SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico\u2014As traditional television networks weigh the benefits of completely upending their business models, they also find themselves as middlemen of sorts between advertisers and agencies. This is the view of Ethan Heftman, VP, Precision\/Performance, A+E Networks, who notes \u201ca bit of a bifurcation, a division between what brands want and what the agencies need to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this interview at the recent Beet Retreat 2018<\/a>, Heftman elaborates on networks\u2019 mediator-like role in trying to please both advertisers and agencies in an increasing complex, consumer-led TV universe.<\/p>\n Brands are talking about business results like topline growth, better metrics and greater ROI. \u201cWhen we talk to agencies, obviously agencies are intimately involved in that but ultimately agencies are also judged on a cost efficiency basis,\u201d Heftman says. \u201cAnd so that necessarily creates a bit of friction in the conversations that we have between brands, agencies and ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Increasingly, the seller\u2019s role \u201cis being a bit in the middle of that,\u201d he adds. \u201cMaking sure that we are delivering the cost efficiency and proper business rationale to our agency business partners, while working with brands to try and convince them that television in particular is a driver of their business. We never really had to do that historically. The agencies took care of that for us.\u201d<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t suggesting that some agencies don\u2019t tell that story to their clients. But given the roadblocks that exist to connecting television to business outcomes, \u201cit\u2019s not necessarily the best decision to let somebody else do that for us. We have to take some of the lead on that ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n