It’s hard to imagine a time when television wasn’t a fundamental part of our lives. From breaking news alerts to the latest sitcoms, TV has always been there for us. But as we’ve moved into the digital age, television advertising has had to adapt.
Here are some ways that you can adapt your TV advertising to keep up with the times.
1. Use Mobile and Multiscreen Environments
As television becomes digital, more and more viewers are watching television in unexpected places. Since you no longer have to be tied to the living room in order to stream your favorite shows, you can watch television wherever you are by using your mobile device.
Not only that, but it’s now possible to watch television while also streaming content or viewing content on your mobile device at the same time.
Because of this, TV advertising is adapting to recognize this multitasking trend. About 94% of people who watch TV do so with their phone in hand. TV and mobile can be viewed as partners by TV advertisers, working together instead of separately.
One way advertisers can take advantage of this is by displaying multiscreening ads. This involves showing an ad first on the mobile device and later on TV. Studies show that this can lead to increased levels of emotional intensity and memory encoding than when the ad is shown in one format alone. In this sense, mobile is serving as the primer for TV.
2. Leverage Interactive Advertising
The streaming industry is expected to grow by about 20% each year. Marketers need to adapt their strategies so that advertisements are more streaming-friendly.
Interactive TV advertising is one option that’s emerged as an alternative to regular cable TV ads. Interactive advertising makes it easier for brands to connect one-on-one with the target audience – and to get a clearer idea of their consumers’ preferences.
Brands can keep the audience more engaged by offering ads that are more personally tailored to their preferences. With some streaming platforms, like Amazon and Hulu, viewers can already choose between two different ads. This gives brands more leverage than ever when it comes to reaching a more tuned-in audience.
3. Reach People Where They Spend Their Time
Do your best to reach your target audience where they spend the most of their time. For younger audiences, that’s more likely to be social media like TikTok or Youtube or streaming services like Netflix.
Young people – those 13 to 24 years old – spend about 20 hours per week on free and paid internet videos as opposed to around eight hours on television. Video advertising is a far better way to reach this younger generation than conventional TV advertising.
4. Optimize TV Ad Audio
In today’s media landscape, it’s more important than ever to make sure your audio is optimized for digital consumption. Today’s TV viewers often watch content with the sound turned off or down, turning to Facebook or other social media when there are commercial breaks.
This means that it’s more important than ever to make sure your TV ads are designed with strong visuals and easy-to-understand audio. Since many viewers won’t turn back to the television to watch when ads are on, you need to make sure your ads reach them in another way – through their ears.
Use simple, clear language and choose music that will grab attention and hold it. Avoid using industry jargon or speaking over the audience’s head. Find ways to make sure your TV ads break through by making sure the audio is engaging and memorable.
5. Reach Younger Audiences
When it comes to reaching younger audiences (30 and under) with digital advertising, the key is to be creative and innovative. This means thinking outside of the box, using unconventional methods and trying new technologies to engage viewers.
Whether it’s using eye-catching animations, incorporating interactive elements or experimenting with emerging platforms such as VR and AR, you have to be willing to take risks in order to capture the attention of younger audiences. Traditional TV advertising just isn’t cutting it with this demographic – so you’ve got to think outside of the box.
Digital TV Advertising: The Way of the Future
According to a recent report from eMarketer, digital advertising spending is on track to exceed $600 billion by 2024.
This represents a massive increase—and it’s largely due to the continued shift from traditional television to digital streaming services. As more and more people cancel their cable subscriptions and binge-watch their favorite shows on Netflix and other platforms, advertisers are following suit and shifting their ad dollars to OTT advertising platforms.
Although the days of traditional TV advertising may be numbered, the future of digital advertising is looking bright. Follow these tips to be successful in your campaigns.