Putting the fragments of TV back together again: multi-platform planning for the future
We are entering a new generation for TV.
As online video has matured, creating a cross-screen video experience has become a key focus for broadcasters. We’re seeing broadcast alliances flourishing across Europe to compete with GAFA’s video inventories. We’re seeing the development of a new video platform model combining free, advertising-financed service with premium pay-products… What do these trends say of the video world of tomorrow and what tools do advertisers need to benefit from it?
Before we get into the real future-gazing in our session on Monday 18th at Advertising Week Europe here are some hot tacks on what the future of TV – and broadcast – might look like.
Growing Investment in TV
Despite the rumours of its supposed irrelevancy, TV is alive and thriving and predicted to grow. It’s a completely brand safe environment, offering reach, high quality execution, measurability and storytelling opportunities.
It is a driver of innovation – it is already becoming more interactive and connected as technology advances. When you put BVOD platforms accessible on all screens in the mix, TV’s potential in the digital age is unique. Using all screens and video on-demand (VOD) in addition to linear TV allows advertisers to optimize the penetration of any campaign, especially among younger target groups. We call this approach, combined with effective use of influencer content on YouTube – a Total Video approach.
A New Era of Targeting
The living room is still the main touch point of the home, and as technology creates more opportunities, will give mobile a run for its money as the main battle ground for advertisers. Connected TV leads to two distinct opportunities of infusing the big screen with smart, digital targeting: Advertising within connected TV environments, by using apps and OTT services that are now available on the big screen ; and using connected TV as a medium for Addressable TV, allowing highly targeted advertising within the linear broadcast.
Offering more precise targeting, more efficiency and rationalization of ad spend, addressable merges perfectly the two worlds of digital and TV. For example, in Germany, we already are able to synchronise the targeting of all screens within a household. Meaning we can target the mum watching TV in the living room, the kid upstairs on the iPad, the Dad on the smartphone in a synchronized way.
With this in mind it’s more important than ever for advertisers to really understand who they are talking to – what they care about, what they respond to – otherwise getting down to a personal level in the home, just comes across as being creepy, plain and simple.
Measurement
Measurement is progressing piece by piece, brick by brick. For total video to become an operational reality for advertisers and agencies it has to be measured under a single roof. We need to go beyond the traditional measurement approaches to capture the impact of video on all screens in the future.
Players like VideoAmp are putting a dedicated focus on the cross-screen planning and measuring of video. Measuring reach and frequency on a campaign level across all video screens will be the only way to follow the “new user” accordingly.
Multi-Platform and Multi-Broadcast
What does content fragmentation mean for producers and broadcasters?
Effective content is about emotions and reach. Even in a fragmented landscape with a plethora of channels and platforms, in the end, people just want a great story, and a high-quality production, on a platform that is respectful of the viewing experience. Ads will need to sit seamlessly within this experience offering an equally brilliant story – or they won’t sit there at all.
We will also start to see more alliances crop by in the future between broadcasters – offering single access to huge amounts of content and a seamless cross screen and cross platform experience – creating a whole new production ecosystem for broadcasters (and agencies) to wrap their heads around.
Local vs Global
Interestingly, despite the globalization trend, local broadcasting is where we are seeing the most success. In Europe, SVOD penetration is around 20% with a growing offer of local platforms offering locally-produced content.
Ten years ago, U.S. shows were in the top 10 in most European countries, but that’s changed as local markets get better at creating their own content. As Europeans increasingly embrace local TV, program creators are gaining confidence and have started to borrow successful creative techniques from popular U.S. shows, which help them reach a wider audience. The share of US Series in the TOP 10 fiction programme in the world was divided by 2 from 15% in 2012 to only 8% in 2017. This is what we call the rise of local heroes…
What does this mean for advertisers? Understand your global campaign will not work across all markets. Localise, and really get to know the nuances behind different cultures and audiences that you’re hoping to target.