Industry Profile: Adam Roberts at SeenThis

Adam Roberts: general manager ANZ at SeenThis 

Time in current role/time at the company:

I have been the SeenThis GM in Australia and New Zealand for nearly three years.

How would you describe what the company does?

We are an adaptive ad-streaming tech solution that enables agencies, brands and publishers to stream any video asset to high impact display formats. With no maximum file size restrictions, streamed video ad formats load and play instantly, regardless of the device or connection strength of the end user. 

This is fundamentally different to how digital ads are currently being served today using traditional and slow, download technology.

What do you do day-to-day?

We are still quite a small team here at SeenThis ANZ and no one day is the same which I love. We position ourselves as ‘infrastructure tech’ which means we can be speaking to adtech, publishers, agencies and brands all in a single day, and we usually are!

Define your job in one word:

Adaptive.

I got into advertising/ad tech/marketing because:

After three years in finance and then the GFC, media looked like a much more fun industry to work in. It also allowed me to tap into my creative side.

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role?

Changing mindsets. We have created an entirely new format in adaptive streaming. Typically, we are placed in either a video or display bucket, when strictly speaking we are the best of both. The penny usually drops when they realise they can now stream instant loading, video ads with the highest possible quality depending on user conditions, to the entire programmatic display universe at a display price point. 

What’s the biggest industry-wide challenge you’d like to see tackled? 

Right now, its sustainability. It is not on everyone’s radar at the moment, but it should be. The internet is a huge polluter in terms of C02 emissions and accounts for approximately 2% of annual global GHG (greenhouse gas emissions), which to put it in perspective, puts it on par with the global aviation sector. 

I sit on both the IAB Video & Sustainability Councils and am proud of the work that SeenThis is doing to improve not only the awareness of the challenge we face, but also figuring out how we can progress to one consistent open & transparent framework for the measurement of digital CO2 emissions. With a consistent framework, our industry can then include environmental performance metrics alongside economic outcomes of media that will ensure we create long term, more sustainable media solutions.

Previous industry related companies you have worked at:

Val Morgan, Snakk Media, and TAG Worldwide. 

Who is/has been a great mentor to you and why?

Jenny Parkes. Having worked with Jenny for a number of years, she has been an advisor, supporter and friend to me ever since. Jenny taught me how to grow with and from the people you surround yourself with.

Words of advice for someone wanting a job like yours?

Make it happen. No one else is going to do it for you.

If I wasn't doing this for a living, I'd be:

An architect. I love building and I love buildings.

My mantra / philosophy is:

Make it happen!

My favourite advert is: 

The Google AFL ad ‘Helping you help them’ – they nailed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_vKNN-TFTI

Music and TV streaming habits. What do you subscribe to?

Soundcloud, Spotify, Netflix & Disney+.

Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?

I rate myself as a champion Backgammon player!

In five years’ time, I'll be:

The dream would be, retired and living in Byron. The reality…five years older and a little bit greyer.