In Context, The Counter-Intuitive Makes Sense

Things don’t often make sense. We drive on a parkway and park in a drive way.

Companies turn huge profits and yet, get slammed by Wall Street.

Everyone knows there is fraud in digital advertising. Brands accept self-reporting anyway.

This used to annoy me. Now, I like the irony because it’s like a contextual riddle that can generally be answered by asking why and following the money. While there is so much I’ll never understand, in context, things tend to make sense.

Let’s explore some recent examples.

In America, a murder happens roughly every 30 minutes. But when it’s a tragic high-powered CEO in Times Square area, suddenly there is a national manhunt that spares no expense, and a national cultural conversation about insurance scams, healthcare equality and justice.

In the context of clicks and views, police pressures and a populace trained to love a high stakes drama that hits home, it makes sense.

For TV Makers: Over the last 24 years, going to the hospital, getting a degree, buying a home have all increased significantly, while TV’s have become stronger, smarter, more diverse as entertainment platforms— and way more affordable.

When you consider Roku’s meteoric rise and VIZIO’s last ten years transforming from a low margin hardware business to an integrated platform that generates hundreds of millions in revenues from software, ads and data sales; it all makes sense.

Credit to the work at Chartr, the Robinhood company.

In Cabletown, networks, the once prestigeous cash and culture machines are falling out of favor. Sure, they still generate many billions of dollars in annual revenues, capture hundreds of millions of hours of big screen attention and deliver billions of ad impressions daily. Yet they are now being spun off and consolidated in favor of streaming endeavors that have yet to turn a profit.

In the context of FAST, algorithmic streaming and Wall Street narratives, it makes sense. Also in the context of audience behavior shifts, consider this:

Read the full article on The Measure

Creators using phones and podcasts can generate more viewership than scripted, polished content produced by a confluence of TV professionals. As Alan Wolk points out this week, Creator content isn’t great but its what makes it work. Kids unboxing toys are outpacing Saturday morning cartoons. When it came to view time, Joe Rogan x Trump outperformed all the political theater- and by view time on Youtube and Meta, his show alone beat the networks; no fancy stages and pomp of a convention floor. Just a comedian dude going long form on topics that matter to people while joking around vs. sound bite TV where big kitchen table topics get a minute or two of coverage in between insurance ads.

It makes sense in the context of people wanting deeper connections to their sources. Even if the host is unboxing every day items in a living room or smoking weed and being loose with facts.

Alas, context is everything— for a look at how five companies are rewriting the rules of CTV advertising using context, download our new special report here.