1. Locality plays a central role in connecting brands with local audiences. What makes local advertising such a powerful lever for marketers today?
Local advertising enables brands to show up in the moments and places that matter most. At Locality, we help advertisers optimize opportunity markets, tailoring campaigns not just by DMA but down to more precise geographies, such as zip codes. This localized focus allows messaging to connect deeply with communities and individuals, whether that’s through regional promotions, neighborhood relevance, or supporting local events. The result is high-impact engagement with increased targeting, driven by the ability to tailor creative by location and deliver it across broadcast, streaming, or digital-only platforms at scale.
2. We often hear that ‘local is personal.’ How do you think this idea shapes campaign strategy and creative messaging across platforms?
The phrase “local is personal” is more than a tagline – it’s a strategic truth that reshapes how brands connect with audiences. Every purchase is inherently local, whether it’s made at a national chain or a mom-and-pop shop. Campaigns that leverage local insights, mentioning city names, regional websites, show relevant landmarks or geography consistently outperform generic messaging because they reflect the lived experiences of consumers.
According to our 2024 Local Lift survey with The Harris Poll, 71% of viewers expect ads to reflect their local identity, and engagement is significantly higher when messages feel personal to their community. That’s why platforms like LocalX and tools like Reach+ are so valuable; they empower advertisers to manage this personalization at scale, across both broadcast and streaming, while optimizing the mix to drive incremental reach in every market.
This shift from broad national reach to meaningful local engagement is redefining campaign strategy. Today’s most effective marketers understand that real impact happens in the communities where people live, celebrate, and connect — from fans rallying around a hometown team to neighbors gathering for local events. These shared moments offer powerful opportunities for brands to build emotional resonance. As a result, smart CMOs are investing in localized strategies that reflect the unique passions and values of regional audiences across platforms.
3. Broadcast remains a trusted and widely viewed medium. How does it continue to earn its place in a converged media plan?
According to the 2025 Purchase Funnel Study conducted by GfK/NIQ for TVB, television remains the most influential medium across all stages of the consumer journey and across every major demographic:
- 82% of consumers say that linear TV ads influence their online search behavior, demonstrating strong lower-funnel impact.
- Among those who rank TV highest for awareness, seven out of 10 choose broadcast over cable.
- 68% of consumers cite TV as their top platform for ad exposure, more than triple the next five platforms combined.
- As found in our own Local Lift study in late 2024, and again in the 2025 Purchase Funnel Study, local broadcast news is the most trusted media source and has held that position for years.
This trust translates into real results: advertisers benefit from a halo effect when aligned with trusted local content, enhancing credibility and brand perception.
Broadcast also delivers what few platforms can: broad, market-wide reach with local precision. It captures not only a specific demographic, but entire communities – boosting awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. For brands aiming to build resonance at scale, local broadcast remains a foundational force in any converged media strategy.
4. Streaming has certainly changed the media landscape. In your view, how should advertisers be thinking about local in a digital-first world?
Streaming has absolutely transformed the media landscape, but it hasn’t diminished the importance of local – it’s elevated it. At Locality, we believe local is no longer just about geography; it’s about using data to create more meaningful connections between brands and communities. In a digital-first world, advertisers need to think about local as a dynamic signal, not just a place on a map.
That’s exactly why we launched Locality’s Audience Engine. This tool, purpose-built specifically for local, brings together deterministic and behavioral data to help advertisers target with greater precision across every screen. When you combine that intelligence with our unified buying infrastructure, spanning broadcast, CTV, vMVPDs, and FAST channels, you get more than just reach. You get relevance, scale, and measurable outcomes.
Local campaigns require nuance. What resonates in Boston might fall flat in Jacksonville. With the Audience Engine, we can now bring that nuance to life through precision activation that’s both scalable and actionable. With streaming now accounting for nearly half of all U.S. TV viewing and FAST channels reaching 70% of viewers monthly, platforms like CTV and FAST blend the emotional resonance of local content with the reach, targeting, and measurability of digital media. In short, local CTV and FAST aren’t just add-ons—they’re central to driving brand growth in a streaming-first era.
5. There’s growing demand for transparency and accountability in media. What progress is being made in measuring local campaigns effectively?
Local measurement is evolving fast. The industry is working to close the gap between what is measurable and what matters. Industry efforts are underway to standardize definitions of viewership, align on metrics that reflect both scale and engagement, and improve data interoperability across platforms.
