“The pandemic threw a curve ball at everyone last year, and brands really had to pivot their marketing strategies to reach consumers and innovate last year,” Nick Barrionuevo, gaming sales partnerships, industry lead at Samsung Ads, said in this interview with Beet.TV. “It’s important to remember when 2020 began, the gaming industry was in full swing with plans to market new game launches and engage with consumers online, and throughout the year with physical events.”
As advertisers revamped their campaigns, Samsung Ads worked with marketers to adapt to the major shift in media consumption, using the exclusive data and insights the company gathers from hundreds of millions of smart TV, mobile and desktop devices.
“We immediately started to look at the trends and the impact of consumers spending the majority of their time at home, and brands work with us to understand how consumers were spending more time streaming content and more hours gaming,” Barrionuevo said.
Source: Newzoo
Game console owners last year doubled in size on Samsung smart TVs, and gamers spent 80% more time in the Smart Hub, the company’s intelligent menu system, than the average Samsung TV consumer.
“This level of collaboration with our partners helped them pivot their marketing strategies toward CTV to reach these higher-engaged consumers as they discovered new content, new products and new gaming experiences on our devices,” Barrionuevo said.
Because Samsung makes a wide range of products, including smart-home devices, mobile phones and smart TVs, it can provide a holistic view of consumers as they spend time with linear TV programming, over-the-top content and video games.
“With our ability to capture real-time TV and gaming behaviors on hundreds of millions of smart TVs and mobile devices, advertisers can achieve reach, scale and precision at every connected moment,” Barrionuevo said.
Those advertisers can include game publishers or brands outside the gaming industry that want incremental reach among consumers.
“When it comes to activating the media, we offer ways for partners to connect with gamers through brand-safe advertising solutions across CTV, mobile, PC and Samsung smart TV experiences,” Barrionuevo said.
Its platforms include Samsung TV+, the company’s free, ad-supported streaming service that has gaming and esports content for TV and mobile users. Samsung has an owned-and-operated network on the platform called Gamer 365 that has gaming lifestyle, news and esports programming.
Streaming spent by gamers last year jumped by more than 70%, and 84% of those gamers are streaming content — not viewing any linear TV content at all. Three out of four gamers uses a subscription or ad-supported video app.
“CTV has proven to be an effective way to engage consumers in this digital-forward media environment,” Barrionuevo said. “With the proliferation of streaming content across subscription and free ad-supported services, gamers will continue to be at the forefront of this evolving media landscape.”
Looking ahead at the remainder of 2021, Barrionuevo sees continued momentum for gaming and esports programming. The recent introduction of upgraded gaming platforms, including the first Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation consoles in seven years, and the explosion in mobile gaming will help to support consumer interest.
“The rapid pace of technological innovation in gaming is about anticipating and servicing consumer trends, and we will see the future of gaming continue to evolve as a multiplatform ecosystem, offering consumers the ability to play on any device where and when they want with their friends, and increasingly, in a virtual environment,” Barrionuevo said. “Samsung is focused on creating experiences that work seamlessly across devices, leveraging the advancements in smart TV, 5G and mobile technologies to deliver innovative products and services to the gaming and advertising community.”
You are watching, “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>But, in 2021, that is exactly what ad men like Simon Ross are able to do, thanks to new technology.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Ross, innovation director for OMD in Canada, explains how connected TV and mobile come together to ignite ad campaigns.
Lookalike chicken lovers
“I think first-party data is going to be a massive opportunity. particularly when we think about the cookieless future,” says Ross, whose OMD holds the media agency account for McDonald’s.
“A lot of our clients and a lot of the advertisers sit on a gold mine of first-party data.
“The opportunity is, if I’m a QSR (quick-service restaurant) and my latest TV ad is focused on promoting a chicken sandwich, for example, and I’m able to extract chicken sandwich lovers from my own first-party data, then I can then start uploading that first-party data into connected TV platforms and finding lookalikes or excluding existing buyers to ensure that we’re looking at targeting incremental audiences.
“I think connected TV is so well placed moving into the future.”
Targeting tactics
For quick-service restaurants, the pandemic has accelerated not only greater use of connected TV in ad campaigns but also greater use of digital platforms like mobile to engage with consumers, including for ordering and delivery.
TV advertising dropped by 14.1% in 2020, according to Group M.
But there are rays of optimism.
The potential for Esports is only just beginning. @ATVI_AB's @SXSW panel discusses how the impact of #esports will affect not only traditional sports, but the wider cultural landscape because of its potential to become a leading medium for direct connection. #client pic.twitter.com/RxamUTo4yS
— OMD USA (@OMD_USA) March 18, 2021
“Connected TV has been a massive opportunity,” says OMD’s Ross. “Pre-lockdown, we were seeing growth – and connected TV has consistently being part of our media plans.
