Cadent's Doug Rozen on How to Unify Your TV, CTV, and YouTube Strategy

Summary

Next in Media Podcast Summary
Episode Title: How to Unify Your TV, CTV, and YouTube Strategy
Release Date: July 23, 2026
Host: Mike Shields
Guest: Doug Rosen, President of Kaden

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the rapidly evolving media, marketing, and advertising landscape, focusing on bridging strategies across traditional TV, connected TV (CTV), and YouTube. Host Mike Shields speaks with Doug Rosen, President of Kaden, about how brands and agencies can unify their video strategies to tackle challenges around ad frequency, contextual targeting, measurement, and organizational silos. The discussion offers practical insights into integrating YouTube with CTV and linear TV for a holistic, consumer-centric approach in today's fragmented ecosystem.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Consumer Experience and Ad Frequency

Timestamps: 01:26–03:18

• The modern viewer often sees the same ad repeatedly across different platforms—linear TV, CTV, digital, and social.
• Current planning and buying structures lead to excessive ad frequency, resulting in consumer fatigue.
  • Doug Rosen (01:26):
    “We’re watching an episode and we see the same ad four times...then we go online and that ad’s following us around...the consumer, us, we’re not sitting there saying, ‘Oh my God, that brand has great frequency’...We sit there and say, like, make it stop.”
• This disconnect arises from companies organizing media buying by channel or team (e.g., digital vs. programmatic) without unified coordination.

2. Total Video Planning – One Audience, One Plan

Timestamps: 02:30–03:24

• The call for a "total video" mindset: one plan targeting one audience at one time to unify reach and frequency measurement.
  • Doug Rosen (03:24):
    “If you have one plan against one audience, you should get to a unified reach and frequency that will help make the customer experience better.”
• Emphasizes planning video as a holistic channel rather than splitting by linear, CTV, or digital silos.

3. The Power and Limits of Connected TV

Timestamps: 03:35–04:34

• The industry is obsessed with the possibilities of digital-style targeting in CTV, sometimes at the expense of the natural strengths of the medium.
• Over-targeting and over-integration can drive up frequency issues and reduce contextual value.
  • Doug Rosen (03:51):
    “There’s too much emphasis on the notion of connections and not enough on the contextualization of the video...contextual is what will drive the performance more than just the connection.”

4. Contextual TV vs. Connected TV & The Role of YouTube

Timestamps: 04:34–05:34, 05:53–07:02

• Contextual targeting—matching ads to specific content themes, events, or moments—goes deeper than demographics and delivers stronger performance.
  • Rosen describes a predictive layer that associates content with certain outcomes, highlighting YouTube's flexibility for contextual targeting.
  • Doug Rosen (05:10):
    “YouTube is the ultimate destination for contextual television.”
• Integration of YouTube with CTV and linear TV campaigns is key, yet many brands still silo YouTube under search, programmatic, or even social teams.
  • Doug Rosen (05:53):
    “If you think about YouTube more as part of your video strategy...it can also be part of your performance strategy. It doesn’t have to be either or, but you have to look at it in that context.”

5. Is the Industry Buying into Contextual?

Timestamps: 07:02–08:07

• Contextual targeting has strong roots but requires renewed championing in a digital-first, tech-heavy era.
  • Brands already make contextual decisions IRL (event marketing, sponsorships) but often leave that nuance behind with ad tech.
  • Doug Rosen (07:45):
    “It’s not throwing all the connection and the audience kind of intelligence out. It’s just putting this on top of it to be a little bit smarter, a little bit more intelligent.”

6. Agency Structures and the Merge of Video Teams

Timestamps: 08:11–09:02

• Agencies and service providers need to move past strict channel specialization, planning video by format/intent and not just by channel.
  • Doug Rosen (08:27):
    “Video should be planned as video, not video as channel, because the channels are starting to merge and be less consistent or rigid.”

7. Measurement Challenges in a Multi-Platform World

Timestamps: 09:02–09:38

• Total video success depends on consistent measurement across awareness, consideration, and conversion.
  • Not one-size-fits-all: KPIs must match the objective and stage of the funnel.
  • Doug Rosen (09:12):
    “You can have unified measurement across all of it...It really comes down to the objective you want your video strategy to carry.”

8. State of the Upfront and Ad Marketplace

Timestamps: 09:38–10:51

• The marketplace is “opportunistic”—the first half of the year was marked by cautious navigation; the second half will involve embracing constant uncertainty (with major events like the World Cup and political spending).
  • Doug Rosen (10:39):
    “We just now live in an uncertain environment. And that’s just what it is.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On frequency overload:
  “We sit there and say, like, make it stop. And we do this as media practitioners, but we actually do this as media practitioners to ourselves.” — Doug Rosen [01:26]
• On contextual being better than connected:
  “Contextual is what will drive the performance more than just the connection.” — Doug Rosen [03:51]
• On integrating YouTube:
  “YouTube is the ultimate destination for contextual television.” — Doug Rosen [05:10]
• On evolving agency planning:
  “Format matters as much as channel. Video should be planned as video, not video as channel...” — Doug Rosen [08:27]
• On market sentiment:
  “We just now live in an uncertain environment. And that’s just what it is.” — Doug Rosen [10:39]

