Focusing Agents

At The Outset Of The 2017 Newfronts, Five Leading Digital Video Executives Discuss The Issues And Opportunities Of The Expanding Video-First Marketplace. 

- James Cooper

As the media and marketing ecosystem continues its inexorable shift to a pervasive visual orientation from a text and linear tradition, video in all its myriad forms will only become more important—and not just as a storytelling vehicle but as a huge commercial center as well. The sixth annual NewFronts kicks off today and for the next two weeks, 34 presenters will queue up their digital video offerings and philosophies for media buyers and planners with the hope that ever more brand dollars will shift their way from traditional destinations.

While the buzz around digital video publishers and platforms is practically audible, the big hurdle questions around measurement, viewability and distribution loom just as large. Some of those are so daunting that a return to television’s tried-and-true models, on showcase during the May 15 upfront week, has been noted.

Adweek, as part of a long-standing NewFronts media partnership with the Interactive Advertising Bureau, convened its annual panel of digital video industry executives to discuss these challenges, as well as the opportunities of data-informed storytelling, social, nextgen platforms like VR and AI, as well as talent.

Anna Bager, IAB’s svp, gm of mobile and video, who oversees the administration of the NewFronts, moderated the conversation, which took place at Adweek’s headquarters in New York on April 17. The panel included: Jen Wong, president of digital and COO, Time Inc.; Nick Shore, chief creative strategist at Astronauts Wanted; Stacy Minero, head of planning/creative agency development at Twitter; David Grant, president of PopSugar Studios; and Rory Brown, president of digital sports outfit Bleacher Report.