Glen Calvert, founder of Affectv, dislikes thinking ‘outside the box’, but is excited by the prospect of programmatic creative.
1. Summarise yourself in three words.
“Startups. Golf. Whisky.”
2. What made you want to pursue a career in media and marketing?
“I knew that the creative and dynamic nature of media would suit me. It changes constantly, is topical and central to many people’s lives.”
3. Describe your ideal client.
“One that doesn’t measure the success of their marketing activity based on the supplier that provided the last click.”
4. Name your favourite ever campaign.
“The Nike adverts from over 10 years ago that had football players in cages taking each other on in teams of three. During the Champions League final they had the advert run for the whole ad break showing the best players going head to head; Cantona, Carlos, Henry etc. With an Elvis song over the top of it, brilliant!”
5. Which award win are you most proud of, and why?
“Affectv was placed eleventh in the Sunday Times TechTrack 100 in 2015, the barometer of the fastest-growing and most interesting tech startups in the UK. We were the highest placed ad tech startup.”
6. Who is the best industry speaker you have seen?
“Brian O’Kelly (AppNexus) he combines making the complex easy to understand while also manage to include his company’s USP’s and PR position without it being too obvious.”
7. Which is your favourite social media platform, and why?
“WhatsApp, free and easy.”
“In our industry, what has historically been the domain of the creative agency is due to come under the spotlight”
8. Where is your ideal meeting venue?
“A cliché I know, but breakfast at the Soho Hotel.”
9. What is your favourite restaurant?
“Hawksmoor, Covent Garden. Probably another cliché.”
10. What is hot in international media and marketing, and what is not?
“Programmatic creative. The ability for data and programmatic targeting to impact the real-time delivery of creative. It’s hot right now as it promises to intersect programmatic targeting with creative for true one-to-one personalised advertising, but also promises to disrupt many brands, agencies and tech firms. It’s another example of software disrupting the established order. In our industry, what has historically been the domain of the creative agency is due to come under the spotlight.”
11. Which industry buzzword would you ban?
“Think outside the box.”
12. Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
“Still within the digital media industry. As all media will be digital and all advertising programmatic, it promises to be as innovative as ever with a future based on VR, AR and AI.”
13. Finally, who would play you in a movie of your life?
“The Rock!”
