Future of Media: Faking Abba and Bruce Willis - sort of, experts ponder what's next for TV

So first up, Cara Lewis, executive vice-president and head of US media investment at Dentsu, reflected on the evolution of the medium throughout her career, from the infancy of the cable networks to their disruption. Innovation is, after all, cyclical and the push to cable has a lot in common with TV's digital transformation. Nothing is new.

From her tale, what struck me is that the media heads over at Dentsu used to laugh at what TV could evolve into, then years later, they helped it become the very thing they were joking about.

Lewis said: "It was the very early days of search, and the future vision of the internet being a destination for premium content that could air dog food commercials in front of dog owners was something we laughed about at lunches... now not only do we target what kind of dog owner a consumer is, we can target at scale across digital and TV platforms while also determining if that ad delivered a business outcome. Those lunchtime laughs proved to be real life, and have shaped our future state."

This reflective piece is jam-packed with insight. It helps to look back to know what lies ahead. But we've also got the future-gazing covered.

Paul Gubbins, head of strategic partnerships at Publica, talked us through seemingly ALL of the innovation we've seen in the CTV space this last year. This is his bread and butter and is hopefully quite accessible to newbies too... what stood out for me was the following point:

"The CTV ad ecosystem is in a very similar position to mobile in the app space a decade ago. Back in 2010, I was heading up sales for what was then one of the first mobile DSPs (StrikeAd, acquired by Sizmek), and the buy and sell-side conversations were very similar to those I am having today. Users, just like back then, were increasingly migrating to free ad-supported apps – now it is TVs instead of mobiles."

We can get ahead of the future if we learn from the past... read it here.

And finally, some fresh research from Roku showing consumer hunger for AVOD channels. Personally, it hurts my head to just think about the sheer number of channels hidden in my TV, be it via the Samsung TV, Roku or Amazon Fire Stick plugged in there. Every time I dive in, I'm surprised by who has released a channel I didn't know existed (looking at you FailArmy TV).

So read that research here.

As a media editor whose job is to know these platforms, I find it overwhelming. But people are finding this content and watching it, so who am I to judge? The bigger question is how prominent will viewing in these channels be?

I'm of the opinion that the quality of SVOD output has declined this last year – is that the pandemic factor, or the fact I've just needed more media? Regardless, I believe the quality between SVOD output and AVOD output has closed and more people will be finding these channels in the coming years.

Yippee-ki-yay Willis faker

Newsletters – the perfect place to dump rejected headlines like the one above. You see I interviewed Maria Chmir, the founder of a Russian deepfake business that helped one of the nation's top telecom companies create an ad that starred Bruce Willis... without really starring him.

The deepfakes, ladies and gentlemen, are here. And they work. Mostly. Pepsi having already used the tech to localize a Leo Messi campaign in countless languages indicated a practical use. This campaign hints at an even more ambitious future and could spark a bidding war around the image rights of our most beloved celebrities. I had a lot of fun writing this one and there are tons of practical tips for anyone considering a deepfake ad campaign.

Now a plea to Ryan Reynolds – you must be tired from starring in all those ads. Take a leaf out of Willis's book...

Read it here.

Other Stuff

• Behind Reach’s commitment to better representation for women and BAME employees [30% of its board and senior management will be women by 2023]

• TMW Unlimited on the ‘secret’ voyage of marketing Abba back to life [A deepfake Bruce Willis and a resurrected Abba? Pinch me, this can't be real]

• Integral Ad Science & Innovid team to improve CTV ad measurement and fraud mitigation [...while Nielsen is against the ropes, which Mike Shields's Substack covered well here]

• Skoda pioneers virtual vehicle showroom via Amazon Fire TV [Fun media first in the UK]

• UK OOH ad revenues surge 277% as normality resumes [TfL hit record levels and OOH is THROOH the roof]

• Meet the Media Minds: Total Media MD Tom Laranjo says to 'resist pressure to specialize'

• ASA bans foul-mouthed banter mug ads running on Sky Sports [Best story we've ever published]

Read the last briefing here.

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