What Is Connected TV Advertising?

What Is Connected TV?

Connected Televisions, often referred to as Smart TVs and Over-The-Top Television (OTT), are televisions that are connected to the internet and can take advantage of bundles such as DirecTV Now and Sling. Many televisions built since 2010 now come with this capability built in, and for those that don’t, devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku provide this capability of internet connected television.

Adults spend more than 10 hours and 45 minutes consuming media every day, with much of that screen time taking place on computers, mobile devices, and connected televisions. An estimated 70 million households have connected TVs, which give these households more options for streaming their favorite movies, shows, and videos. For comparison’s sake, there are roughly 83 million cable subscribers left in the U.S. In the process, these devices are giving live television a run for its money, especially when it comes to advertising.

As connected TV (CTV) becomes increasingly popular and continues to expand, advertisers, marketers, and brands need to find new ways to connect with audiences. To help you create your game plan, we’ve created a quick guide to exploring what CTV advertising is, along with ways to leverage its unique power.

How Is CTV Advertising Different?

Connected TV has transformed how we consume media, making content available on just about any device. It has also changed how we approach television. No longer must we sit down in front of the television at a set time on a specific day to catch our favorite shows.

CTV has also turned advertising on its head. There’s no standard way to measure CTV advertising. There are no cookies to track, and it isn’t tied to conventional demographic-based audiences in the same way as traditional television.

But even with the new challenges it presents, CTV advertising offers some serious benefits, including an immersive larger-screen experience (as compared to digital advertising alone), and an unprecedented ability to target audiences precisely while creating interactive ads that really resonate.

Ideas for Leveraging CTV

Advertisers just getting started in the CTV universe would do well to start by familiarizing themselves with the format’s capabilities, understanding the devices consumers most often use, and understanding the formats those devices support. Once you have a solid feel for those details, you can dive into some savvy ideas for leveraging CTV’s growing popularity.

Targeting Audiences Using Data

CTV advertising gives advertisers a huge opportunity to really hone in on their target audiences. Ideally, brands can use first-party data to target their audiences and tailor their campaigns accordingly. Then, they can use geography and other details to hit a bull’s eye with those viewers. For example, ads could be based on viewer location and weather conditions. If it’s a hot and humid day in one city, that anti-frizz shampoo and conditioner ad will run. If it’s sunny and warm, a sunscreen ad might run instead.

Interactive Advertising

Keeping viewers engaged has been tricky, even for traditional television advertising. After all, it’s easy to get up and leave the room for a quick break instead of watching commercials. But many CTV advertisers have found success with interactive advertising that encourages viewers to engage with the ads instead of hightailing it for the bathroom or a refill on their snacks. Combined with targeted ads that rely on user data to provide rich, relevant content to viewers, interactive advertising adds value to the viewer experience and receives a click-through rate of up to 6 percent, compared to the 0.0175 percent click-through average of most digital ads.

Optimizing Content for Multiple Platforms

CTV isn’t just about televisions. Viewers can watch their programs on a variety of devices, including laptops and smartphones, and you want to reach those viewers no matter what device they’re using. That’s why it’s critical to optimize content for use across computer and mobile platforms in addition to televisions.

For example, Funnelgrowth’s programmatic advertising pinpoints the audience, uses a best-in-class tag management platform to gather data from brands’ websites, and uses first- and third-party data and cross-platform targeting to deliver an amazing, cohesive experience designed to boost conversions. Learn more about how Funnelgrowth could help you leverage all the benefits of CTV advertising whether you want to reach a hyper-local or national audience.