Articles by Chris
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Upfronts Need a Smarter Second Act
Upfronts Need a Smarter Second Act
It’s Upfronts season again, and while the venues may change and the buzzwords evolve, one thing remains painfully…
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Chris Wilson shared thisThe next episode of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” premieres tonight. I’m not exactly an avid watcher, but I do think that shows like this bring something valuable for advertisers: A loyal, committed, and highly engaged audience that shows up week after week. Unlike a one-night event like the Super Bowl or the Oscars, franchise shows like “Survivor” offer repeated exposure to the same viewers - which means an opportunity to build familiarity and refine strategy as the season unfolds. With Tenetic’s insights-driven, local-level data, advertisers can better understand this committed audience and adjust spend as attention evolves. Instead of pouring budget into just one night, advertisers can: -Increase spend during high-drama episodes, when engagement peaks -Shift creative and messaging to reflect unfolding storylines and fan favorites -Adjust budget to meet local-level markets as engagement rises or falls regionally Here’s what’s key with using timely data: paying attention to how fans respond to each episode. When brands stay aligned with audience reactions and behavior, ads become part of the story viewers care about instead of a disruption to their favorite show. And the ones that succeed? They outwit, outplay, and outlast.
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Chris Wilson shared thisI was looking at our latest #TeneticTrends data on audiences in the Final Four host markets (Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., plus Indianapolis) and one pattern stood out: These viewers are more likely to invest or save through a 401(k) or employer-sponsored retirement plan when indexed against the total population of each market. Here’s how they index: Houston - 134 Chicago - 133 Indianapolis - 132 San Francisco - 130 Washington, D.C. - 130 To me, this reinforces something we talk about a lot at Tenetic: context matters. March Madness draws huge audiences. But understanding the mindset of those audiences can make a big difference for media planners and advertisers. It’s one reason partnerships like Capital One’s sponsorship of the NCAA Tournament make sense. The brand shows up in a moment where millions of viewers are already thinking about money, planning, and the future. Turns out March Madness fans might be thinking about their brackets and their retirement plans at the same time.
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Chris Wilson shared thisSometimes it feels like legacy media measurement still thinks it’s 2005. It continues to rely on systems designed for a different era: -Linear TV dominance. Most viewing happened on scheduled broadcast and cable, and a handful of channels controlled reach. -Quarterly reporting cycles. Media moved slower, and brands waited months to evaluate campaign performance. -Age/gender demographic buying. Broad segments like “Women 25–54” were the main way to define audiences. -Panel-based measurement. Small sample households were used to estimate the behavior of millions. -Post-campaign analysis. Insights arrived after a campaign ended, not while it was still running. But that world no longer exists. Today’s reality looks more like: -Streaming fragmentation. Audiences are spread across dozens of platforms instead of a handful of networks. -Cross-platform consumption. Viewers move fluidly between TV, streaming, mobile, and social in a single day. -Local behavior that varies by ZIP code. Viewer engagement can shift block by block. Which is why I’m proud of how we’re rethinking measurement over at Tenetic. Our work centers on timely behavioral data built for today’s fragmented landscape. Media measurement is due for an update, and we’re helping drive that shift. Now the question is whether legacy measurement can keep up.
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Chris Wilson posted thisWe saw something during the Oscars that almost never happens: a tie! Best Live-Action Short ended with two winners sharing the stage. Within minutes, clips of that moment were circulating everywhere. It reminded me that for events like the Oscars, audience engagement doesn’t end when the broadcast does. In many ways, that’s when it really starts. Beyond that rare tie, this year’s ceremony gave us plenty to talk about. Here are some audience behaviors we can expect to see: - Streaming spikes as viewers catch up on films like One Battle After Another and Sinners - Search interest jumps for actors (like Jessie Buckley and Timothée Chalamet), memorable moments (like the live performance of “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters), and controversies (even without a slap this year) - Clips of viral moments like Michael B. Jordan’s first Oscar win acceptance speech will continue to rack up millions of views on social platforms - Red carpet highlights circulate on YouTube and short-form video - News coverage of the winners and their speeches (even if they got cutoff) will keep the conversation going for days At Tenetic we spend a lot of time thinking about measurement as an always-on system because we know that the real momentum shows up after the broadcast. Online activity and audience engagement are only beginning when it comes to One Battle After Another’s dominant win and the Avengers celebrity reunion. The ad dollars may be spent by the time the Oscars wrap, but audience attention is just getting started.
