Embracing the Era of Addressable TV: Inside the seismic shift to audience-based video advertising

“Embracing the Era of Addressable TV: Inside the seismic shift to audience-based video advertising” was first published in MARKETING WEEKENDER Issue 322

By Raihan Hadi & Jamie West

Prologue

While we are still reeling from the shock (and joy) of finally being able to live in a “cookieless” world, much of the concentration for those who had their hands deep inside the cookie jar have started looking for the next munchie.

It goes without saying that amongst all human sensory receptors, brands and advertisers rely most on that of visuals (coupled with audio, of course), which makes video the primary mode of communicating with audiences across all demographics.

Having said that, TV has been the most trusted mode for visual communication among advertisers, and with the cookie apocalypse nearly crashing onto us, the need for using first-party data through the most popular video device in innovative ways has become vital.

In this exclusive series on addressable advertising and its future in Malaysia, we will explore the various aspects and benefits that TV advertisers can gain by embracing it.

We are accompanied in this journey by addressable advertising specialist Jamie West. Jamie is currenty acting as a Board Advisor, Investor and Consultant to companies in the TV and Video ad industry encompassing the wider eco-system covering Tech, Data, Analytics, Addressable and complete commercialisation.

Things aren’t as easy as 4 decades ago when there were a handful of TV channels that advertisers could pinpoint on, set their budgets and voila – roll out the commercials and wait for daybreak when all those potential customers would become sure-shots.

But then again, we are currently living in the age of advanced innovation, especially with regards to the things we can measure on digital media that marketers can now apply to good use when advertising on TV.

The Need to Address Target Consumers via TV

With hundreds of different channels catering to billions of audiences, where any given group of fifty isn’t the same as another, advertising via TV needs to evolve into something more, something you only thought was possible in other forms of digital media.

That something is Addressable Advertising – to put simply which means to cater to each and every different group of audience out there with an advertising message meant specifically for them, aligned with their profile regardless of the content they are consuming.The future of TV is more diverse with new opportunities for marketers – creating a better, more personal TV experience.

Targeting Minute Audiences

To date targeting within TV has generally been driven by content and who you thought might or should be watching a particular show or channel.

The last decade or so, has seen an increased focus targeting and measurement. This has been driven by the phenomenal growth of digital advertising.

The concept of granular targeting, campaign optimisation, measurement of outcomes in terms of metrics such as clicks, downloads, sales have become the norm for all marketers. Even though there have been downsides through this process, whether that be ad fraud, bots, arbitrage, inaccurate reporting of stats, a holistic view has shown us that online and digital has had a positive effect on advertising overall.

This is not least because of the fact that consumers, listeners, viewers and readers are increasingly accessing content on different platforms, on demand and on multiple devices on the go and at home.

The need therefore is for the data to be reflected in marketing campaigns so that the established media is complemented by digital campaigns or even better, through innovation evolved to incorporate the best bits of digital while capitalising on the renowned persuasive and brand-safe capabilities of TV.

Specimens of Innovation in TV

There are many examples globally of the latest innovations for advertising on TV, such as in Addressable with AdSmart from Sky, or addressable in enhanced VoD such as ITV Hub and PlanetV in the UK and so on.

With these innovations, measurement capabilities have evolved globally whether that be campaign effectiveness and ROI measurement, return path data and ACR data being utilised for insights.

There’s also targeting and/or genuine cross platform optimisation with the NBCU/Sky OneCampaign, which enables cross platform campaigns to be managed, optimised and measured as one campaign.

This has all been possible because of the significant advancement in the following areas:

• Data automation and enablement for targeting, optimisation and measurement
• Connectivity via connected TV, connected STB, or connected devices
• Advancement in Set Top Box (STB) capabilities which allow ads to be inserted via hard drive
• Return path data at scale enabling measurement

The most impactful innovation in our opinion is Addressable TV which as little as 3 or 4 years ago was seen as an interesting test and learning opportunity, but in some markets namely US, Canada, UK, Poland, France and Portugal to name a few are seeing phenomenal growth where for example in the UK up to 25% of TV and Video spend is addressable. This is expected to grow even further in the coming years.

The Future of TV is more diverse with new opportunities for marketers – creating a better, more personal TV experience.

Moving to a future of media and marketing planning driven by insights is no longer a test, with addressable advertising’s improved targeting through audience data expansion in action, the only way now is onward and upward.

Question is – are you in?

To know more about addressable advertising in Malaysia, join Jamie West at Astro Addressable Future event this 14 June 2022. Stay tuned!.

About Jamie West

Jamie advises Tech, Data and Analytics companies on how they can support the market overall and grow TV companies capabilities and revenue.

Prior to his current role, Jamie spent 30+ years in Media and the Advanced Advertising sector, with over 10 years at Sky (UK) leading the Advanced Advertising Products across addressable with AdSmart, Analytics, Video and Online.

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