While Connected TV (CTV) has been around for over a decade, brands and media companies are still learning how to best leverage this visual and engaging consumer connection point. At GroundTruth, we have continuously evolved and refined our offerings to best support the needs of our all-star roster of clients who range across various industries and locations; this includes extending the accuracy and reach of our offline behavioral data into Connected TV.
Location data powers everything that we do, from our products and targeting capabilities to our brand and client-specific insights. As GroundTruth continues to expand our CTV capabilities, we have added a seasoned executive to lead our efforts. We are delighted to welcome Tom Donoghue, VP of CTV Sales, to the GroundTruth team.
In the following Q&A we dive into the marketing opportunities that surround Connected TV and get Tom Donoghue’s insight into the overall direction of this medium. Tom shares his thoughts about his new role and why he believes GroundTruth is quickly becoming one of the industry’s most effective CTV solutions available.
You have led the adoption of OTT, CTV, mobile advertising, and cross-channel ad campaigns at various organizations. What have you learned from those experiences?
Great question! The first CTV campaign that I was a part of happened back in 2016, and we were primarily interested in how it would serve. Today, issues like inventory, measurement, reach, and client adoption have been solved, and the future of CTV and OTT for marketers has never been more accessible and exciting.
What excites you most about joining the GroundTruth organization in this role? What about the opportunity attracted and sealed the deal for you?
I love to help brands navigate and uncover new marketing opportunities and I’ve always enjoyed introducing new products for sales organizations. The opportunity to lead CTV sales efforts in expanding the GroundTruth portfolio is really aligned with my professional goals. Having known several senior leaders at GroundTruth from past engagements, mutual trust was already established, and the decision to come on board was an easy one to make.
CTV and auto seem to be a match made in marketing heaven. Can you tell us a bit about the opportunity for this vertical specifically?
Well, some of the largest digital marketing investments come from the automotive industry. From aftermarket solutions, to dealers and groups, and of course original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). However, it’s important to truly understand the industry and match your solution to the expectation of an automotive client. It’s not about the whizbang for these buyers, it’s more about getting measurable results, consistently. The automotive vertical is highly competitive and at GroundTruth we are dialed into what our auto clients demand from digital solutions. Our solutions align perfectly with those demands, which is why we have such a strong presence in this industry, both locally and nationally.
Tactically, how do you think CTV will change the game for brands as they begin to integrate this medium into their overall marketing strategies more and more?
At the moment, less than 25% of linear TV budgets are moving to the streaming ad space. But when you take into account that more than 75% of U.S. viewers are currently consuming ad supported on demand content, it means that the audience has already shifted away from linear TV viewing. Yet many marketers are not capitalizing on the opportunity. For those marketers who are actively engaging the on-demand audience, it’s an uncrowded space with dedicated viewership guaranteed for your spot. It’s a perfect moment in time for marketing budgets to shift to CTV and OTT to reach this cordless viewing audience and we share the importance of seizing this opportunity with our clients every day.
What can current and future clients expect from GroundTruth’s CTV offering? What differentiates GroundTruth’s solutions from other CTV offerings in the market?
I’m biased, but I have to say that right now, I don’t think there is a better solution in the market than what GroundTruth has to offer. There are some really great players in this space, and I think from a product perspective, we’re already right there with the big names. Our upcoming product enhancements will create differentiators that will further separate us from the pack, and add even more value for our clients. I work with some incredibly smart and passionate people, and the way those folks have taken GroundTruth’s industry leading ad technologies, from audience data to geo targeting and weather triggering to deterministic foot traffic attribution, and incorporated those awesome technologies into our CTV/OTT solutions, it’s been amazing to see it come to life and even more exciting is the impact its having for our clients. There is nothing easier than sharing something with a potential client that you know will work, and seeing their satisfaction with the returns. CTV/OTT will create new opportunities for clients to engage with us, and our offering will continue to get better and better. I’m excited to be part of the team at GroundTruth!
Learn more about GroundTruth’s Contextual CTV Solutions by tuning into our next webinar.
About Tom Donoghue, VP of CTV/OTT
Tom Donoghue is VP of CTV for GroundTruth, the leading location-based marketing and advertising technology company. Tom is responsible for leading the company’s efforts in streaming advertising, from product marketing, sales enablement, demand generation, and industry communications. Tom has built and run successful digital businesses in a number of industries in his career, including broadcast media, automotive, healthcare, and real estate.