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Chris Wilson posted thisI think most media planners are missing the big picture when it comes to how audiences actually behave. Here’s why: Audiences don’t move in silos. They move fluidly across platforms and markets. A prospect might see a CTV spot, research on mobile, convert through retail media, and later engage through CRM. But media planners often evaluate each touchpoint as if it exists independently. If measurement fails to capture real audience behavior, you end up making budget decisions one channel at a time instead of seeing how everything works together. This results in: -Channels competing instead of working together toward shared outcomes. -Oversaturation and audience fatigue going unnoticed because no one is looking at total reach across platforms. -Channels with clean, easy-to-report metrics getting more budget - even if they aren’t the ones driving long-term growth. So yes - you can definitely miss out on the bigger picture. Which is why at Tenetic, our perspective is simple. Media strategy shouldn’t treat channels separately. It should look at everything as one connected system. That means connecting behavioral signals across channels, evaluating performance across the full customer lifecycle, and investing in a channel mix that shows long-term value. It’s an innovative approach we’re putting into practice. And it’s the direction I think the industry needs to move in.
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Chris Wilson shared thisOscar season has me thinking about movie theaters - and how people actually decide which one to go to. Personally, I don’t go out to the movies often enough. That’s why I found our latest #TeneticTrends data interesting - it looks at how audiences in Los Angeles choose their theaters. Here’s what the data tells us, based on movie theaters in the LA market: -AMC has a lot of locations across LA. Because of that, its visitors come from many different ZIP codes across the market. Its audience is spread out. -Meanwhile, each Regal and Cinemark location tends to draw most of its visitors from the ZIP codes closest to that theater. Their audiences are more concentrated around each site. So here’s how advertisers might make sense of this: -Regal and Cinemark theater advertisers should focus on the ZIP codes closest to each location. -AMC advertisers can take a wider geographic approach, reaching moviegoers across more ZIP codes. That’s exactly the kind of pattern we’re always looking for at Tenetic - small audience signals that can make a big difference in how media gets planned. (And this might be a sign for me to head to my nearest theater this weekend.)
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Chris Wilson shared thisI’m not surprised we’re seeing more AI in beauty advertising … but the data on how consumers feel about it is pretty interesting: Our latest #TeneticTrends report shows how consumers are adjusting to AI-generated imagery in beauty advertising: -39% of consumers are comfortable with AI-generated beauty images. -Men and adults under 45 report higher comfort. -Meanwhile, college-educated consumers report lower comfort. -Parents report higher comfort than expected. -72% believe AI will become common in beauty advertising in the next few years. So here are my thoughts on this: The decision to use AI-generated images shouldn’t be treated as a simple yes-or-no choice. It’s a strategic call based on WHO you’re trying to reach. For some segments AI-generated images may feel innovative. For others, it may raise questions about a brand’s authenticity. The opportunity here is to align the creative format with the audience’s comfort level. Curious where you fall across any of the segments we reported.
