Takeaways from Advertising Week New York 2022

This year’s Advertising Week New York wrapped yesterday after four jam-packed days of speaker sessions, partner workshops, and presentations. More than 10,000 advertisers were expected to attend the event in person, with just as many joining virtually. Nearly every aspect of the advertising and tech industries was represented across the various conference tracks, offering attendees a front-row seat to intriguing discussions about advertising’s biggest challenges and opportunities.

No single overarching theme united Advertising Week New York this year as the advertising industry faces transformative change on many fronts. However, across fireside chats, panels, and throughout the Lower East Side of Manhattan where the event was located, conversation swirled around topics like metaverse activations and streaming TV.

Plenty of brands and partners took an opportunity to share new product developments and partnerships. Notable announcements included a privacy-focused update to Pinterest’s measurement suite and DoorDash’s retail media partnerships with Pacvue and Flywheel to power its self-serve ad platform.

With viewers continuing to cut the cord on linear TV in favor of digital, all things streaming, connected TV (CTV), and shoppable video emerged as popular topics of discussion across this year’s panels and sessions. In fact, industry research predicts that two-thirds of video upfront dollars will be earmarked for CTV, leading many speakers to discuss how investment levels should be considered across platforms in light of measurement nuances, addressability, targeting parameters, and viewership trends. 

Nearly 50 sessions were included across the various streaming TV conference tracks, with the majority of them sponsored by key TV partners, including AMC Networks, Integral Ad Science (IAS), iSpot.tv, Nielsen, Paramount, and Roku. Sessions like “How to Go Big with Gen Z in TV Streaming,” “TV Streaming’s Next Frontier: Commerce,” and “A FAST Growing Opportunity for Marketers” were popular among conference attendees, delving into how various generations are engaging with streaming content, the newest measurement updates to shoppable TV, and the challenges and opportunities seen across free ad-supported TV (FAST) platforms. Speakers often cited that CTV remains one of the fastest-growing channels in all of advertising, with ad spend now projected to surpass $21 billion by 2023. As new entrants like Netflix and Disney+ join the already-crowded ad-supported streaming TV landscape later this year, Viant SVP of Business Development Tom Wolfe aptly commented during “The Future of CTV in the New Open Web” session that it’s now on advertisers to “understand the evolving nature of CTV and work with partners that can make scaling and measurability a reality.”

Advertising Week New York featured nearly a dozen panels and fireside chats focused on the metaverse, NFTs, and web3, with plenty of metaverse-related chatter striking up in the hallways among attendees between sessions. While some call the metaverse the “next frontier for advertising,” others took to the stage to discuss how the metaverse is already making an impact and delivering results for brands.

At a panel discussion on Tuesday titled “Pay No Attention to Attention,” American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers argued that brands must mix it up and test into new opportunities to make a splash in the metaverse. The executive pointed to American Eagle’s recent Roblox activation, which has become Roblox’s second most visited virtual brand, according to Marketing Dive, as evidence that innovation pays off. “At American Eagle, we celebrate the failures as much as we celebrate the successes,” Brommers said during the panel. “It’s [having an] innovation budget and a little bit of fun that actually drives success at AE.” 

Several companies took the opportunity of Advertising Week New York to announce new product developments, campaigns, and partnerships, including: 

Pinterest made privacy-focused updates to its measurement suite

Kroger announced a new private programmatic marketplace

DoorDash is teaming up with Pacvue and Flywheel to power self-serve ad platform

Ad Council will join forces with tech partners to coordinate public education efforts on the dangers of fentanyl

While no single subject or theme prevailed across sessions or dominated conversation among attendees at Advertising Week New York, it was evident that advertising is in the midst of transformational change. This moment requires advertisers and brands to remain more adaptive than ever to navigate market conditions, new opportunities, and ever-changing consumer trends to get ahead–and stay there in the months and years ahead.