Although there is a continued lack of simple, industry-wide standards for cross-media and/or connected TV metrics -- as well as some eye-opening fraud issues -- CTV advertising dollars are estimated to rise to $11 billion.
What’s the most important issue? Perhaps a clue is where the actual dollars are flowing.
Many CTV dollars have benefited traditional TV players and their associated platforms -- in large part due to advertisers belief that fraud issues will be minimal and/or adjusted should things go wrong.
Nearly four of five advertising executives say fraud is a major concern, according to recent poll by Advertiser Perceptions, repeating many results of other studies.
Results come from 284 advertising executives -- 42% from marketers, 58% media agencies -- in November and December 2020. An additional 300 advertisers were interviewed in January 2021 about the upfront.
Another key part of the study -- which bolsters the fraud argument -- comes from questions in ranking the “most valuable” media platform.
Easily the best results goes to linear TV. It gets a 32% nod from executives. After this comes social media, 16%; video sites, 15%; DSPs for online/mobile video 9%, and data-driven linear TV, 8%. Streaming CTV/OTT comes next at 6% -- tied with addressable linear TV.
In particular, the study found big-brand TV advertisers more likely to go to a TV network-owned streaming platforms. Advertising executives want from streamers what they get from linear TV buys: Brand-safe areas, in environments where other premium-produced video content exists.
The downside: CTV/OTT platforms have far less ad inventory available than a typical linear TV network show -- which is an attraction to prospective streaming TV consumer/users, as well as pleasing to brand advertisers looking for a less cluttered media environment.
Keep all this in mind as we head into the thick of the upfront selling season -- as traditional TV networks make further linear TV and streaming TV selling adjustments.
Now let's go back to measurement.
Nearly 60% say the more impressions that are bought outside of linear TV networks/platforms, the harder it is to know the precise reach, frequency and effectiveness of overall video advertising campaigns. Thus, marketers continue to seek a industry standard for cross-platforms measurement.
This would also be a big issue at the 2021 TV upfronts. But not the main issue. First, deal with the fraud.
Source: Mediapost.com
