“On TV And Video” is a column exploring opportunities and challenges in advanced TV and video.
Today’s column is written by Mike Bevans, global vice president of product solutions, marketing and partnerships, at Xaxis.
In the age of media fragmentation, securing the appropriate level of reach and frequency in video can feel overwhelming.
Just picture the day of typical media consumers. Some might flip on TV news while dressing in the morning, snack some mobile content on the commute to work, spend a day in front a desktop computer, watch more mobile video on the way home and then relax with a scripted TV show on demand via addressable TVs.
An older demographic may prefer linear TV, mixed with Facebook while catching some shows on a tablet.
And cord-nevers may use nothing but phones, laptops and perhaps connected TVs (CTVs).
How, then, can advertisers reach their target audiences, avoid oversaturating them with messaging and also corral media spend?
The answer lies in thinking first about the media consumer instead of allocating budgets to specific channels from the start. It’s a sophisticated, user-centric, one-to-one approach that flips traditional media buying on its head.
Think of it as dynamic omnichannel marketing: Find the individuals’ media habits and use those as a way to forecast impressions and behavior across channels.
It’s a holistic approach that goes beyond any screen, platform, walled garden or publisher. It means gathering data and then using it at scale to tailor insertions while constantly refining the mix.
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It means, too, that there is no one right answer. Reaching each consumer with the right level of frequency and impact requires measuring the consumer, then building up from there across mobile, desktop, addressable and linear TV.
The right mix, beyond digital
It also means tailoring to the product and the brand.
A major CPG brand trying to increase brand awareness among adults in a broad, 18 to 50-year-old demographic, for example, might start with traditional linear TV to gain the widest possible reach, brand lift and favorability. It can reach the cord-cutters and cord-nevers via full episode players across desktop and CTV.
That can all be reinforced through other platforms. There might be six-second videos on handheld mobile or skippable ads on the desktop, all sequenced to play in an order that creates a positive customer journey.
Multiple studies, such as those from the IAB [PDF] and others, have shown that messaging creates the greatest brand lift when TV and digital are seen in conjunction.
Another brand, say an ecommerce product focused on increasing awareness and online purchases among working parents aged 35-49 years old, might swing the mix more toward digital and add incremental reach with further digital insertions, such as pre-roll on desktop and mobile.
It’s all about the data
Whatever the mix, the trick is knowing what to measure and then correctly utilizing those data to build a coherent, balanced and maintainable strategy.
We have the capability to match targeting at the individual device level with other media measured via the household. Many providers help achieve cross-correlation of data and matching to ensure unduplicated reach without a surfeit of frequency that would oversaturate any segment.
Those data let marketers focus on the consumer, giving the required control of frequency, sequencing and personalization that delivers a better, more engaging experience that also benefits the brand.
We can focus on goals beyond simple marketing KPIs, beyond any channel, screen or device, and instead on the real business outcomes that every brand wants to achieve.
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