The Limelight series focuses on employee culture across the iSpot organization. Follow along as we take a closer look at the real people behind one of the most comprehensive TV ad catalogs out there. This month we interview Sangram Kachwaha, Strategic Account Director, and how he has addressed the challenges of working in the ever-changing TV advertising industry.

What is your current role at iSpot.tv?

As a Strategic Account Director in our New York office, I manage several East Coast enterprise-level accounts. In this role, I strive to build partnerships with clients to help them leverage our various data and measurement tools in order to best connect their TV plans to business outcomes.

How did your background lead you here?

Before focusing on television at iSpot.tv, I spent my career in many new, burgeoning fields within digital advertising. Working at both agencies and technology start-ups, I primarily created: display, search, social or video strategy for enterprise brands.  

The common themes throughout my career have been cutting-edge technology and performance marketing. So, iSpot.tv naturally piqued my interest. I was especially intrigued by the idea of a solution that allowed a brand to: 1) measure TV in real time; 2) prove that TV is effective; and 3) demonstrate both causality and incrementality.

What are some typical challenges that you mitigate/overcome in your role?

Although TV has rapidly evolved, there are still numerous TV media planning and buying processes and structures that have yet to adapt.  As a strategic adviser to my clients, one of my key responsibilities is to use iSpot.tv data to discover and highlight those areas within this more traditional environment that can be positively influenced and optimized.  

Additionally, significant fragmentation currently exists in the online video and linear TV measurement space. I aim to reduce this fragmentation by helping clients to build a more: unified, consistent and scalable strategy. I routinely challenge myself and them to develop a holistic plan that: 1) connects multiple: data sets, audience segments and device graphs in conjunction; and 2) measures and evaluates all video assets together.

What is the most exciting part about interacting with new clients?

I truly enjoy collaborating with all clients, new and established. I look forward to helping them view their TV buy in a whole new light. iSpot.tv is often the first partner that they have selected in the TV measurement space. So, it is particularly exhilarating to join forces with them on projects where we are exploring ideas and opportunities that have never been actionable before. It is even more rewarding when we see results from the brand’s first-ever test or experiment.

How has the TV network landscape changed throughout the course of your career?

The television landscape has recently changed quite dramatically. Historically, TV has been mainly seen as a medium for reach. However, with the advent and wide adoption of CTVs (connected TV), we are now in a phase where TV can be leveraged as a performance marketing channel and can also be held accountable for its media. It is of great benefit to clients and consumers that we are now attempting to bring the same level of control and measurement rigor to TV that has existed within digital media for most of its existence. Specifically, it is exciting to witness the following changes: 1) greater levels of transparency are available to brands; 2) OTT (over-the-top) is increasingly adopted; and 3) programmatic strategy tests exist to more efficiently target key audiences. 

How have you seen iSpot adapt to those changes?

In terms of both technology and as a company, iSpot.tv has evolved quite well and is often even ahead of what is developing within the TV landscape. Several of iSpot.tv’s media/strategy evaluation and optimization products that our clients now rely upon daily did not even exist a couple years ago.

What is the most rewarding part about working at iSpot?

It’s stimulating to work with a technology that’s changing the status quo. It’s invigorating to be involved in an effort to improve and modernize how brands have viewed and evaluated TV for decades. However, it’s most rewarding to be a part of a company where you are constantly learning and growing because you are surrounded by a terrific group of: smart, driven and talented people- all of whom will help you and anyone else out at any time.

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