Mr. Ira Sussman, Senior Vice President, Research & Insights
 

Mr. Ira Sussman serves as Senior Vice President, Research and Insights for the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB). He is responsible for the development, review and execution of studies and insights emanating from the U.S. advertising supported television marketplace. He regularly provides advertisers and their agencies with information on how to most effectively use television at both the national and local levels. His career path has made him one of the few media research executives to have worked in agency, client and media organizations providing a unique breadth and depth of experience.

Sussman produces content and insights viewed as seminal in the media and television marketplace. They include the 2004 CAB How People Use TV Study, the first research known to directly compare how people’s perception and usage of both broadcast and cable television has dramatically changed. In addition, he’s produced two series of the Which Screen research study in 2006 & 2007, which investigates where and how supplementary screens such as the PC, video phone and other mobile devices are used by consumers. The study additionally explores each screen’s advertising viability. The Which Screen project has provided a benchmark for advertisers to utilize when making marketing decisions. Most recently, the CAB completed a study entitled the Ideal Viewing Experience to understand the drivers of advanced television applications such as video-on-demand, digital video recorders and Internet video. His team also produces other timely research that populates the CAB’s online media center at www.onetvworld.org.

In addition to the proprietary research projects Sussman leads, he is integrally involved in all national and local research issues impacting the cable television industry. Through the CAB, Sussman leads two cable research panels -- the Committee on National Cable Advertising Measurement (CONCAM) and the Committee on Local Cable Advertising Measurement (COLCAM). These member groups deal with topics relating to Nielsen and other key research suppliers.

Prior to joining the CAB in 2003, Sussman was Executive Vice President of Research at Initiative Media, a global media communications agency. While with Initiative, he co-authored a groundbreaking study entitled Advertising Receptivity that proved commercials in lower-rated programs have higher attention levels than mass audience programming, which was contrary to widely held industry positions.

In addition to Initiative Media, Sussman has held key research positions at some of the most respected media organizations including Kenyon & Eckhardt, Ogilvy & Mather, House of Seagram Media and Times Mirror. A former chair of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) media research committee and the Media Ratings Council (MRC) TV committee, Sussman is a fixture within the media research community. He is also a member of the steering committee for the Council of Research Excellence and is currently active with the MRC and the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF).

Sussman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Baruch College in New York City. He and his family make their home in Floral Park, New York.