“Meet Them Where They Are”: Premion’s Daniel Spinosa On Making CTV Simpler for Local Buyers

“CTV was built for national advertisers, but that’s changing fast,” says Daniel Spinosa, President of Premion. “Local buyers want outcomes, not jargon—and our job is to meet them with the right tech, the right support, and a path to scale.”

ALAN WOLK (AW): Where do you see Premion fitting into the broader CTV landscape?

DANIEL SPINOSA (DS): Premion was built with a local-first mindset. From the beginning, we recognized that local and regional businesses would need more support to navigate CTV—more education, more technology, and more tailored solutions. So we focused our investments on attribution, measurement, and curation tools that bring national-level capabilities to local buyers. That’s still our core mission.

AW: As the market evolves, how are you evolving with it?

DS: As technology becomes more available to regional and local markets, our job is to simplify it. We want to make digital buying more accessible, more convenient, and more effective for local advertisers. So we run in parallel with national advancements—if the big brands are moving toward outcomes, we move toward outcomes. But we do it in a way that fits local needs. It takes more education and a different approach, but our focus remains on making things easier, more flexible, and more powerful for regional buyers.

AW: What are local advertisers prioritizing right now in CTV?

DS: They’re starting to see real value in CTV and are working to optimize their campaigns. That means a growing interest in outcome-based measurement—things like sales matchback, attribution, and performance analytics. We’re also seeing increased appetite for education around programmatic buying. Local buyers are becoming more sophisticated and more strategic.

AW: We’ve seen companies like Amazon and Paramount use AI to help SMBs create ads. What impact is that having?

DS: I think it’s a big sign that national players are recognizing the power of local. Brands and platforms are starting to understand that the U.S. isn’t one unified market—it’s a patchwork of local and regional dynamics. That creates a lot of opportunities. For us, it reinforces our role as a consultative partner. We help local advertisers navigate those tools, understand what works for their maturity level, and grow with them. Whether they’re just starting out or already running sophisticated campaigns, we meet them where they are.

AW: With options like managed service, programmatic, and hybrids, what’s the smartest path for local buyers?

DS: There’s no one-size-fits-all. It depends entirely on where the advertiser is in their journey. Some need help creating an ad and getting it on CTV. Others want hands-on control with full transparency. We support that whole spectrum. The key is to make the transition seamless and to offer choice, convenience, and flexibility. Again, the buyer is the North Star—our job is to meet their needs, not dictate a path.

AW: Contextual targeting is gaining attention again. What role does it play in the local space?

DS: At the local level, we’ve always used contextual targeting—it’s not new to us. Because we work across so many publishers and inventory sources, we’re already building campaigns that consider context, audience, genre, and message alignment. What’s changing is the technology. AI is adding new layers—like recognizing emotion or scene dynamics in real time—and we’ll integrate those as they scale. But for now, we’re focused on delivering contextual relevance through smart planning and partner collaboration.

AW: What kind of measurement are clients asking for?

DS: Reach and frequency are still foundational, but we’re seeing more interest in outcome-based metrics. That includes brand lift, sales matchback, and even foot traffic. Not every advertiser has access to all of those, but they’re moving in that direction. The goal is to tie media exposure to business results, and that’s where optimization happens.

AW: Are you seeing more flexibility in how currency is defined?

DS: Definitely. We treat it as a goal-based campaign model. The client tells us what success looks like, what measurement vendor they trust—whether it’s Nielsen, Comscore, or someone else—and we build the campaign around that. Our job is to support execution, not dictate methodology. It’s about aligning on goals and working backward from there.

AW: You acquired Octillion last year. How is that playing into your strategy?

DS: Octillion brought us a more modern infrastructure—IP-based and free of cookie dependency—which is key for where the market is going. It’s enabled us to roll out true omnichannel capabilities. Now, our clients can run CTV alongside display, audio, OLV, and retargeting, all tracked through integrated attribution. That means one campaign, across multiple platforms, with one dashboard to see how it’s performing. It’s a big step forward in helping local advertisers compete with national ones.

AW: When you say “omnichannel,” you mean more than just TV?

DS: Right—multiple devices, media types, and platforms. Most advertisers today are already using a mix of digital channels. We’re not trying to replace that—we’re trying to make it easier for them to manage and optimize everything in one place. That’s where integrated data and attribution become so important.

AW: Looking ahead to the second half of the year and early next year, what are you most excited about?

DS: We’re launching programmatic live sports access for SMB and local advertisers. That’s been a tough nut to crack, but we’re working with publishing and tech partners to make it happen in time for football season. It’s a huge opportunity, and one that’s largely been out of reach for local buyers—until now. 

Beyond that, we’re continuing to invest in smarter personalization, better audience tools, and more integrated attribution. It’s all about helping our advertisers get better outcomes, with less complexity.

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