There are endless moving parts when it comes to pulling off such a massive broadcast like the Olympics. For all the questionable programming decisions that’s causing some anger on Twitter, you have to hand it to NBC for successfully delivering endless amounts of media deliverables to their paid advertisers. DG (Digital Generation), and its online division MediaMind company, is on the hook for delivering ad spots for six out of the seven major Olympic sponsors. We spoke with Fred Cunha, Divisional VP of Affiliate Relations for DG, who is currently camped inside NBC’s Media Operations Center.
Among his achievements, Cunha was the guy responsible for fixing an ad spot at 1 a.m. the day before the Superbowl was set to air. While this is definitely the first social and second screen Olympics, it’s also a TV event that’s almost completely DVR-proof, like most sports. We spoke to Cunha about his role, how he uses social media and how he thinks social TV is changing the business he’s worked in since the early 90s.
Lost Remote: What do you do in the TV business? How do you interact with networks?
Fred Cunha: DG connects advertisers and agencies with broadcasters, our affiliates. We deliver most of the spots you see on TV, and a lot of the syndicated and news content as well. For the Olympics, for example, we’re delivering spots for over 90 percent of the major Olympic advertisers. In Affiliate Relations, we’re the primary point of contact for the affiliates. My job is to keep broadcasters happy – at least that’s my goal. It’s my team’s goal as well – when you’re dealing with roughly a thousand broadcast facilities in the U.S., that’s no small task. While my team handles every single facility, I work directly with the broadcast networks, major cable network groups and TV station groups. I check in with them on a regular basis, in person and otherwise, to see what we can do better, what’s coming down the pike on their side and also what we’re up to on our side.
How do you come across social media while working with networks?
Cunha: Tweetdeck is one “second screen” I’m always on. I like to use Twitter to stay on top of the TV and online world, and some of my favorite follows include @TVbytheNumbers, @TVNewsCheck, @Adweek, @AdFreak, @adage, @nbcsports, @MediaPost, and @LostRemote, of course. I actually interact with several of my contacts at the networks via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and I’ve been lucky enough to turn relationships that have previously been business-only into personal ones. I had a contact from one of the broadcast networks, who I also know on Twitter, ask for my mailing address. A few days later, I received miniature porcelain Chick-fil-A restaurant (that lights up) via courier! It turns out his wife was at Lowe’s and knew I was a big Chick-fil-A fan. Talk about the power of social.
LR: How will you be working with NBC for the Olympics?
Cunha: Leading up to the opening ceremony, I’ll be based at NBC in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, where their Media Operations Center (MOC) is located, for six days nonstop to ensure all the spots get on air without a glitch. I’ll be on site, ready to tackle anything from out-of-phase audio, missing closed captioning (required for the Olympics), video glitches, hot audio, etc. Any time NBC comes across a spot that needs to be reviewed, they pull me into the MOC so I can look at the ad, confirm what the issue might be, and I’ll then relay my recommendations to headquarters. That process can lead to anything as simple as having to re-encode the ad or as complicated as having to re-master it. I keep NBC updated on the status of everything, so there’s never any guessing involved.
LR: Do you ever work on Shazamable ads, other interactive, social TV spots?
Cunha: The exciting thing is that DG actually has the technology in place already to enable these kinds of second screen experiences. For example, we partnered with a major channel in the UK so viewers watching the Million Pound Drop could interact with ads on their website that were in sync with the ads running on television. And at NAB this year, we announced a partnership to bring similar experiences to more consumers across multiple screens for a variety of other advertisers and programs. Beyond the tech capabilities, though, the future of second screen advertising is just as much about connecting to the individual who’s viewing the screen – wherever they are.
LR: How is digital affecting your business?
Cunha: Digital isn’t just an option for advertisers anymore, it’s a requirement; and that puts DG, and its digital division MediaMind, in a very good place. Whether it’s display, rich media, search, mobile or broadcast, our ad platform supports the management and execution of campaigns across any channel, and we’ve seen a big uptick in digital activity. We learned a while ago that the majority of video ads online were being repurposed from broadcast materials, and we’ve since developed a dedicated service to streamline that process for agencies. We’ve also spent a lot of time with both broadcast and digital agency teams, which has spawned a lot of new ideas around tying together the different screens in the living room – and beyond. The same conversations have also been happening with networks and publishers, so convergence really is a hot topic everywhere. Not many organizations can speak to both sides of the house like that. It’s a really exciting time in the industry, and there will certainly be a lot bubbling up to the surface in the months ahead.
LR: What happens if something might go wrong with a spot, how do you fix it at the last minute?
Cunha: NBC does an excellent job with their quality control process, particularly with high stakes events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics. Each spot is QC’d (quality controlled) by two people many, many times and they have a check list to go through to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s. Basically, a spot that has been running on the network for weeks or months, which may have been ‘fine’ may no longer be fine after the extra scrutiny. And that’s where I come in. When you’re communicating subtle audio, video or captioning issues over the phone, there’s always room for misunderstanding or delays, but being on-site, I’m in a position to identify those nuances right away, which greatly reduces the time it takes to get them resolved. This is especially critical with last-minute cases. The last time around with the Super Bowl, there were several late nights (more like early mornings) during the week before the Super Bowl, including a spot that kept me at NBC until 1 AM the day of the game!