Why Multi-Screen Is the Way of the Future
In the modern media landscape, the mediums through which a brand can relay its messaging are ever-expanding. From traditional screens like television to newer iterations like streaming and online media found on mobile devices, there are more opportunities than ever to market to consumers. To make the most of every screen, though, it’s essential that advertisers create cohesive campaigns that market to target audiences across multiple platforms.
How Multi-Screen Approaches Make the Most of Advertising
1. It Keeps Television in the Picture
In the age of mobile devices, there is a misconception that the media landscape will begin to exclude television. In reality, consumers still like watching TV—live TV—and media experts don’t see that stopping at any point. In fact, in the New York market, 90% of cable TV viewing is consumed live.1 Events like major league sports, royal weddings, awards shows, and season finales continue to turn out active viewership numbers because audiences like to be in the know and discuss what’s happening while it unfolds.
What has evolved, however, are the other mediums that allow viewers to watch TV. OTT media players like Fubo TV or Hulu, or streaming publisher apps like ESPN, Bravo or CNN, have matured to capture audiences on computers and mobile devices with both existing cable shows as well as original content. These additional ad opportunities are tied together with traditional TV under the umbrella of “advanced TV” and can create a dynamic space for video advertising and brand awareness.
2. It Allows Advertisers to Build More Cohesive Marketing Strategies
With multi-screen technology, advertising campaigns can work together better than ever before. Campaigns can reach customers across screens – and even convert into other visuals like gifs to keep the continuity going on social media.
What results is a more streamlined experience for both brands and their audiences. A study by the Advertising Research Foundation found that TV and Digital together increase ROI by over 60%.2 By dominating the media landscape through a multi-dimensional marketing approach, companies can instill and reinforce brand recognition with their consumer base.
3. It Helps Brands Develop Cultural Significance
While part of the statistical increases in brand recall and purchase intent relate to the sheer repetition of exposure to a product or service, the most effective campaigns strike a conversation both culturally and socially. In today’s marketing sphere, consumers have the power to control a brand’s relevance through every channel, which gives advertisers the ability to redefine their messaging based on varying audiences found on different mediums. Building an emotional connection to a brand is essential to this mission.
According to a recent study by LEAP©, 85% of purchases are based on emotional attachment.3 Since 58% of consumers believe they’ll most likely find that sentimentality from a television ad over any other platform,4 TV is key to developing a brands’ cultural significance.
The endgame for conversation, though, is heavily reliant on social media, and how these platforms interact with live TV is particularly relevant during primetime. Roughly 60% of trending Twitter topics during primetime have to do with ad-supported TV.5 Not only are consumers paying attention to traditional TV during this time frame, but they are also simultaneously engaged on their mobile devices, curating the perfect opportunity for brands to interact with their audience. On average, households have up to 5 different devices in their homes including smartphones, tablets, desktop/laptops, and streaming media device.6 No matter the size of the screen, consumers are always connected. Whether it’s inciting meaningful dialogue through a trending hashtag or running a culturally significant advertisement during commercial breaks, brands can regain power by listening to consumers and pushing the conversation forward through engaging campaigns.
4. It Makes Advertising More Accessible & Personalized
A brand can now cater to specific customers on every screen—including television. Through the use of set-top boxes and demographic markers, advertisers have a clear understanding of audiences through their viewing patterns, tuning habits, and behavioral outcomes. These large, granular datasets allow for greater accuracy and precision even with this expansive pool to draw from due to data matching with authenticated sources, like IP address or name and postal addresses. This 1-to-1 data match can hone in on households so precisely that advertisers can even see households who were exposed to an ad and took action after viewing it. This allows them to create specific messaging to relevant audiences, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing waste.
When it comes to online and advanced TV, similar technology called IP targeting comes into play. Any household that has internet will have a distinct IP address. Brands can use these unique identifiers to hone in on audiences online through geolocation and other demographic markers while still protecting the privacy of each customer. When using these two types of targeting technology in coordination, brands can appeal to consumers who are most likely interested in their product.
Through the use of multi-screen platforms and new ad technology, marketers have a unique opportunity to engage audiences with both relevance and purpose. The challenge for marketers now is establishing effective strategies that resonate for each of their clients and brands.