“Since lockdown, what we’ve seen is that the volume of inventory has grown massively in Canada, and more and more of our budget has gone towards connected TV.
“I think it’s something like 10% growth in total volume, which sounds small, but actually has been a big growth driver in Canada.
“The data that some of the connected TV vendors and suppliers and partners sit on is absolutely gold, particularly when I think about the opportunities to extend our reach and to find incremental audiences that other platforms can’t find.
“I look at platforms like Samsung, who can essentially tap into and see if you’re a streamer, if you’re a gamer. They can see if you’re a cord cutter. They can see if you’re into sports.”
Oh, Canada
And Ross sees advantages for delivering CTV ad campaigns north of the border.
For one, the supplier landscape is “less cluttered” than the US environment, which has become marked by proliferation that has caused consumer and ad buyer confusion – thanks in part to having “fewer players”.
“Netflix is the biggest player in Canada, but the BTUs (broadcast distribution undertakings) in Canada, (there are) only three of them,” Ross explains.
“The landscape is much smaller, so the connected TV opportunities are much smaller in Canada as well.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>“We’re quickly recognizing that that is not how consumers want to consume content in a digital environment where they’re used to that instant gratification — whereas they may be used to this in traditional TV,” Katey Gault, director of connection planning at advertising agency UM Worldwide, said in this interview with Beet.TV.
In addition to the change in viewing habits, another key challenge for advertisers is the growing fragmentation of the media market. Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services like Netflix and Disney+ and ad-based video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms like Peacock, Pluto TV and the Roku Channel have boosted viewership among homebound consumers during the pandemic.
“It’s a very fragmented space, and it also makes it challenging for advertisers,” Gault said, adding that bridging the gap between linear TV and newer digital channels is priority in engaging viewers. Data about viewing habits are important in determining whether digital viewership will continue on their trajectory from last year or stabilize.
“Whereas before, we might look at this on a quarterly basis or even a yearly basis…it’s something we’re getting updates on weekly now,” she said.
Scale and Incremental Reach
People who watch video on a connected device, whether it’s a smart TV or mobile phone, have similar viewing habits, including the willingness to watch lengthier programming. Despite the change in viewing habits, linear TV does offer scale for national advertisers.
“If you’re looking at a campaign with an objective that is reach and awareness, TV is still going to be an important medium we know there’s still mass reach there, and there’s still a lot of time spent,” Gault said.
Connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms offer incremental reach, and helps to draw consumers into the purchase funnel.
“There’s actually a great test that we’ve done recently for one of my clients with Samsung, because Samsung is able to measure at the glass level,” Gault said. The test was able to see how many veiwers “were exposed to the ad through connected TV versus through traditional TV. The fact we can find these incremental consumers through OTT helps us further bring them down the funnel. Ultimately, it helps us grow our consumer base there.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>Samsung TV Plus, a free streaming TV service, launched in 2018 and now numbers 160+ channels in the US.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Michael Cardullo, Senior Director & GM, Media Products for Samsung TV Plus, explains the latest evolution.
Go to the source
3 years after buying my TV I realized it has Samsung TV Plus on it… then I found a "Fubo Sports Network" channel airing NLUs Tourist Sauce. Just found a channel airing my favorite YouTube channel… Stoked. @NoLayingUp pic.twitter.com/xhrROqXDDC
— ocmd350z (@ocmd350z) March 3, 2021
“Now on Samsung TV, Samsung TV Plus is the number two ad-supported service on the device,” Cardullo says.
Cardullo has got there using a mix of techniques. For a start, Samsung TV Plus benefits from being a AV source on Samsung TVs.
“If you use the TV Plus source and that what was your last used source, when you turn off the TV and turn it back on, TV Plus channels will just automatically start playing,” Cardullo says.
“That’s a very familiar experience like users would be used to (from) a traditional TV. So our service mimics a traditional TV feel.”
Native integration
“When we launched the service in 2018, we were really trying to follow the traditional, tried and true model of linear TV that people are used to using this very simple integration that we have on TV – making the channels part of the guide, the native TV guide,” Cardullo adds.
“That has proven to be a strong strategy, as has been demonstrated by the success that we’ve seen in terms of what our users are saying, the engagement that we’ve seen.”
The service has more than doubled its active users over the last year, and now offers a mix of live and on-demand content.
‘Something for everyone’
Recently, new channel additions have come from AMC, which added AMC Presents and Absolute Reality channels, Liongate added its MovieSphere channel, whilst Samsung itself added a 4K channel, Clarity 4K.
“We’re focused on making something available for everyone,” Cardullo says.
“So we have channels in news, sports, cooking, DIY, kids, gaming, movies, music, a large variety of genres, and then to fill the gaps we are creating our own channels.
