When marketers hear “omnichannel,” the channels that most often come to mind are display, video, mobile and social. TV has not bridged the gap to become top of mind for marketers trying to orchestrate omnichannel campaigns. It makes sense, since programmatic today makes up just a small share of TV spending, whereas it has made deeper inroads into other channels like mobile.
Right now, technology is at tipping point for both buyers and sellers, and it illuminates why marketers have struggled to infuse TV into their omnichannel efforts to date. The majority of non-traditionally delivered TV content is happening in the 10-foot space via OTT devices. Networks are demanding to maintain control, while Facebook, Google and Amazon continue to limit or outright prohibit the ability to access a network’s data and inventory.
But there is clear opportunity for TV. Spending on TV is projected to remain constant even with the decline of the “traditional TV” viewing model and shifting consumer habits. That’s because TV has some unique benefits over other channels. For one, it is the ideal format for branding objectives. It is full-screen and unskippable, and commands premium broadcast and cable inventory. TV is also generally fraud-free and drives high viewability and completion rates.
There are a few ways marketers can shift their thinking on TV from afterthought to thoughtful addition to omnichannel campaigns:
· Consider TV in the early stages of the buying cycle to stimulate brand awareness and spark conversations amongst consumers that could translate to sales.
· Integrate linear TV and OTT into an integrated omnichannel platform that can both buy inventory across all channels and leverage data-management platform capabilities against traditional TV and CTV channels to enable true 1:1 measurement on both OTT/CTV and addressable linear/VOD.
· Execute sequential messaging from desktop/mobile devices to tell your story with the right ad on the right device at the right time, to the right viewer.
· Put the consumer first through robust, cross-device targeting capabilities that help you reach the right users most likely to convert
· Have a single point of access to the channel, whether it's linear, addressable, Connected TV/OTT or VOD, through publisher-direct relationships to streamline and simplify buying.
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