The sound bite “the future of TV” is getting old.
Countless articles, white papers and industry panels have expounded on TV’s future ad-nauseum. So, let’s hit the pause button. Marketers know what the future of TV looks like—not because the industry has been able to predict it, but because the future is already here.
The TV landscape is now dominated by streamers: Time spent on digital video will surpass TV for the first time in 2023. Audiences are consuming TV content across a diverse set of platforms. This puts the possibility of data-driven planning and buying front and center, with addressability embedded into the product itself. Meanwhile, for legacy TV marketers, attention spans are shorter, and budgets are leaner—putting increased pressure on ROI.
Here are four key ways advertisers can make their ad dollars go further in the forever-changed media landscape.
Make addressable work harder
When it comes to addressable buying, there’s no “one size fits all.” Addressable targeting has evolved to offer a range of use cases that can be curated to meet campaign goals. Marketers are adapting and investing in the full spectrum of addressable solutions, allowing them to see the full picture of what addressable targeting can deliver.
For example, broad-based demographic targeting focuses on reaching large demographic segments at a national scale. Additionally, audience suppression allows advertisers to avoid specific segments to prevent duplication.
Reach extension uses 1:1 retargeting to drive brand visibility, connect with households that were missed and manage frequency. Finally, hyper-focused addressable targeting helps advertisers reach exact targets with zero wasted impressions.
For maximum impact, use a multi-layered approach with addressable buys to meet your campaign goals. Let addressable technology work harder for you.
Lean into first-party data
In the past few years, consumer data protections and cookie deprecation have upended the way audiences are tracked and targeted online—and rightly so. Audiences want consumer protections while they also want relevant advertising.
How can marketers achieve both? First-party data has become increasingly important in achieving audience attribution in a privacy-forward way. By working with partners that lean on first-party data, brands can surface new audiences and drive impact.
Build a strategy that includes CTV and linear addressable
Linear TV remains highly effective; however, its role and impact have changed in the past five years. While the power of live linear shouldn’t be ignored, CTV provides consumers access to a greater range of premium content than ever before.
Consequently, CTV has gone from a “nice to have” to an indispensable buy in any effective TV media plan for achieving maximum reach and frequency. CTV’s hold on audiences and its advertising impact is only growing, and brands are taking note.
According to the IAB, 37% of increased CTV spending is being reallocated from linear TV, and nearly two-thirds (65%) of buyers consider CTV a “must-buy.” Programmatic pipes are making CTV buying more efficient than ever before, and brands are heavily investing: Programmatic CTV will sustain its double-digit ad spend growth this year.
And while it is logical to reinvest from linear to CTV, it is also imperative advertisers embrace all buying options to truly optimize reach and frequency in today’s fragmented consumer viewership environment. This includes linear addressable, which unlocks greater targeting capabilities and brings the same impression-based, data-driven approach to cable and satellite TV environments.
Shift toward impression-based buying
Digital’s inherent addressability and impression-based nature have been merging with television for quite some time. Impression-based TV brings more to the table for advertisers: data, measurement and accountability/attribution.
Reflecting on the belief in the growing importance and value of impression-based TV, DISH Media recently announced a monumental step in this direction with the launch of DISH Connected, which allows advertisers to access DISH and Sling TV’s CTV inventory in a biddable programmatic capacity.
The TV landscape has shifted, and advertisers can no longer operate “business as usual.” Instead, an evolved approach is needed to ensure best possible outcomes. If you’re asking, “Is the industry there yet?” the answer is yes, and impression-based TV buying is the way forward.
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Kevin Arrix is responsible for DISH TV’s and SLING TV’s advertising sales, analytics and operations. He leads the team spearheading the company’s advanced advertising initiatives, which include cross-platform addressable, programmatic sales and dynamic ad insertions.
