But now, new techniques offered by connected TV platforms promise a lot more.
In Elevated Video, a Beet.TV leadership series presented by TripleLift, eight executives explored what that opportunity looks like.
1. Content ad insertions lighten the load
At TripleLift, the native ad company that has launched a connected TV offering in beta, advanced advertising GM Michael Shields says formats like ad insertions into TV shows, split-screen ads and other overlays “allows publishers to lower ad loads”.
“Unscripted, lighthearted comedies… you’ve probably seen our units in a lot of cooking shows – we think that that’s going to be the future ad model for a certain kind of programming.”
Native Advertising Has Key Role in Future of Ad-Supported TV: TripleLift’s Michael Shields
2. Post-cookie, context soars on data
At Havas’ Media Group’s health practice, managing partner Peter Sedlarcik welcomes the greater finesse available in contextual ad data.
“Contextual has really had a renaissance. We’re using more contextual data streams in order to inform strategy. There’s more of a balance now between purchased based data sets that have been kind of pre-eminent in a lot of the planning that we’ve been doing as an agency.”
3. Dentsu’s quest to demystify media
Dentsu Media U.S. media partnerships EVP Sarah Stringer says buying connected TV is still “very convoluted”.
“A lot of different people sell a lot of the same channels, which means that we’re not getting that single point of view. You’re not getting the efficiencies that you want. How do we demystify the marketplace?”
Immersive Ad Experiences Promise Optimized Results: Dentsu’s Sarah Stringer
4. Tastemade’s Imberman likes CTV’s flavors
At cooking video producer Tastemade, Jeff Imberman, head of sales and brand partnerships, says connected TV manages to combine the best qualities of TV and digital.
“It’s traditional yet progressive all at the same time. You’re still able to serve 15 and 30-second ads the way a linear network can – but what makes it really compelling is it’s delivered in a digital format across digital pipes, so it allows for very unique targeting, contextual especially.”
5. Brand insertions bring viewers organic delight
For Team Whistle, a digital sports content producer, Anthony Susi, vice president of over-the-top sales, says audiences give positive feedback to brand partnerships in its content.
“Picture Bear Grylls wading through the water with a Powerade ad behind it, things like that. We do it in an organic way and not really force down your throat.”
Branded Content Helps to Engage Younger Audiences: Team Whistle’s Anthony Susi
6. Brands pick from new-wave measurement menu
MediaScience CEO Duane Varan says the advertising world is no longer about everyone using a “one-size-fits-all” paradigm of buying 30-second ads using traditional currencies.
“That model is flawed in a lot of ways. All brands are not the same. All categories are not the same. Our objectives are not the same. Every brand needs to discover the best in class measures delivering against those specific communication objectives.”
‘There’s a New Paradigm for Brand Integrations on TV’: MediaScience’s Duane Varan
7. Native can solve ad load aversion
Srinivasan KA of Amagi, a company that helps enable linear ad-supported streaming channels, says changing consumption patterns mean media must change.
“Nobody just has the patience for sitting through 10 minutes of advertising on a per hour basis. You’re going to have much more integrated ad formats. Native advertising on connected TV would kind of blend both content and advertising in a seamless fashion.”
8. CTV can kick-start the sequence
Liza Davidian, EVP of investment and activation at GroupM, says connected TV can be the start of a sequenced conversation with consumers.
“If it speaks to me again on a more personalised device like your Instagram or any type of social media on my phone, I applaud an advertiser who further digs deeper into the funnel and makes their message a little bit more customised.”
]]>Customized Ads at Scale Are Key to Optimized Video Campaigns: GroupM’s Liza Davidian
Founded in 2012, the company publishes videos on global cuisine and has grown its distribution footprint across a plethora of social platforms, over-the-top TV devices, software services and MVPDs.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Jeff Imberman, the company’s Head of Sales and Brand Partnerships, explains why that breadth of distribution opportunities means brands can pick from a large and growing menu.
Going long
As Tastemade has grown out of reliance on social networks, it has gone longer, both with its own video productions and the opportunities offered to marketers.