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Key Segments with Timestamps

• Ad frequency as consumer pain point ... [01:26–02:18]
• Total video & unified planning ... [02:30–03:24]
• Contextual vs. addressable/connected approaches ... [03:35–05:10]
• YouTube as a bridge in video unification ... [05:34–07:02]
• Agency, channel, and format thinking ... [08:11–09:02]
• Total video measurement ... [09:02–09:38]
• Ad market outlook for second half of year ... [09:38–10:51]

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Conclusion

The episode advances the conversation about video unification, urging brands, agencies, and platforms to reject the siloed, channel-first approach in favor of consumer-centered, contextually intelligent, and measurement-driven strategies. As TV, CTV, and YouTube blend, success will depend on breaking down planning silos, combining precision with contextual nuance, and adapting to an environment where uncertainty is the only constant.

Transcript

[A]

One of the things we've built is this predictive layer to understand the type of themes, the type of collections, the content that can be associated with certain outcomes. And so that allows us to get beyond just demographic targeting and get a little bit more richer into the types of content. And I'm not just talking like sports. Let's go a level or two deeper into the events, the moments, the things like that. One of the best places for this, and we see it every day now that we have YouTube connected to the CTV and linear activity that we're doing is YouTube. YouTube is the ultimate destination for contextual television.

[B]

This week on Nexie Media, as part of my ongoing series on the YouTube ad ecosystem with my partners at Kaden View Planner, I talked to Kaden president Doug Rosen. Doug and I sat down in Canada to discuss where this helped brands back from truly buying and planning media in a video centric fashion and where YouTube does and doesn't fit in the TV strategy. Doug and I also talked about cross platform measurement, progress and the state of the upfront market overall. Let's get started. Hi everybody. Welcome to Next to Media. We're here again live in Cannes. I'm talking to Doug Rosen. You're the president of Kaden, is that right, Doug?

[A]

That's right.

[B]

We're just fresh off doing an event together. So I want to ask you about some of the, some of the stuff we talked about there. You had, you talked about the total video concept. You know, people in the industry have been trying to unify their video or talking about being video centric for a long time. What's, what's behind the thinking? What are you aiming to solve there?

[A]

Well, let's just put our hats on as an everyday viewer video. We're watching an episode and we see the same ad four times. That does happen, same episode. Then we go online and that ad's following us around, right? Then we go watch some TV and we see the same ad there. And the consumer, us, you know, we're not sitting there saying, oh my God, that brand has great frequency or, right? Or that reach is amazing. We sit there and say, like, make it stop. And, and we do this as media practitioners, but we actually do this as media practitioners to ourselves, right?

[B]

We talk about all the great, the great targeting we can do and then that happens.

[A]

And so it's this, it's this notion or this contrast between the power of precision or is it just power, persistence, right? And what is the thing that is driving it? And right now it seems that it's More about persistence.

[B]

And is that, you know, that's, that's a kind of common complaint in the ctv. You know, CTV advertising is still relatively new and, and the growing pains are acceptable to a point, but, but everyone is frustrated with that frequency thing. Is there something. What can be done about that?

[A]

Well, I think first of all, you need to plan video in totality. Yeah, it's. It's something we're really focused on. One plan, one audience, one time. If you think about how videos mostly plan and bought, you have different groups doing it differently. And you could have five groups buying Hulu from different angles. The digital group, the local group, the national group, you know, the, the, the programmatic group. And so they might not know that they're all doubling up on, you know, certain programs or plays or things like that. So that's where the frequency comes in. Or you might be buying from one partner that's actually repping the eventual, you know, spot being, you know, aired as much as, you know, doing something else. So for us, having this total video. Right.

[B]

You're not, you can't change the way the companies are organized.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

So you. So you're thinking it. Help them channel this better.

[A]

Yeah. So if you have one plan against one audience, you should get to a unified reach and frequency that, that will help make the customer experience better.

[B]

What about on, you know, on the CT front? Again, there's so much exuberance for the things we can do potentially, and, and in terms of bringing the best of digital targeting to tv. But I wonder, are we going a little bit too far on that? We're not taking advantage of what's inherently, you know, natural to that space.

[A]

Yeah, I think, I think inherently the notion of connected television is amazing, but there's too much emphasis on the notion of connections and not enough on the contextualization of the video. So it's great that things are being integrated. Integration is important. But I think that inevitably is what's driving some of the frequency challenges. But also because you're not focusing on the context, you're just trying to get to the person. You're missing the value. And so we talk a lot about why contextual TV is better than connected tv. That contextual is what will drive the performance more than just the connection.

[B]

And when it comes to contextual tv, is it more for brands? Is it more about, I want to know where my stuff is and keep me away from things I don't want to be in and be my favorite shows, or is there a strategic value to Certain concepts will drive certain types of reactions or outcomes.

