Planning around moments puts mobile in focus

Advertising Week New York was four days of packed schedules, and the DT team made the most of them. We came to listen, but we also brought plenty of perspectives to share. Between sessions, we traded views on mobile with brands and agencies alike and compared them with what we heard on stage.

We took notes, kept the conversation going at happy hour, and left with a short list of ideas to take back to the office. Here’s what’s on our mind.

Planning is shifting from the calendar to the moment

The takeaway: Build the plan around the moments when people need something, and let those needs set the channel.

In a health marketing session with CVS Media Exchange and Havas Health, the panel called annual planning outdated and said people don’t move from education to treatment to adoption in a straight line, so teams read the cues and adjust as they go. For a planner, the question becomes: where is the person when the moment hits?

“Mobile is where many of those moments happen, whether someone is scrolling during a TV break or using the phone as an extension of themselves on the go,” said Rebecca Granat, Regional Marketing Manager, North America, DT. “That makes it a natural touchpoint.”

Why we care: Planning around moments puts mobile in the plan, and mobile is where DT works.

The pitches centered on connected TV, and mobile belongs in the plan

The takeaway: In the data sessions we attended, the examples centered on connected TV (CTV), and the screen viewers pick up during commercials got little attention.

The data sessions we attended showcased Roku inventory paired with retailer data and authenticated PlayStation audiences, all built for CTV. One panelist called out that viewers scroll their phones during commercials.

“Some of the best marketing moments begin as interruptions,” said Joanne Foy, Director, Global Activation, DT. “You’re on your phone with no intention of shopping, and something stops you. Technology delivered that moment, but the creative, the story, and the context made it worth considering. The test for mobile advertising is whether the moment was worth someone’s time.”

“In the sessions I attended, premium, authenticated, and outcome-ready meant CTV, and mobile in-app barely surfaced,” said Nate Stricker, Agency Development Director, DT. “CTV reaches the household. In-app reaches the individual, and agencies need both.”

Why we care: The phone is the screen that’s always with people, even during a CTV commercial. A TV-only plan skips that moment. DT ads in-app supply and DT ignite reach people there, in the apps and on the device they’re already using.

Brands want to buy mobile based on audience

The takeaway: Brands plan most of their media around the audience, and they want mobile to work the same way. As traditional identifiers get harder to use, they’re leaning on first-party data to get there.

Identity came up in many conversations at Advertising Week and at Optable Connect NYC, which DT also attended.

“Brands want more than context when they buy mobile,” said Taylor Morris, Head of Technical Partnerships, DT. “As budgets move into apps, they want to plan based on the audience they’re trying to reach, not the app the ad runs in. That’s why DT pairs its first-party data with partners like Optable, so advertisers can reach the right audience across our premium mobile placements.”

Why we care: Audience-based planning means putting something relevant in front of people who’d want it. DT’s first-party data helps advertisers do that in mobile.

Real signal is the baseline, and synthetic data is the open question

The takeaway: Before spending against an audience, ask how much of it is real.

In a session, Cuebiq put the standard at hundreds of records per device over months and years, and warned that synthetic filler sends spend to the wrong places.

“Real, authenticated signal was the pitch across the sessions I attended,” said Stricker. “Synthetic data is more nuanced, and especially top of mind outside the US, where stricter privacy law makes it more appealing.”

Why we care: DT’s first-party signals come from advertising, app distribution, and touchpoints across the full device experience. Ignite Graph brings them into one view of the full customer journey across mobile, and DT iQ turns that view into decisions about who to reach.

Agencies want proof that ads lead to real results

The takeaway: Ask for proof of a real result, then ask what happened after it.

Dentsu ranked closed-loop measurement, which ties an ad to a result like a store visit, among its top asks of publishers. A store visit is worth proving, but it’s still only the first action.

“Two people can make the same purchase. One becomes a lifelong advocate, the other regrets it, and both count as successful conversions,” said Foy. “A conversion creates the opportunity for value. The experience decides whether that value lasts.”

Why we care: For apps, the first action is the install. We want to know how the app got onto the device and what the user did next.

We came with three questions and left with a lot more to explore

Before the week, we asked what an install is worth, where advantage comes from, and where discovery is going. We heard the most on the first two: agencies want proof past the first action, and advantage is coming down to the signals behind the model.

In the sessions we attended, brands were planning around moments of need, and for a lot of people, those moments happen on mobile. That’s where DT works, and the week reaffirmed that focus.