“With the shift and explosion of the OTT and CTV world, that’s opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us as that modern media company … to allow for new narratives, longer narratives, 22- minute-long content, hour-long content, and to engage audiences in ways that were never possible,” Imberman says.
Best of both
Connected TV has been Tastemade’s most profound shift, offering advertisers an opportunity that is both familiar and new-wave.
“It’s traditional yet progressive all at the same time,” Imberman says. You’re still able to serve 15 and 30-second ads the way a linear network can – but what makes it really compelling is it’s delivered in a digital format across digital pipes, so it allows for very unique targeting, contextual especially.”
These days, Tastemade has its own linear streaming TV channels.
Combining platforms
That breadth of format, of duration, allows Imberman to tag-team the ad roster he offers buyers.
Brand sponsored content he creates to show through Tastemade’s social channels tends also to be fit during ad breaks on Tastemade’s linear channels.
“Many brands now are gravitating towards that because it allows them to, first and foremost, amortise their costs across many platforms, but, more importantly, it allows them to engage in a singular narrative across every platform,” he says.
Meet your new favorite appetizer
pic.twitter.com/S17463xfiq
— Tastemade (@tastemade) July 4, 2021
Dynamic insertions
And, when brands get to Tastemade video, they can also be virtualized. That is to say, Imberman’s company has now taken on the ability to dynamically insert brand products into video productions, even after shooting, when they may not have been originally present.
“TripleLift have created some very dynamic ad products that we are now employing across our streaming network,” he says, “an example being virtual integrations, dynamic virtual integrations into our programmes.”
“Imagine you’re watching a cooking show and a bottle of Pepsi is on the countertop,” Imberman adds. “We’re able to identify the opportunity and virtually, in real-time, serve Jeff a bottle of Coke on a countertop in an actual programme versus serving him an ad in an ad break.”
You are watching “It’s time to elevate your video ads, or risk getting left behind,” a Beet.TV leadership series presented by TripleLift. For more videos, please visit this page.
]]>Whether it’s Twitter and ESPN or Disney and Tastemade, “To me, that was very encouraging seeing all these partnerships form and bringing premium video into a more expanded space,” Francois Lee says in this interview with Beet.TV.
Among the deluge of announcements at the NewFronts, Disney revealed that the launch of the Disney Eats brand, partnering with online foodie network Tastemade to develop original content, as Deadline reports.
As someone who works primarily in the television space, the EVP of Video Investment at media agency Assembly is always on the lookout for “places where we can find premium TV-like video in a brand-safe environment with scale.”
Besides acknowledging the nexus of digital and traditional TV, Lee comes away from the NewFronts presentations impressed by the increasing number of publishers launching their own over-the-top channels. “It’s definitely table stakes now,” he says.
While content was front and center at the NewFronts, performance metrics or guarantees were less so. “I think there’s an expectation that if you’re in digital video you’ll be able to provide digital video like metrics, which is not always the case of course.”
Lee is encouraged by better TV-targeting options from the likes of OpenAP, calling it a “healthy trend.” While measurement still needs to advance, “from an attribution model standpoint there’s a lot more we know about what networks what dayparts what programs are driving ROI.”
The missing piece is incremental improvement on ROI on the back end of campaigns.
“We need the networks to say, ‘if you’re going to create this data-led approach then you need to guarantee me ROI on the back end,’” for example guaranteeing performance on age/sex demos plus one of an advertiser’s own targets. “We want an actual ROI on the back end, which I think would really put skin in the game for the networks,” Lee adds.
“We’re definitely seeing improvements from last year to this year. We’re not quite there yet, but I think we’ve made quite a lot of progress in a year.”
This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the Digital Content NewFronts 2018. The series a co-presentation of Beet.TV and the IAB. Please see additional videos from the series on this page.
]]>Programming head Oren Katzeff tells Beet.TV the company has a studio, a network and a platform. With 440 creators across its YouTube network, Tastemade has also produced its own drinks show, Local Flight, with vodka brand Grey Goose.
That was one of 18 new shows Tastemade bowed in 2014. Former Yahoo Media exec Katzeff wants to double that number through 2015 and expand the company from food to more lifestyle segments.
He was interviewed by Beet.TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.