CANNES – Television advertising is no longer just a vehicle for brand awareness. It’s now a measurable, performance-driven tool that delivers results across the entire marketing funnel, said Dawn Williamson, chief revenue officer of Comcast Advertising, in this interview with Lisa Granatstein, editorial director of Beet.TV, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
In an interview following the announcement of a new partnership with Mastercard, Williamson said data and attribution are transforming TV into a medium that rivals digital for accountability and precision.
“TV is evolving beyond just awareness,” she said. “We’re seeing it drive action and measurable results. We recently partnered with Mastercard to link ad exposure directly to consumer transactions, and the results were eye-opening.”
That partnership, which analyzed spending in the home improvement sector, found a 7% increase in consumer purchases among those exposed to participating ads. It marks the first time Comcast has been able to directly tie local TV ad investment to actual purchase behavior, Williamson said.
First-party data advantage
Comcast’s edge, she said, lies in its first-party data. The information enables advertisers to deliver targeted messages and track outcomes with greater confidence.
“We’re hearing loud and clear from clients: they want proof that their dollars are working,” Williamson said. “And we’re now able to deliver that.”
With both national and local addressable advertising capabilities, Comcast Advertising is positioning itself as a “full-funnel solution provider,” helping brands reach specific audiences and measure their response, whether that’s awareness, engagement or direct sales.
“Advertisers are setting ambitious KPIs,” she added. “If we understand their objectives upfront, we can craft a strategy that meets them, and prove it.”
Being part of Comcast, Williamson noted, offers distinct advantages: access to high-quality, brand-safe video content (like live sports), unmatched audience data and the technical infrastructure to track and optimize ad performance at scale.
“TV is acting like digital now,” she said. “We’re seeing advertisers not only build their brands, but also drive transactions, all within the same platform. That’s the future.”
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.