Providers like Nielsen (Big Data enhanced), Comscore (MRC-approved), and VideoAmp (JIC-approved) are all working to advance the adtech landscape. Locality is actively involved in collaborative initiatives like CIMM and the Nielsen Advisory Board pushing for greater standardization.
At Locality, we combine third-party validation with our own robust first-party data—including ACR signals, IP logs, and delivery data from FreeWheel—to offer a more complete picture of campaign performance. Through our LocalX platform, advertisers gain access to real-time insights, cross-platform deduplication, and tools that translate complex data into clear, actionable outcomes. For local linear, Locality is leading in developing a platform that provides complete Nielsen viewing data for all 208 local markets within 5 days of airing. This enhanced monitoring of schedules and data recenticy brings Linear TV closer to CTV for advertisers
So, while the path toward total standardization is ongoing, Locality is actively pushing the industry forward, building transparency, consistency, and confidence into every local campaign.
6. From your perspective, what’s the unique value proposition of combining broadcast and streaming in a local media buy?
A truly effective local campaign combines the reach of broadcast with the precision of streaming. Local broadcasters now offer digital extensions like FAST channels and live streams, extending the trusted broadcast environment into the digital space. On the streaming side, Locality’s platform gives access to a multi-publisher footprint and rich targeting capabilities. Our proprietary technology like Reach+ allow us to model the ideal mix of linear and digital to optimize incremental reach, which is essential for maximizing ROI in local markets.
7. How has advertiser sentiment around local investment evolved over the past few years, particularly as new technologies and platforms have emerged?
We’ve seen a dramatic shift. Advertisers have always recognized the value of local messaging; it’s more personal, more trusted, and often more effective. But historically, executing locally at scale felt cumbersome. Fragmented platforms, siloed measurement, and manual workflows were real barriers.
That’s changed. With the rise of streaming and the launch of Locality’s Audience Engine, local is no longer a tradeoff; it’s a performance multiplier. Advertisers can now localize with the same sophistication they expect from national buys. They can target based on real behavior, unify campaign execution across platforms, and validate results with consistent metrics.
At Locality, we’ve centralized that entire process, from planning and pacing to measurement and attribution—so advertisers can invest locally with confidence. The shift we’re seeing isn’t just about technology – it’s about removing friction so the full power of local can finally be realized.
8. What’s one misconception you think still exists about local advertising—and how would you set the record straight?
One common misconception is that local advertising is too fragmented or limited in scale to make a meaningful impact. In reality, local is one of the most effective ways to drive results, especially when supported by the right infrastructure. With one client campaign in Q1 of 2025, we were able to deliver the largest in-market incremental reach when leveraging local ads across broadcast and streaming across 85 DMAs. This is just one example of how local advertising is changing the game in terms of ROAS.
With Locality, advertisers no longer have to choose between scale and precision. They can activate campaigns that are locally relevant, deeply targeted, and operationally seamless, reaching the right audiences with messages that resonate in their specific communities.
Local advertising builds trust, drives action, and creates real connections that national-only strategies often miss. The key is having the tools to execute it efficiently and measure it consistently.
9. As media continues to converge, what role do you believe local advertising will play in shaping the future of brand strategy?
As media continues to converge, local will be the connector, bridging national scale with local, personal relevance. Brands that incorporate local strategies will gain a competitive edge in trust, engagement, and purchase intent, especially as cross-platform measurement becomes more reliable, and data becomes more actionable.
10. What excites you most about the direction local media is headed—and where does Locality see the biggest opportunity for growth?
I’m most excited by the fusion of data, technology, and local storytelling — especially as we enter a new era of precision at scale, powered by smarter, AI-driven insights. With platforms like LocalX, innovations like our Audience Engine, and initiatives through CIMM, we’re finally closing the gap between broadcast and digital, delivering full visibility across devices and screens.
Advertisers are increasingly leaning into technology that delivers real-time insights and measurable results. Locality’s Audience Engine is helping lead that shift — using centralized data, AI, and automation to transform disconnected workflows into actionable strategies. The biggest opportunity lies in helping advertisers understand the incrementality and performance of local. When that value is clear, implementation follows — driving reach, trust, and results. It’s all about unlocking the full potential of data and rethinking what’s possible in local advertising today.
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