“We’re licensing content and we’re programming 24/7 free channels to also make available on the platform.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>Bowhay is director of planning and activation for ad agency Carat, which won the Jack In The Box account in 2017.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, she says the last year of coronavirus has changed a lot.
Changing behavior
“The pandemic has vastly changed consumer behaviours,” Bowhay says. “We’re craving more content, we’re consuming more content and, at the same time, there’s not as much content being produced. So how do we balance those two things?
“There’s a new streaming service coming to fruition it seems like every day.
“How do we get rid of that fragmentation? We want to be able to buy that all in a one-stop shop, especially as consumer behaviour goes up in the streaming world.”
Embrace distraction
Bowhay is echoing a common refrain from media buyers – the OTT explosion presents an amazing opportunity to reach new audiences and target them on TV, just as in digital, but the proliferating number of options and buying paths makes this confusing.
Carat’s USA clients also include Cadbury, Mastercard, P&G, Philips and GM.
We are proud to work with inspiring brands that push the boundaries to define the role of modern marketing. Congrats to our amazing clients at @Mastercard, our tireless and talented Carat team, and collaborative partners at @mccann_mw @KetchumPR https://t.co/BDFnyIutbq pic.twitter.com/hBy8eCYaF3
— Carat USA (@Carat_USA) October 19, 2020
But Bowhay says brands shouldn’t only reach consumers through the new TV options.
“Second screen tactics are incredibly vital,” she says. “The TV viewing experience today does not only involve a TV. It always involves a mobile phone too.
“I can’t tell you the last time that I watched a TV show where I wasn’t pulling up IMDb and looking at who the actors were in the show or was playing words with friends while I was watching.
“You need to be able to be where the consumer is and, when the consumer is watching the TV, they are not sitting on their couch staring at their TV. They’re distracted. They’re looking at their phone.
“So we really need to play into that if you want to truly be a part of that TV viewing experience.”
TV in the box
To get through the pandemic, Jack In The Box encouraged social media users to stay at home using #StayInTheBox and allowed high school seniors to experience their prom using #PromInTheBox, as part of an effort leaning toward live streaming.
It’s necessary, because business fundamentals have changed, Bowhay says.
“We used to have a big focus on getting individual people during their commute to and from work – that’s, of course, not happening as much anymore,” she says.
“A lot of our consumers are essential workers, so they are out and they are commuting and they still need to grab that quick bite on the go. So that has remained constant for us.
“Something that has changed, though, beyond that, is there is more delivery now, of course, and there’s more competition. When you’re looking at delivery, your competition is no longer just McDonald’s or Taco Bell but, with delivery apps, your competition is now the mom-and-pop burger shop across the street.
“So it’s really looking at a brand new competitive set now throughout the pandemic.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>A data-driven strategy can help marketers to reach goals in driving incremental traffic, acquiring new customers or competitive conquesting.
“When we utilize those data-driven tactics, it’s given us a much better understanding of the lower-funnel effect that our No. 1 awareness medium can drive,” Daly said. “There’s so many key returns that we do get: greater accountability, less waste, the potential to do a business results guarantee. Everyone’s aware of the linear ratings erosion that we’re experiencing, and the shift in consumption across the many platforms.”
‘Volatility in Ratings Points’
The pandemic disrupted the media consumption habits of millions of households, and helped to speed up the cord-cutting trend. Many consumers spent more time with connected devices like smart TVs, and less time watching traditional linear TV.
“The volatility in the ratings points really is just tremendous at this point, especially in the cable landscape,” Daly said. “We worked really hard to build on the traditional TV dynamics, but the evolution of advanced TV targeting and balancing advertisers’ video buys to increase reach by adding data-driven tactics.”
Viewers heavily favor OTT platforms for scripted shows, while linear TV has become even more specialized in live programming, like sports, news and specials like awards shows.
“OTT is one the precipice. It’s the new cable,” Daly said. “From a data and tech perspective, addressable TV has scaled nationally, but programmatic TV — that’s really become a reality in a lot of sense. The alternative measurement and currencies are being adopted, now, and optimization flexibility is being prioritized.”
Flexibility, Pricing and Audiences
Advertisers and their media agencies are focused on flexibility, pricing and audiences, alongside a shift toward automation.
“The ability to balance mass reach is there, and really make TV partners accountable for brand KPIs,” Daily said. “You can achieve unified, deduplicated reach — and look at it in a single aggregated proposal.”
Homebound consumers are spending more time with electronic media, and they want greater control of the viewing experience.
