Rob Norman

A new deal with BuzzFeed gives GroupM loads of data, which can be used for better targeting. The aim: Breakthrough campaigns. Rob Norman, chief digital officer at GroupM, talks about why the BuzzFeed deal was made, why big data is important, and how agencies are preparing for the future.

Digitally delivered news, both hard and soft, appears to combine reach, popularity, engagement and authority like no other collective of digital assets. And individual news outlets engage their readers and viewers frequently. The uncomfortable truth, however, is that the advertiser has not followed the user. If ever there was a misalignment of time spent and the allocation of advertiser dollars, this is it.