The emergence of connected and over-the-top TV solutions for advertisers presents the promise of one-to-one advertising, going beyond the old demographic targeting approach.
But few ad agencies out there believe that a grand lurch from one medium to another would be sensible.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Dentsu Aegis Network’s VP of video innovation Brad Stockton says a multi-channel approach is vital.
Going omni
“We don’t look at any one tactic alone,” Stockton says. “Whether it’s linear TV, if it’s connected TV, digital video, or social, it’s really about starting with ‘where are your people consuming content?’
From there, we’re going to identify the best ways to measure how those audiences are watching that content and the effectiveness of reaching them on said platform.
“So, it’s really about an omnichannel strategy and not looking at any one platform in a silo.”
Best of both
Despite the seemingly binary nature of digital and TV, the application of data is also revolutionizing the planning and buying of linear television.
“The truth is, every client can make sense for advanced linear,” Stockton says.
“We know ratings fragmentation is continuing to happen, but we know that TV works. So, that doesn’t mean that we should just stop buying TV, or only move to an addressable audience or a people base.
“(We can) go after audiences that are actually category buyers, as opposed to 18 to 49, or 25 to 54. It’s really about taking your linear audiences and really understanding what day parts programmes and networks are going to work the hardest for you against your core audiences.”
Stockton is talking about brands like quick-service restaurants that have wide appeal across demographics, for which advanced targeting can reveal lucrative audiences, nevertheless delivered through channels like TV.
sdfAudience-first
Stockton says modern agency business invokes software from platforms like Xandr to identify the networks, day parts and time periods that makes sense for brands to reach particular audiences, buying the correct schedule.
He says effective strategy is not just about taking a channel-by-channel approach . Rather, it is increasingly possible to find and reach the right audience, on whichever platform they happen to be.
“The truth of the matter is, consumers dictate how our strategy should be moving forward, where consumers are watching content,” he says.
“How they’re watching content is ultimately how we have to make sure, as advertisers, we are being as agile as possible to following the eyeballs.
“Ultimately, we have to find our audiences and, if advanced TV gives us the ability to do that, we’re just ensuring that we’re always pushing the boundaries to ensure that we are still always testing and learning.”
You are watching Where We Go From Here: The Lessons and Opportunities of 2020, a Beet.TV series presented by Xandr. For more videos, please visit this page.
