For The Ad Tech Industry, CES’s Real Draw Is The ‘Show Within The Show’

The Consumer Electronics Show may be “the event people love to hate,” as IAB CEO David Cohen told AdExchanger — but it’s still the place to be at the start of every new year.

CES, which takes place from January 7 to 10 in Las Vegas, had more than 138,000 registered visitors last year, which is not even a record for the event. It happened close to 170,000 inches 2015.

The fairgrounds are also full. Last year there were more than 4,300 exhibitors, which is approximately 17% more than ten years ago.

With so much noise, it can be difficult for ad tech companies to stand out. In 2024, only 4% of participants – less than 6,000 people – were in the advertising and marketing industry, according to CES.

But as CES proudly announces on its exhibitor’s website“every company is a technology company” – and as anyone in the advertising industry knows, where there’s technology, there’s potential for ad revenue.

The technique is all down

For example, one of the things that excites Mike Brooks, global head of business development and partnerships at LG Ad Solutions, is the potential of “display expanding into non-traditional environments,” as well as shoppable TV commercials and ad-supported CTV offerings. .

Of course, just because a product or service includes a display doesn’t mean it should automatically include ads—just as not every product can justify including artificial intelligence. Not that you’ll be able to avoid AI at CES, even if you tried.

Last year, roughly one-fifth—more than 28,000 participants—claimed to work in artificial intelligence.

But for each inexplicable A toothbrush powered by artificial intelligencethere may also be a vertical AI product — meaning one that’s actually built for a specific task in an industry — that could be useful to marketers, said EDO President and CEO Kevin Krim.

Or, in the words of Nancy Hall, CEO of Mindshare North America: “There has to be a fundamental human insight at the heart of what you do and real value to your audience.”

CES vs. CTV

Meanwhile, CES also marks the unofficial start of what could be thought of as a CTV advance, months before the annual ad buying season for linear TV, Krim said.

So it’s no surprise that digital companies with streaming offerings, including Amazon, YouTube and Roku, are coming to CES in force.

“Attending CES is a no-brainer,” said Sarah Harms, Roku’s vice president of advertising, marketing and measurement.

But also expect traditional publishers like NBCUniversal, Paramount and Disney to be present with programmatic buying and ad efficiency in mind as well.

“If I had to pick one word that will be repeated at CES, it would be: ‘Easy,'” said Mark McKee, CEO of Freewheel. “How do we make TV advertising easy to buy, easy to manage, easy to verify, easy to show impact?”

Matryoshka of meetings

It’s also easier to get meeting time with decision makers at a trade show like CES. People are there to make deals.

Brands, agencies, publishers and ad tech platforms are using CES as an excuse to convene their own “show within a show,” said IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur, who is not attending this year but has attended CES multiple times in the past.

Many don’t even set foot in the convention center itself, but hold meetings and give presentations in nearby Las Vegas hotel rooms.

Where things have changed in recent years is that companies seem to be sending fewer representatives than they did in the past.

One reason could be a hangover from pandemic-related disorders. After being forced to go virtual only in 2021, CES has yet to fully return to its pre-Covid numbers.

But there is also a simpler explanation: cost.

“It’s not a cheap trip,” Katsur said. “It has to make fiscal sense.”