TV to prove its Worth

Digital disruption has had a major impact on many different industries and shows no signs of slowing down. The marketing industry, in particular, has felt the effect of this shift and is already tackling the challenges – and opportunities that digital can bring. Digital advertising is exploding across screens. The associated growth of digital attribution models used to measure performance has led to the idea that linear TV advertising is not as effective as it once was. However, TV is still driving sales.

Although TV ad revenue increased, digital ad revenue rose by 16.8 percent, more than the double TV’s upstick. More troubling still, social media ad spending was up 42 percent, with Facebook alone up 55 percent. That is despite the platform’s numerous problems with fake news and changes to its news feed and news, with average time spent on the platform actually dropping last quarter.

What is crazy is that this should not be happening, at least not to the degree it is. People may be watching much less linear television, but overall, the number of people watching actual ad-supported TV shows across all platforms is up. There is a shift away from traditional viewing , as viewers are now able to download, live, pause, and rewind through their programmes and so this may be great news for the viewer who has greater accessibility to their overall marketing strategy.

With TV now moving more and more toward digital, viewers are looking for any opportunity to skip
adverts – so how can advertisers communicate their brand’s message when the TV landscape is changing at such a rapid pace?

The Digital Era
Brands are already adapting their marketing strategies to ensure they are engaging with their target audience across multiple platforms. However, some caution needs to be applied when pursuing this kind of strategy, as not all generations will be as quick to embrace digital.

The older generation is a high-value demographic for most brands, and traditional TV remains a vital media channel for this group. However, the majority of consumers are increasingly moving toward mobile devices and social media platforms for their TV needs, which means that brands need to respond to this shift.

Creating a Strategy
In order to create a holistic marketing strategy that can survive the changing digital landscape, brands need to consider where the future of TV is going.  Personalization is an emerging form of TV advertising that can enable brands to tailor their engagement to specific customers and offer them unique content.

So, What Does the Future Hold?
Streaming services have already had a major impact on traditional TV advertising, but this does not mean that traditional broadcasting will become extinct, of course, as live programmes and high-profile sporting events will still draw millions of viewers to the box.

However, the advertising rates are dropping for TV more generally, with many marketers now moving their attention and budget toward digital instead. As a result, we will soon see digital programming overtaking traditional TV for marketing purposes.

Brands are now embracing the transition to digital, with the help of professionals who truly understand the digital arena.

Not only that, but in order to remain competitive and engaging to audiences, brands will need to ensure they remain agile enough to react to further changes and opportunities as they arise.