“Now, more than ever, video matters to the consumer. Time spent is up, and how they engage on their own terms,” Daly said. “We can’t control how they’re changing the channel, and we know that they’re only seeing one ad at a time, but…everyone really shares the goal of extending reach and ultimately reducing overexposure.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>In this interview with Beet.TV, Fisher describes how the TV landscape is changing, and why his company is participating in a test program by Samsung Ads, the media sales division of the consumer electronics giant, to harness data from connected devices to improve ad targeting. Carmaker General Motors was the first advertiser to participate in the Samsung Measurement pilot.
“Samsung has a very unique data set because they’re a TV manufacturer,” Fisher said. “They have the ability to see both the linear TV that runs on their sets and the connected TV campaigns that we buy. Their data set is one of the biggest in the industry.”
He likens the evolution of automotive advertising on TV to the direct-mail practices of the financial services industry, which relies on data to match offers with consumers based on their income and spending patterns. Carmakers like GM can gain a more comprehensive look at consumers to tailor offers through advanced TV.
“As more streaming opportunities open up, as streaming scales … it makes sense for auto to have a big presence there,” Fisher said. “A very important part of streaming is that it can be very targetable. It’s getting better at understanding specific audiences and targeting those audiences.”
Cross-Platform Measurement
With consumers watching video on a broader variety of devices, or within the digital “walled gardens” of social media platforms, cross-device measurement is a key priority.
“One of the biggest challenges right now is that every platform has its own approach for measurement,” Fisher said. “The ability to have a more standardized access to that data, while making sure that we’re privacy-safe and privacy-compliant would be important. There are many platforms with many approaches, and to get this to work, you have to understand each platform.”
Marketers also are more concerned about ad fraud as more CTV advertising is bought through programmatic auctions, which aren’t always transparent outside of direct deals or private marketplaces (PMPs).
“There’s a huge demand for general knowledge about the CTV world, and the addressable TV world. It’s big, it’s fragmented and it’s constantly changing,” Fisher said. ” People are very concerned about fraud, and understanding how to detect, how to avoid fraud is very important.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>Cadillac, the luxury car brand owned by General Motors, has embraced an “audience-first” approach that considers the best ways to reach consumers as they take steps toward making a final purchase. That audience-based approach covers traditional linear TV and the newer streaming video channels whose viewership has grown dramatically, especially since the onset of the pandemic.
“The landscape is changing so quickly right now for TV,” Melissa Grady, chief marketing officer of Cadillac, said in this interview with Beet.TV. “We used to look at our media plan, and say, ‘here’s what our linear plan is,’ and then, ‘how do we fill in with some of these other mediums?’ We’re now saying, ‘where is our audience?'”
Marketers this year will increase their spending on connected TV (CTV) advertising by 40% to $11.4 billion in the United States, researcher eMarketer forecast. Some of the growth reflects the return of advertisers that had cut back their spending in 2020 as the global economy slowed during pandemic lockdowns. Still, the double-digit gains are expected to continue for the next few years.
Source: Insider Intelligence/eMarketer
“The beauty that some of these new platforms are bringing is that we can start to understand what messages are reaching consumers and how they’re reacting,” Grady said. “That’s were Samsung came in. They really helped us in this pilot that we ran” to measure how CTV ads lead to a final sale.
Audience data help Cadillac to evaluate the effects of its messaging, and move past the more traditional metrics of reach and frequency that have been a key part of media measurement for decades.
“One of the things that we as an industry need to do is redefine ‘reach and frequency,'” Grady said. “Right now, we’re saying, ‘We’re probably hitting 80% of our audience two to three times.’ When we start with an audience, what we can really start to understand” consumers on a deeper level, including where they are in the buying process.
“Instead of saying, ‘I have this one message, and I hit this target probably two to three times, I can start to have a much better conversation,” Grady said. “If you’re not in market, I can start to introduce you to the Cadillac brand, create some desire that’s longer-term and hopefully start to do some things that are a little bit more interesting.”
Introducing ‘Edgar Scissorhands’
As much as consumers express annoyance at intrusive commercials, they also are receptive to the right messaging at the right time. Grady points to the two ads that GM ran during the Super Bowl, including one for Cadillac’s all-electric Lyriq luxury crossover model that spoofed the 1990 movie “Edward Scissorhands.”
“We always talk about how consumers don’t like ads, they’re disruptive,” Grady said, “but consumers do love advertising.”
Cadillac’s ad, which starred actor Timothee Chalamet as Edward’s son, Edgar, and actress Winona Ryder reprising her role from the original movie, showed off the electric car’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving-assist technology. GM also ran an ad starring actor Will Ferrell to showcase its lineup of electric vehicles.
“People are loving those ads,” Grady said. “When we can have advertising come in a way that is entertaining, is the message that someone wants at the right time, and we’re not overserving them, then advertising can help enable some of these platforms consumers want to engage in at a better cost.”
You are watching “Media Innovation: What’s Next,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by Samsung Ads. For more videos, please visit this page.
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