In conjunction with MWC Barcelona 2022 which will be taking place from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March, Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode spoke to Paul Childs, VP Business Development at Moloco on the company's plans and showcases for this year's event.
Tara: What do you think MWC 2022 will be all about? And what are your MWC 2022 plans?
Paul: I think the main themes are likely to be all interconnected: 5G (speed and reliability), AI (automation and robotics), big data (to power the AI) and connected devices (mobile, house, cars). The topic that is likely to grab the headlines will be the Metaverse and innovation in the space, including attention on latest developments at Facebook parent company, Meta.
Moloco will have a booth in the Digital Planet (Hall 5.1 stand CS218), and we plan to meet with existing customers, partners and explore new opportunities for programmatic advertising and user acquisition, Connected TV and Retail Media.
Tara: How has the pandemic impacted the operational and business landscape of the tech segment you are operating in?
Paul: There was an initial decrease early in the pandemic from brands drastically cutting budgets during 2020. However, overall, there has been a minimal impact in the programmatic advertising space and revenues have been growing across the industry alongside market consolidation and IPOs during the pandemic. Like all sectors, people have shifted into a remote or hybrid way of working and we’ve become used to using video calls and collaboration tools to improve internal communications. Using LinkedIn as the litmus test, AdTech folk have generally remained positive and motivated all the while innovation has continued to move forward in our fast-paced sector.
Hiring appears to be one of the biggest challenges our sector is facing, possibly driven by people becoming less interested in changing jobs or happier with a hybrid way of working, which may have led many to challenge the need to switch jobs for increased rewards.
Tara: What emerging trends/technologies have you observed in your tech segment in recent months?
Paul: The two top emerging technology trends are Connected TV advertising and Retail Media. With the shift to smart TVs and the proliferation of ad-funded content channels from Samsung, LG, Rakuten and many more, advertisers are starting to explore Connected TV due to the overall lower costs, use of data and transparency, and measurement.
The second emerging trend that’s gaining mainstream attention is Retail Media, which enables e-commerce platforms to generate advertising income, increase product sales and improve product discoverability. Triggered by Amazon’s meteoric success in building a multi-billion-dollar advertising business, retailers are investing in building media businesses to take advantage of the high-margins generated from ads.
Paul Childs is an ad tech veteran with more than 15 years of experience building and growing global mobile advertising businesses in the programmatic space across both the demand and supply side. He has held numerous senior leadership positions at the VP and C levels spanning business development, operations, sales, and marketing.
