Meg’s background in sports bought her into the Video Advertising industry. Based in our New York office she offers some great insights into ad ops life and how the US is leading the way in pushing for best practises in advertising.
Can you tell us about your role at Teads?
In my role as Head of Ad Ops in North America, Teads’ largest market, my responsibility is to implement and execute processes across a team of Campaign Managers who are responsible for the set-up, delivery and optimization of advertising initiatives. While ensuring the team exceeds client expectations, I’m also responsible for fill across our publisher network and financial efficiency of campaign delivery.
How did you get into the video advertising industry?
My passion for sports helped bring me in to the world of video advertising, as I spent many years helping to monetize the pre-roll that accompanied premium professional sports highlights across a publisher network globally. I began in digital at GOAL.com where there was a pressing issue for ad operations support locally. With the support of a colleague I taught myself Ad Ops and the rest is history!
What do you enjoy most about working at Teads?
Firstly, the people. In addition to the amazing personalities I am privileged to work with on a daily basis both in the U.S. and across the world, the experience and talent that Teads attracts is second to none. Secondly, the culture and the way the Teads business conducts itself with honesty and grace, is something I’m truly proud of as an employee.
What has been the biggest change in video advertising for you?
Video advertising has intensely evolved over the past two years with the addition of viewability as a cost model and more recently, the need for both full viewability and audibility. Advertisers want to ensure their dollars are being used effectively and in a way that fully immerses users. Teads has and continues to listen to the voices of both advertisers and publishers to create the best user experience possible. It’s been a welcomed experience for me to be a part of a company constantly pushing innovation to be on the front lines of industry trends.
The U.S. market has an endless amount of supply and demand, making it the biggest and in my humble opinion, the best. With that, U.S. advertisers are constantly pushing the boundaries of how they expect their campaigns to perform. From GroupM’s viewability / audibility measurements to demo-guarantee buys, the U.S. market sees these trends first and is pushed to face them and solve them well before they’ve reached other countries.
What advice would you give for those wanting to start a career in Ad Operations?
Organization! Developing strong organizational skills is an absolute must to become a strong Ad Ops professional.
Ability to think big picture. Ad Operations is not simply about setting an ad live and ensuring it delivers, it’s understanding where that ad runs and how it affects other campaigns, the publishers and the greater business that really matters.
Can you tell us about a skill you’d like to learn and why?
Public speaking. I’m amazed by our sales team and their ability to tell stories about Teads’ products in a way that is tailored to their audience. In Ad Operations, most of my communication takes place in small settings and I would love the opportunity to learn to present and public speak more effectively.
What do you think will be the next big trend in video advertising?
More! Video consumption will continue to increase and the ways in which users access this advertising will expand with search and wearable technology being the next big push.
Read more in the series: Caroline Hugonenc, VP Research. Patricia Canada, MD Spain.
Interested in joining the team? We’re hiring!