CANNES – At a time when brand loyalty is fleeting and consumer attention short-lived, Comcast is doubling down on long-term consistency, cross-screen storytelling and agency collaboration built on trust. That’s according to Todd Arata, senior vice president of brand marketing at Comcast, in a conversation with Beet.TV’s Lisa Granatstein at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Trust and chemistry are the foundation
For Arata, the key to successful brand-agency partnerships isn’t just creative alignment. It’s deep mutual understanding.
“It starts with trust,” he said. “We want to be pushed, we want to take risks, but we also need partners who can deliver at scale.”
That balance of strategic challenge and executional rigor, Arata explained, is what enables Comcast’s Xfinity brand to innovate while staying grounded in measurable results.
Full-funnel performance, with a side of buzz
While performance metrics such as subscriber acquisition, churn reduction and revenue per user remain central to Comcast’s business, Arata emphasized that brand resonance is equally vital.
“We want buzz factor,” he said. “We want to be part of the cultural conversation.”
That means producing creative that not only drives conversions but also gets people talking, and travels seamlessly across multiple screens.
Consistency is king
Arata acknowledged the ongoing tension between short-term gains and long-term brand equity.
“The challenge is staying the course when market conditions shift,” he said. “It’s easy to chase fads or one-off stunts, but it’s consistency — year over year — that builds a brand with staying power.”
He pointed to enduring brands that have maintained a clear message over decades, suggesting that discipline and clarity trump gimmicks in the long run.
Next creative frontier: Personalization on the big screen
Looking ahead, Arata sees untapped opportunity in bringing the customization and engagement of mobile ads to connected TV.
“We do storytelling really well on television,” he said. “But we need to make TV more personalized and interactive, just like the small screen.”
Imagine, he said, a future where big-screen ads adapt dynamically, whether a viewer is a music lover, a college student or a die-hard sports fan.
“That’s the creative challenge I’m most excited about,” he said.
In an era of fragmented attention, Comcast is betting that scale, precision, and emotional resonance can coexist. Brands that master this blend will lead the next chapter in media.
You’re watching “Proof of Performance: The Power of Premium Video” a Beet.TV Leadership Series at Cannes Lions 2025, presented by Comcast Advertising. For more videos from this series, please visit this page. You can find all of our coverage from Cannes Lions 2025 here.
