JPMorgan Chase’s David Pinto-Carpenter on redefining media buying for a 225-year-old banking giant

JPMorgan Chase’s fortunes may be tied to numbers, but whether they’re flashing green or red, the banking giant can always draw confidence from its most enduring figures — a 225-year legacy and a global presence in more than 100 countries.

Still, remaining the top dog in a highly competitive and tightly regulated industry requires a willingness to rethink the status quo. That’s why last year’s upfronts were “an inflection point,” says David Pinto-Carpenter, managing director of media strategy and insights at JPMorgan Chase. Speaking on The Current Podcast, he explains how the event marked a shift in the company’s approach to buying CTV ad inventory as part of a broader rethink of its media buying strategies.

“What really prompted that change were the options that we have to procure media in different ways,” Pinto-Carpenter says. “What is the best method of buying? Is this something that we need to buy as a commodity at the best price? Is this something that we need to buy that’s highly targeted to a household [where] we need to control the programming?”

Pinto-Carpenter says the company’s focus on treating its media strategy “a lot more like financial planning and analysis” means that “if we don’t make more than we spend, we’re a bank, we’re probably not going to get that money again. So, we treat an initial investment as very sacrosanct.”

Elsewhere, Pinto-Carpenter shares how JPMorgan Chase is adapting to changing consumer expectations for financial services, what he thinks is holding back more investment in CTV and why he’s comfortable not being a first mover.