The Emodo team has returned from a whirlwind week at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, participating in discussions around Connected TV, ad formats, AI, cookie deprecation, and much more. Now that the team has returned, caught up on sleep, and digested all the happenings from the breakthrough technology and global innovation tradeshow, we are ready to highlight some of the overall themes heard throughout the week.

The Emergence of Innovative CTV Formats

The latest formats and capabilities were demonstrated at CES, from Disney’s shoppable units to the forthcoming launch of Prime video ads and other streaming formats. In anticipation of CES, GroupM formed working groups to better understand what advertisers are looking for beyond standard 15- and 30-second spots, and to study how viewers respond to different ad experiences.

Some findings that were discussed highlighted how ad frequency caps can positively impact brand recognition and purchase intent, how ad breaks less than 2 minutes improve brand perception, and, ultimately, that the ad experience shouldn’t be irritating to viewers.

Creative innovation around CTV formats is a topic Emodo is particularly invested and interested in. The team at CES met with partners, publishers, DSPs, and advertisers to debut Emodo’s dynamic creative CTV formats, as well as preview and get feedback on future concepts. The overwhelming feedback was that the industry is hungry and ready for a new wave of creative innovation, particularly that which is AI-powered.

Of course, while creative innovation in CTV is an emerging and exciting topic, there is another key area in CTV that needs work: measurement. Buyers are seeking measurement technology that includes advanced audiences and showcases better business outcomes. Ultimately, while there is a demand for accountability in every marketing dollar spent, it doesn’t necessarily translate to a direct sale.

Artificial Intelligence was Part of Almost Every Conversation

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a conversation around advertising that doesn’t mention AI, and CES was no different. Emphasis on AI’s deeper integration into various technologies was discussed, with significant advancement demonstrated through new on-device generative AI. This development is poised to revolutionize how we interact with devices and signals a broader trend towards personalized and intelligent consumer experiences.

Additionally, Walmart introduced a new AI-assisted In-Home delivery service that adapts to customers’ buying habits for grocery restocking. Automakers discussed how user manual booklets might become a thing of the past in the not-too-distant future. And Amazon is integrating its voice-assistant technology into BMW luxury cars, enhancing drivers’ awareness of and addressing real-time maintenance issues.

AI was a consistent theme woven throughout most of Emodo’s conversations at CES, and we’re happy to have a long-standing strategy in leveraging AI to drive impact across our platforms, technology and solutions. Most significantly, for audience verification and modeling to increase accuracy and scale, especially as ID deprecation becomes more of a concern. And more recently, to power unique proprietary, dynamically optimized native and CTV creative formats.

Cookieless Solutions Continue to be a Hot Topic

Just a week before CES kicked off, Google finally began the process of deprecating third-party cookies for 1% of Chrome users (30 million people). With a deadline to complete all 100% of cookies by Q3 of this year, CES was abuzz with discussion around new approaches to leverage first-party data, as well as targeting and measurement.

Advertisers were exploring an alternative known as a “doughnut” – a new decentralized tracking concept enabling consumers to manage data permissions for brands in return for value. It works similarly to blockchain technology and would be a medium for advertisers to engage with consumers and their data. Whether the term gains traction remains to be seen.

Emodo’s future-proofed audience portfolio, including predictive and geo-contextual audience, has gained significant traction in market as a viable solution to the cookieless future. Many of the discussions the team had at CES centered around continued testing and trialing new solutions, such as ours, the first half of this year to prepare for Google’s Q3 deadline.

Overall, the team had strong conversations with industry leaders that helped validate Emodo’s product vision and roadmap  as it enters 2024. Were you at CES and missed an opportunity to touch base with us?  Want to learn about our cookieless audience solutions, new CTV offerings, and AI-powered, dynamic creative formats? Get in touch!