The Monday Markup: Heart Rate
From spend to biometrics, emotion is the metric that has always mattered
Here's what caught my eye this week…
Back to the Top
The buzzword of 2026 may be “outcomes,” but some advertisers are seeing the need to put a renewed focus on the top of the funnel. The case study: 1-800-Flowers. The flower delivery company, which was using a highly transactional keyword approach to advertising, told the Wall Street Journal, “The most important asset we have, it’s our brand. And unfortunately, we hadn’t invested in the brand for a while. We are reversing that.” The company found that it was spending $40 to acquire a sale but only making a $20 margin on the transaction.
Monica’s Markup: A word of caution to marketers: when executive teams push for short term gains at the expense of long term brand affinity, the blame falls on you when the performance begins to suffer. This necessary balancing act between brand recognition and performance is why there is so much attention on CTV right now. TV as a platform continues to show that it can drive results in both realms, and marketers can use that to their advantage.
Money Moments
Advertisers have always loved buying sports, and new research from Genius Sports and MediaScience shows that timing makes a huge impact. The biometric study found that ads shown immediately after high-emotion moments saw up to a 2x lift in unaided brand recall and overall higher attention rates compared to those shown after more routine gameplay. Genius Sports offers brands the ability to activate against these moments with its real-time game data.
Monica’s Markup: The Genius Sports pitch is a proof point for why sports rights will continue to move towards streaming. The leagues, platforms, and AdTech partners have a lot to gain from the dynamic ad insertion and targeting capabilities that come with streaming. It makes sense then why broadcasters and the US DOJ are putting pressure on the NFL and why the NFL is pushing back. Even though this fight continues to be framed as a consumer access issue, this is really all about who is making the money on these moments.
Video Hired the Radio Star?
The boundaries between media types are beginning to blur. Starting this week, Netflix will be airing “The Breakfast Club” morning talk show live daily. Previously the on-demand video version of the radio show was available on YouTube and it will still be available on local radio stations. The three-hour program is a first for Netflix and is a part of a larger licensing deal with iHeartMedia. Spotify is another platform leaning into the cross-media trend, adding magazine articles to its audio content mix.
Monica’s Markup: As a mixed Black person in Atlanta, I am very familiar with the cultural impact of The Breakfast Club as well as some of the controversy it has experienced over the years. Radio has a history of developing shows with a “shock” factor, where hosts or guests may say things that can come off a bit wild. Based on what happened with the WWE, I think there will be minimal restrictions on the content. This partnership represents an opportunity for radio to transform itself by forming a symbiotic relationship with video streaming platforms.
Thanks for tuning in!
Monica Longoria