What Is Connected TV Advertising? CTV Explained
TV advertising has been around since the 1950s, but it’s now possible to carry out this marketing strategy in new and exciting ways.
For example, connected TV advertising allows you to put your message in front of a broad audience of consumers who may not even be watching TV at the time, as long as they have their smartphones with them.
This powerful new form of marketing can help your brand increase its reach and resonate with consumers more than ever before, making it well worth considering for your next extensive campaign.
Smart TV advertising can be an effective way to reach targeted demographics and generate sales leads, but it’s not an easy concept to understand in just a few sentences. So we put together this guide to help you better understand what connected TV advertising is and how it works.
How Does Connected TV Work?
A smart TV is digital television (DTV) that can be connected to the internet. The ability to connect your TV to broadband has made an increasing range of on-demand video content and applications available to viewers, changing their viewing habits—and creating new opportunities for advertisers.
Connected TV (CTV) uses digital signage networks which deliver relevant messages targeted directly to your consumers across multiple devices, including TVs, tablets, smartphones and laptops.
Innovative TV advertising works by inserting ads into existing programming relevant to what’s currently being watched. So, for example, if a viewer is watching a show about cooking, they might see ads from local restaurants or cooking stores; if they’re watching a sports game, they might see ads from local sporting goods stores or restaurants with sports-themed menus.
The messaging remains persistent and consistent throughout all platforms giving advertisers greater control over their messaging campaigns than traditional media options such as billboards or magazine ads.
Who Can Use Connected TV Advertising?
Innovative TV advertising is a new way for business owners to reach customers. Because of its potential reach, it can be used by nearly any kind of business in any sector and on any budget.
So whether you own a local ice cream shop or an office supply giant, if you sell products or services, there’s a good chance that connected TV advertising could work for you.
How Does It Differ from Regular Broadcasting?
While it has been around for decades, it’s only in recent years that connected TV advertising has begun to come into its own.
However, the first and most crucial distinction between these two forms of marketing is that while traditional forms can work very well with CTV, they are not interchangeable. In other words, you cannot simply take an ad designed for one medium and expect it to perform well on another.
Instead, you need to create new ads specifically designed for each medium if you want them to have any chance at success. To understand why there is a difference between these two types of advertisements, we must explore how they function within their respective mediums.
How Effective Is It in Engaging Viewers?
The rise of connected televisions and an explosion in subscription-based services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime has created a new medium for advertisers to reach consumers.
Yet many businesses may be reluctant to advertise on connected TV devices. The truth is, CTV is remarkable at engaging viewers. Ads are more targeted and based around genuine user interests, rather than the broad targeting approach that you’d take with advertising on cable.
Besides this distinction, connected TV also offers in-depth analytics and conversion tracking, allowing you to see who ultimately visited your website and converted as a result of a TV commercial. This is something that linear TV advertisers could only dream of years ago. Now, with CTV, that has become a reality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a connected TV ad?
Technology has progressed so much that watching the latest shows and movies is as easy as opening up your smart TV.
Connected TV advertising is the new way to reach consumers. With a wide variety of targeted and personalized ads, advertisers have more opportunities.
What is a connected TV example?
Popular examples are:
- Chromecast
- Amazon
- Roku
- Apple TV
- Fire Stick
In addition, the power of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu combined with all your favorite shows on networks like ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX are all available at your fingertips. So skip out on the cable bill and enjoy everything you love about TV anywhere in your home.
What is the difference between OTT and a connected TV?
OTT refers to video content streamed via the internet instead of using the traditional satellite or cable TV. This means you could watch on your computer, tablet or even in your car if you have a wireless internet connection! On the flip side, a connected TV is a smart TV with the capability of receiving OTT content.
Final Thoughts
Your marketing strategy should be based on your target audience as a business owner. By using connected television advertising, you have the opportunity to reach users when they are at home and are more engaged in video content.
It also allows you to make sure that your message is as effective as possible by delivering it when users can choose to engage with it or not. So if you’re looking for an innovative way to market your business, consider connecting with customers through their televisions.