On the matter of fashioning ad expenditures for 2025 and beyond that involve video -- along with the universe of platforms that distribute them -- Involved Media Director of Strategy and Research Tess Erickson offers the following advice to sponsors and their agencies everywhere. Avoid putting your video spending down one and only one avenue. Share your wealth among mega content vehicles from Netflix to YouTube, multichannel bundles big and small, and individual channels from independent sources.
If you can swerve through some brand safety issues, some dollars set aside for TikTok and Twitch can produce a worthwhile result for advertisers out to attract the under-45 generations, Erickson adds.
Erickson and her associates at Involved Media, whose independently owned media agency operation handles clients around the globe, base these recommendations and others off the results of their ongoing Connected Audience Study. About 2,000 people from around the United States, representing all ages and demographics, participated in the second wave of this research, asking consumers about their media habits across all video platforms.
“We’re trying to better understand what people across the country are watching,” Erickson explains about the project’s purpose. “When you’re looking at media from a buying perspective, often there are specific questions that come up that we need to be able to answer. Things like separating ad-supported subscription video-on-demand viewing from ad-free subscription video-on-demand viewing to understand the actual ad reach, instead of the platform reach.”
The latest wave of this study reveals that audiences are taking advantage of their expanded menu of media options, both by watching more services and spending more time with the service they’re watching. Bottom line: the more video platforms you use to deliver messages, the more likely you’ll build effectiveness of those messages to a mass audience. “We used to be able to reach almost everyone through linear,” added Erickson. “Instead of being dependent on one platform, it’s more important than ever to be taking a little from each different bucket to be able to get the full audience you’re looking for. That includes free ad-supported channels, virtual multichannel providers, SVODs and of course, linear.”
“It’s a tapestry now, rather than a single fabric that you can get people with,” she concludes.
While this research focuses on how to reach different audiences, Erickson points to the importance of genres in brands’ media strategies. “Consumers are telling you about themselves and what they’re interested in learning more about with the content they’re engaging in,” added Erickson. “Don’t tune them out.”
Nowhere is that truer than the high engagement environment of short-form video. When looking at how people were engaging with short-form video, the genres of content, and how that was influencing shopping behaviors, stood out. “Nearly 75% of short-form viewers say that it has directly influenced a purchase, including half of short-form viewers over 60,” said Erickson. “One example is in the cooking and baking category; we see this is the most popular content across platforms, and they are the product types people are most influenced to buy.”
Where younger consumers stand out is the time they’re spending on these platforms, and their willingness to make purchases directly through platforms like TikTok and Instagram Shop. “Half the participants under 25 watch TikTok on a daily basis; that’s such extreme reach at high frequency,” Erickson observed. “That’s pretty influential and they are engaging with this platform a lot. If you reach them correctly, they’re engaging back.”
Erickson also believes that this high level of engagement will be reflected as shoppable, interactive commerce next year. “Younger consumers are now comfortable giving their credit card information in lots of different places,” added Erickson. “Gen Z has been spending money on apps since they were kids.” And this confidence in cross-platform purchasing translates from smart phone to smart TV.
Involved Media will be fielding its third wave of this research early next year, with results expected to be released the first half of 2025. Topics under consideration for future surveys include consumer usage of interactive services, including the appeal of video game hubs.
No matter what connected TV pathways advertisers pursue, always consider the mindset of people engaging with those campaigns, along with when they watch. “Make sure the combination of daypart, device and content reflect the brand you’re advertising to the audience, rather than just going there because the audience might be there,” Erickson advises. “Have the product or service fit into their day and media viewing habits.”
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