerstinBeatty,SeniorVicePresident(SVP)MediaofNBCUniversal,toldXinhua."Neverbeforehavewebeenabletotelladvertisers:'Icanguaranteeyouwillreachthisspecificaudiencedemographic.'Andwithgooddata,wecan."
Multipleexpertsexplainedhowanalyticsanddata-miningproceduresarerockingtheadvertisingandmarketingindustryandtransformingentertainmentandtheconsumerexperience.
AIisdeliveringnewhopetoTVstationsunderpressurefromInternetcompaniesthathavebeencausingseriouscutbacks.
"200millionviewerspayforTV,andit'sa70billiondollarbusiness,"reportedAbbeyThomasofTremorVideo."TargetingTVviewerswithadsonallmediaplatformsallowsouradvertisingclientstomakemorememorableconnectionswiththeiraudience."
JulieDeTraglia,HeadofAdvertisingSalesResearchforHulu,said,"TVisaverystrongadlaunchplatformwithhighengagement.Thirty-fourpercentofour50millionsubscriberswatchourshowswithadsstillin.Sevenpercentactuallyloveads."
"Weworkwithouradvertisersusingourowndataandthirdpartypartnerships,andwecannowactuallyseeifviewersboughttheproductadvertised.Thisallowsforveryspecifictargeting-demographictargets,geotargets,behavioraltargets..."
ButsomeexpertslamentedthatAItechnologyanddata-miningtechnologystillhasalongwaytogo.
"Datastillexistsinsilos.Ifweunifiedallconsumerdataonpurchases,gaming,viewinghabits,andmore,intoacustomdataplatform,wecouldcreateaseamless,directandmorepersonalwaytoservecustomers,"saidTimHayden,PresidentofBrain+TrustPartners.
AR,VR,and360Media
AnotherpanelofexpertsexploredhowAR,VRand360technologiesareimpactingthecreativeprocessesofstorytellingandmusic,andtransformingtheconsumerexperience.
"OurmissionistomaketheworldamoreplayfulplaceandVRcanhelpusdothat,"chuckledChrisYoung,SVPofNickelodeanEntertainmentLab.
UniversalMusicGrouprecentlyannouncedanalliancewithtech-companyWITHINtocreateARandVRexperienceswithUMG'sartistsformusicfans.
MonicaHyacinth,SVPofDigitalMarketingInnovationatUMG,toldXinhua,"thesoundisbetterwithVR,youhearthemusicthewayit'smeanttobeheard.WeintendtouseARandVRtoreimagineourartist'smusicvideos,augmentlocations,do360degreestaging,andcreateamoremeaningfulandimmersiveexperiencebetweenconsumersandourartists."
Somenetworksarealreadyactivelyembracingthiscutting-edgetechnology.
MollySwenson,humanitarianCo-FounderandHeadofBrandatRYOT,thinksVRcanserveahigherpurpose."Likewecanuse800-lbgorillabrandadvertisingtomaketheworldabetterplace,ourVRdoconNepal'searthquakehadanalmost100percentconversionratefrompassiveobserverstoactiveparticipants.That'stransformative."
TheDiscoveryChannel,thethirdlargestcablechannelintheU.S.andavailablein409millionhomesworldwide,includingChina,recentlyunveileditsfirst-of-its-kind,TRVLR,360degreeVRtravelseriesontheculture,history,traditions,andritualsofcountriesallaroundtheworld.Fivemillionpeoplehavealreadydownloadedtheapptobeimmersedin38episodesofexoticforeignculturesanduniqueexperiencesfromsevencontinents.
Discovery'sRebeccaHoward,SVPofEmergingPlatformsandPartnerships,enthused,"VRcanimmerseyouinsomeoneelse'slifeanywhereontheplanetandgiveyouanincredibleexperienceyou'veneverhadbefore."
TedSchilowitzadded,"VRisnewforeveryone.Youcanliveinsideit.VR'sinteractivityandphysicalityallowsforarealbody-soulconnectiontothestory."
Whowillcontrolcreativity
VarietyCo-Editor-in-Chief,AndrewWallenstein,queriedexpertsifanycomputercouldunderstandhumanbehaviorandtasteenoughtoreplacehumancreativity.
"Analyticsisatool,notarule,"Netflix'sVicePresidentofContentandMarketingScienceandAnalytics,KellyUphoff,responded."Dataanalyticsismeanttosupportthecreativeprocess,notreplaceit.We'rebuildingtoolsfordecision-makerstousetoenhancetheworkpeopledo.OurfilmmakersareexcitedtogeekoutwithourMITdatascientists.Theysupplyinterestinginsightsthatcaninspirethecreativeteam."
AnthonyAccarado,DirectorofR&DfortheDisney/ABCTelevisionGroup,added,"webuildtoolstohelpourcreativestobetterunderstandtheirstories."
Thiscuttingedgetechnologycouldcreatewholenewrelationshipsbetweenartistsandcustomersaswell.
"Musicevolvesnomatterwhat.It'sbeenabeaconofculturesincewefirsttrackedsalesofsheetmusic.Andit'stheusersandartistswhodeterminethedirectionthatmusicevolves,nottheplatformtheylistenon,"explainedTimGanss,HeadofMusicIntelligenceatSpotify,thegiantSwedishonlinemusicandpodcastservicewith60millionsubscribersworldwide.
"Aconsumer'srelationshiptoanartistisnolongeraboutthenumberofunitssold.Theleveloffandomcanbemuchdeeper,richerandmorepersonalnow."
FuturistinResidenceatParamountPictures,TedSchilowitz,toldXinhua,"IleanasfarforwardasIcanandaskthequestion:Whatiscreationismforournewdigitalage"