Adam Hamblett is vice president and general manager of Cox Communications Inc.’s Cox Media division in New England.
PBN: What is Cox Media?
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HAMBLETT: Cox Media is the advertising sales division of Cox Communications, and our role is to offer advertising solutions that leverage Cox’s family of residential and business products and services. Our services range from media planning and production to the execution of cross-promotional campaigns across mediums like our lineup of national cable networks, Video On Demand, Cox.com, and mobile advertising.
PBN: Cox Media recently unveiled a new service called SpotXpress. What is it?
HAMBLETT: SpotXpress is a new all-digital system for managing our ad distribution. Our clients no longer need to rely on tapes and DVDs to get ad spots to us, nor do they need to ship any materials. SpotXpress ensures that spots maintain optimal video quality and audio fidelity by avoiding any transfer to an analog medium. More than 90 percent of the 43 million Cox Media spots produced annually are now managed digitally.
SpotXpress is free to Cox Media clients who can now utilize the secure online portal to conveniently upload spots. The process helps reduce costs previously incurred for shipping, receiving and tracking, and helps improve overall operational efficiencies.
PBN: Where did the idea come from?
HAMBLETT: Cox Media, like all branches of Cox Communications, is constantly striving to better address our customers’ needs and wishes. High-quality digital content management is an important part of addressing the evolving needs of advertisers. So Cox has worked with VideoShip to establish a system that would allow us to better serve our clients. We’re proud to be the first cable operator to provide an enterprise-wide digital media management system.
PBN: How does SpotXpress fit into the larger Cox Conserves initiative?
HAMBLETT: Cox Conserves is Cox’s national sustainability program, which encourages our customers, clients, employees and vendors to conserve resources, embrace renewable energy forms, and reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2017. In Rhode Island, we’ve added hybrid vehicles to our fleet and we utilize a full-circle composting program in which waste from Cox locations is used to create compost for landscaping at those same buildings.
Because SpotXpress is an all-digital solution requiring no physical materials, it allows us to dramatically reduce the amount of tapes, DVDs and other distribution materials sent to area landfills as waste. It’s a strong environmental benefit that we’re very excited about.
PBN: How else have you seen Cox Media evolve over the years?
HAMBLETT: It’s no secret that the advertising industry has gone through dramatic changes in recent years. The advent of new mediums and the rapid decline of traditional media advertising have created a tremendous opportunity for organizations like Cox Media to go beyond the traditional 30-second TV spot. We have the unique opportunity to provide clients integrated campaigns that reach their audience more effectively and efficiently. •
