Advertising Week New York: The Impact of Cross-Platform Advertising

Over the last decade and a half, as video content became more accessible and practical, and streaming services introduced massive libraries to audiences around the world, advertisers are learning to adapt to this everchanging landscape. Between traditional TV, mobile, tablets, and connected TV, consumers can watch content anytime, anywhere.

 

The Evolution of Contemporary TV Watching

 

In Advertising Week New York 2022’s panel entitled “How Linear and Digital Continue to Be a Win-Win for Brands,” Jason Swartz of New York Interconnect (NYI), Suzanne Irving of OMD, and Matt Cote of Eicoff (an Ogilvy partnership) discussed how advertisers can leverage convergent TV to create a holistic ad space. They also uncovered the need for a dynamic approach to this ever-changing landscape in order to move confidently into the future.

At the onset of the pandemic, TV consumption habits, understandably, changed drastically. As some offices bring people back and others adopt hybrid or fully remote schedules, it’s unlikely things will go back to exactly the way they were. Innovating the targetability of ads and the addressability of data will allow ad agencies to adapt with these changes and thrive.

 

How to Succeed in CTV Marketing

According to Irving, thinking about television as linear versus digital isn’t applicable to the modern marketplace, and planning appropriately is a major key to success. “It all starts from the planning process. We have to plan holistically. We have to invest holistically,” she said. “An audience-led, data-first approach” is what will push agencies forward in modern markets.” Matt Cote added to this, remarking that CTV has quickly evolved from something that clients had never heard of to a cornerstone of the planning side of strategy.

This transition hasn’t been without its pain points, however. The prevalence of CTV models today means that everyone in these agencies, from salespeople to managers and leadership, need to be an expert in both linear and digital strategies.

 

Data Is Key

Keeping an agency’s “clients and brands aware of the different metrics that are available” is a necessary part of this holistic approach, said Swartz, and it starts with understanding the audience journey via the data collected.  Irving said, “We have the opportunity to understand, with our insights, who we are trying to reach. It’s ever evolving.” To build a successful campaign, data is fundamental. With the mix of first- and third-party data, in both linear and digital viewing, it is possible to understand viewers’ expectations, habits, and desires.

Thanks to IP information and addressability, linear ads are now more targetable than ever, and advertisers can run data-driven linear and digital campaigns side by side to great effect. Agencies can use dashboards, like the one NYI is developing, to see where they are getting crossover, where their ad spend is most efficient, and where crossover is effective versus where it’s detrimental. This can all be done while strictly following privacy compliance guidelines.

 

Moving Forward

Of course, there are complexities in these models, and results aren’t always easily standardized. This means agencies need to remain flexible and creative when working to grow their reach. The truth is that audiences may consume their favorite shows on cable, while getting their news online and chatting with friends and family through separate applications. This makes targeting complicated but effective when its executed well.

“To me,” said Cote, “the most simple analogy is … golf. Buying golf is expensive. I can look at the ACR data to discover attributes of heavy golf watchers, and I can go find them somewhere else that’s cheaper. Not only on linear, but on CTV.” Finding innovative and creative ways to maximize the effectiveness of targeting while minimizing cost is one of the necessary steps agencies will need to take in coming years to see continued growth. “The good news is that the eight million households here in the New York DMA that NYI represents are all addressable,” said Swartz, highlighting the potential for future growth in targetable advertising.