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Chris Wilson shared thisI recently spoke with eMarketer about a channel advertisers should be paying a lot more attention to: podcasts. Podcasts operate differently from most digital formats. When listeners choose a show and return to it regularly, they develop a real trust in the host. That means when an ad is integrated into the episode, it doesn’t feel like an interruption - it feels like a recommendation. Which is HUGE for brands. Here’s how audiences actually engage with podcast ads, per National Research Group: -59% of listeners pay attention to ads that are casually mentioned during the show -52% pay attention to host-read ads -50% pay attention to ads structured as sponsored interviews At Tenetic, our data also shows that podcasts are a great way for advertisers to reach younger consumers. Nearly one in three podcast listeners is 30 or under. So whether you’re looking to tap into an audience with built-in trust and/or reach attentive, younger audiences, podcasts are worth a closer look. Read the full piece here (subscription required): https://lnkd.in/d-yhh3YJPodcasts are winning attention and driving sales for advertisersPodcasts are winning attention and driving sales for advertisers
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Chris Wilson shared thisThe theme of this year’s Super Bowl ads was: AI, AI, AI … and more AI. Tech startups with ads pushing AI - along with non-tech brands using AI as a creative device - generated mixed reactions from audiences. Which made me wonder: Did they know how audiences felt about AI before they ran those ads? I’ve had a couple weeks to marinate on these now, and my take is pretty simple: The best ads had a clear read on their audience: -Novartis, a pharmaceutical company, featured tight ends like Rob Gronkowski and George Kittle in calm, spa-like scenes. The line - screening for prostate cancer lets you “relax your tight end” - was bold and punny … and a little cheeky, in the best way. -Dove stuck to its value of “real beauty” by centering a stark statistic: 1 in 2 girls who quit sports are criticized for their body type. The call to action - “Together, we can keep girls playing” - reinforced the brand’s long-standing stance on body confidence. -Lay’s told the story of a father passing his potato farm to his daughter, tied back to the brand with the line, “Real potatoes grown by generations of farmers across America.” The ad was less about the product and more about family and legacy. It tapped into very real, very human emotions. These ads addressed how people felt - about health issues (nervous), girls in sports (protective), and family (sentimental). In contrast … the AI focused or generated ads didn’t feel like they understood who they were talking to. Now, what airs next year will be telling. AI brands - and brands using AI - will either reflect on this year’s outcomes and align with how audiences actually feel, or they’ll still miss the mark with resonance. I guess my advice for these brands is simple: Read the room. (And while we’re here … an honorable mention: Anthropic’s self-aware ad on the eeriness of AI. Curious if anyone thought this was a standout.)
Chris Wilson replied to a comment
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Karyn Schoenbart, thank you so much.
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Chris Wilson liked thisChris Wilson liked thisThe Duo Partners team had an incredible session at Global Pet Expo last week. I was joined by Nihal Advani and Mitch Christopher for a mainstage talk about the pet industry’s new growth playbook. With how quickly things are changing, the industry is challenged to reconcile what consumers say with what they actually do. What we’re seeing is that growth today doesn’t come from a single dataset. It comes from connecting several key signals: - What’s selling - What’s trending - What actually happens at home - What consumers say after purchase - What they believe and plan to do next That gap between what people say, what they do, and what actually drives growth is wider than ever. We also shared a few realities that challenge conventional thinking in the pet market: - TikTok Shop pet sales grew +129% YoY, yet many brands still underestimate it. - One product can drive an entire business when it solves a real problem. Convenience is winning. - Dog owners significantly overstate behavior. Cat owners are far more habitual and loyal. - When returns spike, it’s often not a defect, it’s an expectation gap between what was promised and what the product delivers. - Pet owners are more optimistic about their financial position than non-pet owners, which bodes well for the industry in 2026. - In fact, pet owners plan to spend 42% more on their pets in the coming year. It’s an exciting time in the category, and I’m proud our teams are leading the conversation with the kind of data and insights companies need right now. Thank you to Pete S. and the American Pet Products Association (APPA) for including us. Grateful to the Duo Partners ecosystem, including Circana, Charm.io, QualSights, Revuze, and CivicScience for bringing these signals to life. 🐾 #GlobalPetExpo
Experience & Education
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Tenetic
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Honors & Awards
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Experian Elite Award
Experian
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Outstanding Leadership Award
Simmons Market Research
Organizations
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Army National Guard
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