The Internet is fundamentally changing the way audiences interact with their TVs, and this in turn is providing new opportunities to the advertiser who can now apply digital metrics to TV. The promise of a platform that can deliver on both long and short term goals concurrently sounds like a dream come true, right?
However, the challenge for this still nascent platform is: how can we work together as an industry to effectively turn this promise into a reality.
Creating lean-in experiences for consumers
Being connected to the Internet, Smart TVs now offer advertisers the ability to lean-in and engage with a consumer through the use of tools like branded apps and micropages.
During MediaTel’s ‘The Future of TV Advertising Global’, I was speaking to Melanie Rupp from SEAT Germany and Annika Woerder about from PHD about the brand’s new CTV campaign. SEAT wanted to showcase interesting and engaging content about a new car to build brand equity, whilst giving consumers the opportunity to actively engage when watching TV, which was measured via targeted performance metrics. SEAT invested in a microsite rich with video content showing features of the car, whilst also giving viewers the opportunity to shop via a QR code leading them directly to a test-drive form.
The brand also created a smart TV app to give consumers the opportunity to find out more about the product whilst watching TV. The results so far has been a more sophisticated campaign that uses Samsung Smart TV data to extend the reach of traditional linear TV campaigns; showcasing CTVs versatility to be not just a TV but also a content hub, a browser and a place to discover more.
TV advertising goes beyond the 30 second spot
Our latest first-party Q2 data analysis shows that, for the first time, Samsung Smart TVs in the UK are showing more streaming content than linear TV – where linear TV is defined as TV consumed on a set channel at a set time of day – constituting over 55% of total TV viewership time.
Of that group, the majority are accessing subscription-based, ad-free services, creating a challenge for brands to reach large audiences with commercial messages via linear TV campaigns alone. It’s therefore important for brands to consider other methods to engage with TV audiences that complement, but also reach beyond, the traditional 30 sec ad spot.
Effective data is vital to give a sense of how the landscape is changing to help engage with audiences in new ways – ones that complement linear brand-building activities by engaging with the consumer more through data-driven targeting. For example, using a combination of deterministic data points we have access to at Samsung Ads, brands have the ability to understand which TV devices have been exposed to their linear TV ads, as well as those ads served within on-demand streaming services on devices connected to our TVs.
We can also understand the audience profile of those exposed audiences, such as when exposed audiences are more likely to watch TV, what other programmes and channels they watch, the types of connected devices they have attached to their Samsung Smart TV and more.
This enables advertisers to target those unexposed TVs using new ad formats, giving them incremental reach – providing the ability to reach those that would have been missed by a traditional linear campaign, whilst preventing duplication of reach.
Discussing how data helps define the wider TV strategy, Annika Woerder from PHD said, “The audience insights from Samsung…[allow us to] measure incremental reach… which is a helpful KPI to measure the success of a campaign….During our last campaign we reached about 73% incremental reach, which is a great number. Gaining insights from the Cupra campaign [means] we have the possibility to point out the users who visited our app [which] is a good way to optimise with data and…gives us the possibility to learn about what [our audience is] interested in and what they are doing, so this data is powerful.”
Making the most of CTV for effective brand performance
There’s still some way to go to perfect the balance between brand and performance. The key to this is developing data and measurement tools that helps us improve TV campaign planning iteratively.
Consumers always want good content at their convenience and advertisers can contribute to this by curating ad experiences that create a more active and engaged TV experience. This isn’t a matter of replacing traditional TV campaigns, but extending them, enabling brands to reach relevant audiences wherever they’re viewing their TV content.
Brand building is still the most important driver for growth, and with the increase in Internet usage over the past ten years it has given advertisers new ways to fulfill this job.
The digital revolution has made TV advertising more effective, not less. It’s an exciting opportunity to engage with viewers and tell the brand story in a different way, connecting both linear and CTV to improve overall brand campaign performance. There’s never been a better time to start testing and learning what CTV can do for a brand.
Source: v-net.tv