[A]

Totally. One of the things we built is, you know, this predictive layer to understand the type of themes, the type of collections, the content that can be associated with certain outcomes. And so that allows us to get beyond just demographic targeting and get a little bit more richer into the types of content. And I'm not just talking like sports. Let's go a level or two deeper into the events, the, the moments, the things like that. One of the best places for this, and we see it every day now that we have YouTube connected to the CTV and linear activity that we're doing is YouTube. YouTube is the ultimate, you know, destination for contextual television.

[B]

Well, that was gonna be my next question that, you know, you're, can you do that? There's a lot of hope that you could bring these two, all these, these worlds together, especially as YouTube becomes more and more ascended on television. But not everybody's there are. Are you guys able to help brands unify their TV and videos, YouTube strategies?

[A]

That's exactly what we're doing. When you think about the total video proposition is, you know, how do you have. First of all, there's a lot of reach and frequency tools out there that, that give you a sense of like linear plus CTV or different components of CTV. But, but we're also now doing, is bringing YouTube into that. So if you think about your overall video strategy, I think a lot of times YouTube is planned either with the video team or the search team, or maybe the programmatic team, maybe the social team. So it goes back to this. Like if we can create this notion where it's okay if it's programmed with the search team, but YouTube is part of a video strategy, or a lot of times it's part of a Google plan versus, you know, they're going to do YouTube, they're going to optimize search or something. Yeah. So. So if you think about YouTube more as part of your video strategy. Yes. It can also be part of your performance strategy. It doesn't have to be either or, but you have to look at it in that context because the consumer now they're watching more YouTube on their television set than ever before.

[B]

Right, right. I want to come back to that. But the, with the, the promise of contextual, are brands bought into the value of that, that, you know, certain types of content or scenes resonate in different ways with consumers? Or is that something that still has to be proven out, that they don't, they don't necessarily have a contextual budget yet. I Guess.

[A]

Yeah, well, I mean I, it's like what's old is new. Because if you look at what really work in digital back in the day, you and I were fortunate to be, you know, in those moments. It was contextual targeting. Sure. And I think this goes back to where we were starting. Precision versus persistence. Sometimes, you know, you can be very precise about the types of places you want to be. It's how brands think about IRL type things. Like they have contextual decisions around their event marketing, their sponsorships. So why does that have to leave us when we start to layer on ad tech and, and other type of components? How do you have that contextual be a part of it? It's not throwing all the, the connection and the audience kind of intelligence out. It's just putting this on, on top of it to be a little bit smarter, a little bit more intelligent.

[B]

I don't know why you had to point out that I've been around for a long time as well, because I've

[A]

been with you, man.

[B]

But the, the, the, on the agency side, you're, you're a former agency person. Do you think or we get eventually going to see a reorg of how like are these pieces all going to have to eventually come together or is it just, is it, is that something that's going.

[A]

I think smart agencies or I'll say just smart service providers because there's, there's a lot of different ways this could come to market. Will realize format, format matters as much as channel. And so video should be planned as video, not video as channel because I think the channels are starting to merge and be less consistent or rigid. Right. But you could do the same with audio. You can do the same with pictures. You can say, you know, flat or static image, which out home and display and things like that could all be in that catalog or consideration.

[B]

We keep talking about total video. Are we in a place yet where there is a right way to measure all that? Is that, is that something that is not realistic? You know, where does that stand for you guys?

[A]

Well, I think it depends on what stage of the funnel you are. Yeah, you should have total video for, you know, your awareness. And that's going to be a certain set of KPIs and, and mid funnel consideration and then low funnel conversion. You can have that unified measurement across all of it. And I think, you know, people just have to realize there's not a one size fits all. It really comes down to the objective you want your video strategy to carry.

[B]

And I guess lastly, you know, what, what's the. What you're. You. You've been talking to folks at Cannes like, what's the marketplace right now? You know, it's. It seems like a weird, weird moment. The economy's strong, people are spending, but there was a lot of uncertainty in the world. Like, where, where do.

[A]

Yeah, I think there's this. Opportunistic is probably the right word I would put to it. I think everyone had a. Okay. Kind of first half.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so people are thinking opportunistic for the second half. Obviously, we've got a lot of strong things going on in the ad market with World cup, certainly the NBA playoffs were exciting. Sports has been doing what sports has been doing from an ad provocative kind of standpoint. I think the second half, you've got, you know, political is going to come in and then holiday will. Will be interesting. I, I think there's a lot of uncertainty. So I think we're just now used to managing the uncertainty kind of the

[B]

way of the world. Right.

[A]

So I'd say the first half of the year was addressing the uncertainty or kind of navigating the uncertainty. I like to think the second half is going to be like understanding that we just now live in an uncertain environment. And that's just what it is. Yeah.

[B]

Just getting to work.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

All right. Awesome conversation, Doug. Thank you so much for being here.

[A]

Talk to you soon.

[B]

Thanks again to my guest this week, K and View Planners, Doug Rosen and my partners at Katie, View Planner. If you like this week's episode, please take a moment to rate and leave a review. We have lots more to bring you, so please hit that subscribe button. We'll see you next time for more with Next in Media. Thanks for listening.