“You don’t go into someone else’s house and tell them how to cook.” That’s Sightly President Larry Harris’s take on Google’s previous attempts at programmatic TV. While in the past Google has failed to augment its digital media offerings with local TV, Google’s latest bid at programmatic TV, announced in April, may have a better shot, Larry said. Speaking with Fjorgecast host Tim Barsness, Larry said that Google is a group of “eggheads” and are serious about making this work.
In this half-hour interview, Larry also uses his plainspoken style to explain Sightly’s unique selling proposition in the market. Sightly uses YouTube’s search engine to place ads based on what terms a consumer uses and what she’s searched before. Since Sightly doesn’t get paid unless a consumer watches all 30 seconds of an ad, the company is motivated to get relevant ads in front of consumers.
As Larry explains, location is part of the mix. If a consumer searches for a video on how to make lasagna and Sightly knows that consumer is at a supermarket at the time, then the company will serve an ad for cheese.
Elsewhere, Larry discusses how interest-based targeting could mean that he’ll someday see less lacrosse on ESPN and what a “chocolate conversation” is. What is it? Listen and find out.
