Moving beyond the 30 second spot
Jeff Siegel, senior vice president,Worldwide Advertising, Rovi, talks about the challenges and opportunities of dynamic advertising in a multi-screen, connected environment…
Unlike the clear-cut picture quality on the HD screen hanging on the living room wall, the lines defining television today are blurred. The internet continues to weave a very large web of platforms and content, that it seems to bring new devices and new business models into the digital entertainment fold daily. And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Shipments of connected devices such as HDTVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and game consoles are anticipated to skyrocket in the next five years. Tablets such as the iPad have joined the ranks of other “screens” that consumers use to watch videos and download apps that enable them to programme a DVR and search for shows. Connected devices are opening up new opportunities for the industry to monetise consumers’ insatiable demand for content across multiple platforms.
With the rapid union of the internet and television, digital media advertising in the living room is also poised for growth in Canada, the UK and throughout Europe. But it is not without its challenges, as increased fragmentation is making it harder for brands and advertisers to reach their target markets. TV channel availability and time-shifting technologies are also impacting consumer behaviour. While connected entertainment products continue to grow, and with it a countless array of home entertainment options, ad agencies are facing client expectations to provide recommendations on how to approach the opportunity, what is worth the money and how to judge campaign performance.
Brands and advertisers are looking at new ways to infuse innovation into their campaigns, and are incorporating new technologies alongside traditional advertising methods as a means to maximise audience reach and effectiveness. The rise in the multi-screen environment has provided new advertising opportunities for brands to reach highly targeted and measurable market segments, while also engaging consumers with dynamic multimedia platforms. New technologies are helping brands move beyond the 30 second spot to drive awareness and consumption as well as revenue.
- Living room display advertising: The rise in the multi-screen environment, and internet-connected living room devices, enable brands and advertisers to use the displays on connected entertainment products – from smart TVs and set-top boxes to media players and game consoles – for the placement of ads. Internet-connected devices provide the ability for advertisers to deliver targeted ads to consumer markets – long desired by the industry – and enabling agencies and brands to deliver in scale.
- “The Cloud”: Technologies such as “the cloud” are also helping brands and advertisers deliver ads to a variety of internet connected devices, regardless of user interface. The benefits of a cloud-based advertising platform include fast deployment, flexible infrastructure, and a seamless user experience.
- Microsites and Portals: By deploying microsites and portals, marketers are able to deliver a new advertising experience for the consumer that aggregates relevant content and services as a resource hub for consumers. Consumers can dive deeper to get information on the products and services that interest them via videos, photos and other dynamic multimedia content.
- Social Media: Internet-enabled devices are helping drive the integration of social media into the advertising environment.
- TV Commerce: New commerce capabilities via the television and the guide are helping drive revenue opportunities within the ecosystem. Such new capabilities enable consumers to buy products and services directly from their television program guides using their remote controls.
- Measurement: Measurement tools are evolving to provide advertisers and brands with important insight into consumer viewing habits. Increasingly, it is becoming critical for agencies to be able to quantify results and prove ROI.
In response to the surge in connected entertainment devices, Rovi launched the Rovi Smart TV Field Trial in the US, with plans to launch additional Field Trials in the UK and Canada in the second half of this year. The Rovi Smart TV Field Trial is an initiative created to explore new and emerging advertising opportunities on television and other devices connected to the internet. The Smart TV Field Trial program is based on the production, delivery and measurement of campaigns within the Rovi Advertising Network, which has a large worldwide Smart TV advertising footprint. The Rovi Advertising Network offers advertising on Rovi guides – a ‘home page’ of the television where consumers go to find out and discover what’s on TV.
The programme enables brands to test campaigns across a wide variety of platforms including TVs, Blu-ray players and other devices. Unlike other advertising methods that require consumers to download and open an app in order to view ads, the Rovi Advertising Network serves ads within the guide and core user interface environment, while viewers are searching for live, recorded, on demand, cable or network programming. As part of the Rovi Smart TV Field Trial initiative, Rovi will work with advertisers to measure overall campaign success as well as look at specific metrics to determine audience engagement through usage, acquisition, retention, recall, purchase intent and other criteria.
While entertainment choices for the consumer continue to multiply, the advertising industry is transforming itself with innovative technologies that are designed to capture consumers’ attention in the digital age. It is becoming critical for advertisers and brands to increase awareness of their products and services by engaging consumers in an environment where they can interact with content and information. Smart TV advertising is providing new opportunities for brands and advertisers to deliver efficient and measured high reach and frequency results, while at the same time, enabling them to launch creative campaigns that connect with targeted consumer markets.