CMO Today: Facebook Pushes Advertisers to Speed Up Mobile Sites

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CMO Today: Facebook Pushes Advertisers to Speed Up Mobile Sites

By Mike Shields

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

PREFETCHING: Facebook wants to speed up loading of content on mobile phones, and it has a tough message for advertisers: we’ll do our part, but you have to do yours, too. The tech giant said it will start pre-loading some advertisers’ websites (the term of art is “pre-fetching”) so they load quickly after a user clicks on an ad, reports CMO Today. This approach can shorten site load time by up to 29%, Facebook says. At the same time, Facebook is telling advertisers that if they don’t optimize their own sites for mobile, they could find that their ads aren’t delivered to users with slow connections. Translation: it’s a good time to hire that mobile optimization guy. Streamlining mobile access is becoming a theme. Facebook has been doing the same thing with publishers -- that’s Instant Articles -- and Google’s Amp project plays the same notes.

GALLOP POLL: Multiple incidents over the past year have underscored Madison Avenue’s lack of diversity and the fact that much of the cringeworthy behavior depicted in “Mad Men” lives on in 2016. Amid all the disturbing developments, Cindy Gallop has become a vocal proponent of change. The former ad executive and consultant joined the WSJ Media Mix podcast and offered an interesting theory on why sexism and other isms persist in the industry. The leaders setting the tone represent a “closed loop of white guys talking to white guys about other white guys,” she said. So these white guys, who often sit atop ad agencies making big salaries, aren’t about to shake things up too much--and they’re probably less likely to be influenced by non-white-guy-thinking. Thus change feels glacial--if it is even happening at all. “If it were happening, those regular lighting rod moments wouldn’t happen,” she said. Check out the episode and subscribe on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify or Stitcher.

LIVE TEST: The Olympics and VMAs may have been ratings disappointments, but the most reliable of live event programming is around the corner: NFL games. Here’s betting that the numbers for NFL broadcasts will be as strong as ever. How confident are advertisers? They are already committed to spend more than $2.5 billion on NFL commercial time this season, reports Broadcasting and Cable. Consider that NBCUniversal locked up $1.2 billion just prior to the recent Rio Olympics (the company was hoping to bring in more ads during the Games), and struggled with its ratings guarantees. TV network sales executives say that had zero impact on the NFL sales, and that they’ve all sold more ad inventory than last season, at higher prices, according to B&C. It makes sense. While the Olympics has its issues with live viewing, and the tape-delayed, bloated, profile-heavy content really bucks up against the way people watch TV these days, the NFL is a cross-generational annual ritual. If its numbers slip this year, then it’s really time to panic it TV land.

MEDIA PRO: This digital company is planning to roll out 32 short-form Web shows between now and early 2017. It’s brought on 200 staffers for these projects, which include a travel series, a documentary on the Real Madrid legendary soccer club, and a show focused on New York motorcycle cops in training. Sound rather Vice-esque? Actually, these shows are in the works at GoPro, the once red-hot camera maker that has had a very rough time as a public company. GoPro is often lumped together with Red Bull as one of the top marketers trying to get serious about being a media company. As Variety reports, GoPro is upping its game under former MTV and Warner Music programming executive Ocean MacAdams, who boasts, “we’ve really begun to evolve into multi-episode narrative storytelling as opposed to one-off events.” MacAdams envisions putting GoPro’s entertainment business on par with the company’s hardware unit.

ELSEWHERE

Instead of formally presenting Viacom’s board with a plan to sell a Paramount Pictures stake, ousted CEO Philippe Dauman will reportedly submit a memo spelling out Dalian Wanda’s bid. [THR]

CBS said its subscription streaming service CBS All Access will offer an ad-free option for $9.99 a month, but only the on-demand programming will be commercial-free. [WSJ]

Meanwhile, CBS Sports will begin streaming a live sports commentary show hosted by national columnist Bill Reiter. It will air three times week during prime time on CBSSports.com and the corresonding mobile and TV apps. [Digiday]

The ratings for MTV’s Video Music Awards were down 34% versus last year, but the network delivered three times as many videos streams on various digital platforms compared to 2015. The big challenge for the network is that “there’s no uniform metric across every single platform that equalizes all of this,” said MTV president Sean Atkins. [Variety]

Netflix has renewed its buzzy summer series “Stranger Things” for a second season. [Variety]

Fox Sports 1 is promoting former ESPN personality Skip Bayless’s new show on billboards near its rival network’s headquarters. [WSJ]

The New York Times is cutting back on its local coverage of restaurants and culture in areas like Connecticut and Long Island, laying off dozens of contributors. [Deadline]

Brands like Beats and Electronic Arts are now facing a tough question: do they continue sponsoring NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who last week declined to stand up during the National Anthem before a game? Mr. Kaepernick’s move, which he said was meant to protest oppression of African Americans, has drawn praise and criticism. [Ad Age]