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Going Beyond Brand Awareness with CTV

In the ever-distracting world of electronics, it can feel impossible to capture users’ attention. Often, we’re competing against multiple screens and outside influences, which makes capturing a user's attention with CTV and getting them interested in a brand they might not have heard of before that much more difficult. 

But the outlook isn’t all bad for brand awareness marketing. In fact, we have more opportunities than ever to reach the people who would benefit from our services and products. With the right audience insights, data collection, keen storytelling and cross-screen targeting, we can turn the tables on our distracted culture and use it to our advantage.

Early predictors of OTT streaming services in 2020 have seen a major shift thanks to shelter-in-place orders and a massive increase in streamers who are stuck at home. One would think the pivot in new users would set some of the new streaming apps up for success, but some providers are still struggling to tweak their offerings in a hope to increase new downloads and subscribers. 

The future of OTT streaming in 2020 and beyond will ultimately be decided by which new streaming apps sink or swim among the continuity-crowded app pool, and who will be nimble enough to survive. 

Coronavirus has drastically changed the landscape of everyday life — and it has reshaped the landscape of first-party data, too. 

During quarantine, people have turned to apps and services to purchase their necessities for pick-up and delivery. With a majority of Americans homebound, people have found themselves relying more heavily on online ordering, opting to have products, goods and groceries delivered. After all, why wander down grocery store aisles when you can easily peruse an app, and in some cases receive free delivery? Of those who bought groceries online during the first few months of the pandemic, one survey found that 41.8% had never ordered online groceries before.

This influx of new customers and users has only aided the ever-growing first-party advertising space, allowing companies to garner more audience data than ever before.

Goodbye Linear TV? Not So Fast 

With the rise of streaming services, smart TVs and on-demand viewing, more TV lovers than ever are cutting the cable cord. But does that mean linear TV will soon disappear? The plummeting numbers of cable customers say yes, but cable companies might still have a few tricks up their sleeve.   

It’s hard to deny that linear TV (more commonly known as cable) has its appeal. Linear TV is familiar and comfortable. Sitting on the couch, flipping through seemingly endless channels is easy, mind-numbing fun. And linear TV is reliable. You know that if you tune in at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, you’ll catch the start of “Modern Family.” 

I don’t mind TV commercials. There — I said it. 

Before you call me crazy, hear me out. It’s not that I love sitting through ten minutes of dancing hamsters selling hatchbacks. It’s that I don’t have to anymore. Thanks to the Internet of Things, TV ads are becoming increasingly targeted — which means they’re becoming actually relevant to viewers like me.  

A few weeks ago, I went on vacation and decided to turn on the hotel TV. Within an hour, I saw dozens of ads that I never see when I’m watching Hulu. The ads didn’t resonate with me at all. I don’t consume dairy — I haven’t for a long time. In over a year of using connected TV devices, I have not seen a single ad for milk or yogurt. In just one hour at my hotel, I saw six different milk commercials from three different companies. Now that’s bad ad spending.