'CTV is everyone’s number one agenda item'

Despite pressure to tighten budgets, marketers still invest in authenticated digital channels like CTV

?By Damian Fowler

• Media buying agencies note a shift in ad dollars toward digital channels, especially CTV and video, as advertisers look for better ROAS, engagement and flexibility.
• A new report from The Trade Desk Intelligence — The Sellers and Publishers Report?— highlights the growing value of this marketplace, especially CTV, ranking the top 100 publisher properties on the open internet.

?? Lightbulb moment

“CTV is everyone’s number one agenda item, and they are being very exploratory with the channel.”

— Brock Berry, Founder and CEO, AdCellerant.

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Retail data surges in Southeast Asia as major commerce sites break down walls?

?By Nurhuda Syed

• Retail media is growing fast in Southeast Asia, but some of the region’s leading platforms are taking an open attitude to data sharing – unthinkable for walled gardens in the West.
• Advertisers benefit from a solution to the region’s fragmentation and more precise audience signals.

?? Lightbulb moment

“The APAC consumer discovers,?researches, considers and decides on purchasing products in a very different way: across multiple internet properties, instead of solely within the search bar of a single app or website.”

– Wen Zhe Lim, director of advertising and partnerships, foodpanda

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The Middle East’s advertising opportunity is as big as its giga projects

By Terry Kane, managing director, Middle East and Africa, The Trade Desk

• The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with a population of over 493 million people, presents huge opportunities for digital advertisers where digital ad spend is expected to quadruple in 2024 to $25.5 billion.
• Saudi Arabia, which accounted for 58% of MENA growth, is driving this expansion as the country invests in infrastructure and the 14 giga projects it laid out in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

?? Lightbulb moment

“Retail data will likely be a crucial piece of the omnichannel puzzle as it provides an all-inclusive view of the broader digital marketing journey. In the MENA region, this is still a very new monetization opportunity and one that could yield significant results and successes for the participants.”

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Crunch Fitness’s Chad Waetzig on getting strong first-party data

• While Crunch Fitness has built a community of fitness enthusiasts at its physical locations – more than 460 gyms worldwide – it’s also on a mission to expand its reach on digital, relaunching its on-demand workout streaming service Crunch+ last year.
• Around 60% of Crunch Fitness’s member base is between the ages of 18 and 34, says Crunch CMO Chad Waetzig, telling The Current Podcast that digital media is the best way to reach that audience.

?? Lightbulb moment

“Our core consumer is somebody that we call young, strong and social — they are our North Star. They’re the group we focus on.”

– Chad Waetzig, CMO, Crunch Fitness

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