Why is Metadata Important to Accurate Advertising

We previously discussed the important role metadata plays in entertainment content in terms of discovery and personalization. However, metadata plays an equally important role when it comes to connected television advertising. Fariba Zamaniyan, vice president of TiVo's data and advertising products, explains the fundamental importance and emerging applications that metadata brings to advertising, for both those who create it, buy and sell it and those who consume it.

What is metadata in CTV advertising and why is it important?

Fariba: Metadata is the spine for setting rates, categorizing content for monetization and building audiences for contextual targeting and measurement.

As consumers shift their viewing from traditional linear to streaming, the value of metadata grows because of the massive catalog of content available through connected television that consumers have at their fingertips. The plethora of content choices makes it not only harder for consumers to find, watch and enjoy the entertainment they are seeking, but also harder for advertisers to target relevant brand messages at the right time and in the right place.

The value of metadata takes on even more value when considering that calculating and measuring advertising reach is no longer based simply on a demographic and geographic assessment. Reach has been refined to more granular levels that segment consumers based on their behaviors, aligned with viewing preferences, which go deeper than basic genre descriptions.

Measuring viewership is just one part of the reach equation. Accurate and comprehensive categorization of programming to build contextual audiences is the other. Here, then, metadata is fundamental to categorizing programming supply that will meet consumer demand. It's a requirement to achieve impactful campaign execution through efficiency and precision in the buying and selling process whether automated or managed service.

How does metadata improve ad targeting?

Fariba: Beginning at its traditional and basic application, metadata defines schedules for upcoming live events such as program or movie name, airing date, time and location. But it's much more than that. It includes the cataloging of content across a myriad of attributes that tap into consumer interest ranging from quantitative elements such as genre to qualitative ones such as moods, tones and themes. Consumers seek programming that meets a combination of these needs, tied to their demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral interests. Therefore, advertising performance is optimized when these two forces align. Defining audiences for digital ad targeting based on contextual elements of programming is now more important than ever given the breadth of content available for consumption on connected TVs.

The next stage of evolution is the advancement of programming descriptors, which TiVo metadata brings to market. For example, instead of just labeling a program as a comedy, we can describe it with more specific types like romantic, dark or slapstick, which better match preferences. Metadata has become another element for defining audiences, bringing into the equation contextual identifiers to assure advertisers that their ads are placed in shows that are most relevant to their target. If I'm in the market actively looking to buy a new car, I should be exposed to automotive ads within programs that align with my viewing preferences rather than diaper ads, especially if I don't have children.

What role does metadata play in enabling the advancement of programmatic advertising?

Fariba: The importance of programmatic activation is being fueled by the consumer transition to streaming from traditional linear. This migration is expanding reach and deepening consumer engagement. It is also increasing the pressure to validate performance. Better aligning relevancy through deep descriptors of a program to consumer interests and behavior is further advanced with activation against contextual audiences.

How does metadata improve ad performance measurement and analysis?

Fariba: The closer we get to reaching target consumers with relevant brand messaging within relevant and captive programming environments, the more likely they are to act after seeing an ad. It's all about optimization. With millions if not billions of dollars at stake, precision is crucial.

How can metadata help optimize ad placement and reduce potential fatigue?

Fariba: It's all about refinement and getting closer to that target consumer whose behavior you want to influence. With metadata, we can drill down to elements of the shows that your target audience favors. Reducing ad fatigue is kind of synonymous with that. The more targeted you are in aligning somebody's interests with what they want to watch and what they want to buy, relevant advertising should have a greater impact on behavior and reduce fatigue.

What are the challenges and opportunities associated with leveraging metadata for linear and CTV?

Fariba: The opportunities are incredible because we have an evolving industry that is looking for standardization through this time of change. The industry is embracing alternatives which is opening opportunities for multiple views of what currency should be assuming it remains defined by programming (metadata) plus viewership. The opportunities for metadata to be a part of this evolution are great because we can take a standard and apply it in so many different ways.

The challenge is that we as an industry don't have one single metadata source. TiVo is one of a few that have an established and credible history out there. So, the challenge for marketers, buyers and sellers is which metadata do you use as that standard? There is still more work to do there. As we go global, can a U.S. marketer buy advertising across countries for a program similarly defined and measured across all? Those are some of the fragmentation challenges we still have as an industry to resolve.

For more information on TiVo's metadata solutions, click here.

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