Tremor Video, is a leading video technology, advertising and publishing platform that’s “bringing the certainty of science” to the brands and companies they help deliver multi-screen experiences too. Over the past year, the New York-based company has grown its footprint in not just creating marketing solutions for the second screen, but for the “four screen agnostic” planning process they know advertisers program across. We interviewed Waikit Lau, Tremor’s head of business development (who also founded ScanScout, which Tremor acquired), Andrew Baisley, director of business development, and Kate Stientjes, their NW sales manager about the four-screen TV world.
Tremor has the facts to prove why the four screens (TV, computer, smart phone and tablet) are all thriving at the same time. “Gone are the notions that digital media will cannibalize TV,” Lau describes to Lost Remote. TV viewers are watching content on different devices throughout different parts of the day and each platform is enabling a different video experience. Most recently, Tremor was a big part of thermostat technology company Nest’s big launch. They’ve also worked with GoPro and have “run several other four-screen campaigns for TV and cable channels and other major consumer brands.” Here’s how the four-screen TV world is changing the way advertisers reach consumers.
Lost Remote: What does Tremor Video think about connected TVs and a four-screen advertising and media strategy?
Wakit Lau: We believe that four-screen media strategies targeting TVs, computers, smart phones and tablets are the way of the future. In fact, many of the media planners we talk to describe a “four-screen-agnostic” planning process. We’re also acknowledging that TV is here to stay. Gone are the notions that digital media will cannibalize TV. From our data, we see that viewers consume content on different screen at different time and with different consumption use cases. For example, during the day, desktops and laptops tend to dominate while during evening, it’s tablets, mobile and TV. We are seeing a lot less cannibalization among screens than the industry originally feared. TV will continue to be the screen that commands most viewers’ attention in people’s homes — however, we believe it’s just going to be increasingly connected to the Internet, which will provide many more entertainment options for people.
LR: How pervasive are ad-supported models on connected TVs?
Lau: Tremor Video is getting into this early. Let’s take a look at the math: There are about 55 million US households with connected TVs (via Xbox, Roku, Xbox, PS3, Internet-enabled TV, Apple TVB, Roku, and Boxee). Of those, about 15 million households use CTV to connect to video, and of those about 70% use Netflix, a subscription-based model. In all, that leaves us with about 5 million households that have connected TVs and are watching content throughad-supported apps on Roku and the like. We expect to see this footprint to grow fairly fast in the coming years.
LR: Given your emphasis on CTV, does Tremor work with any traditional TV companies?
Andrew Baisley: Tremor Video works with television manufacturers (and their partners) that provide CTV services to ensure that ads can be delivered and displayed correctly. We also work, regularly, with traditional television networks who advertise their shows via video ad buys that we conduct on their behalf. We’ve had television networks advertise with us on all four screens.
LR: Can you tell me about the four-screen/CTV campaign for Nest?
Kate Stientjes: We are really pumped about the chance to work with such an innovative company. Nest was founded by Tony Fadell, who led the Apple team that created the first 18 generations of the iPod and the first three generations of the iPhone. The Nest Learning Thermostat is getting rave reviews—you can read them here. Suffice it to say, we are happy to have had a hand in Nest’s innovative, four-screen ad campaign.
Our media approach needed to be ultra-modern because Nest’s customers are tech-savvy, green and energy-conscious. As such, we recommended a 4-screen approach (online, smartphones, tablets + connected TV) to maximize reach and awareness among people who devour content across all devices.
Buying ads on connected TVs enabled us to get them on the largest screen in people’s homes in a cost-effective manner. All content on CTVs is digital, so we were able to avoid expensive media buys associated with cable/broadcast buys. From there we made the package easy to buy and execute by offering a single rate across all platforms. We used one video creative asset, which we converted to run flawlessly across all media types regardless ofoperating system and screen size.
LR: What are the details of the larger trend you see happening?
Stientjes: Yes, Nest is part of a burgeoning trend in four-screen advertising. We ran our first such ad with camera company GoPro in August. Needless to say, we appreciated the recognition, but more important, we are glad for the entire video industry to benefit from the uptick in interest.
In addition to GoPro and Nest, we’ve run several other four-screen campaigns for TV and cable channels and other major consumer brands. The demand is definitely starting to accelerate, and we’re just happy to see the idea gain traction in the industry.