Iconic rock legend Freddie Mercury summed up pretty much everything we stand for at Origin when he wrote 'Radio Ga Ga' in 1984. Man, he was so ahead of the curve it's awesome.
What do we mean? Well, it's pretty simple actually. In the world we live in today, TV advertising and CTV advertising is facing one of the most aggressive growth spurts in the history of digital advertising (if not in advertising entirely). But, as we all know, with growth spurts comes a little 'growing pain'. And it is often pain that is hard to point at. So in this short article, we're going to discuss what some of these CTV advertising growing pains are so that you can be sure that you're looking over the horizon as much as you are staring directly at it.
DISTRACTED VIEWERS
Problem
Coincidence or not, while the world was busy pivoting away from traditional TV to Connected TV the general lifestyle and behavior of viewers was also changing. We live in a world of extreme distractions which is making it harder to have a consumer's attention - meaning CTV ads run the very real risk of fading into the background when they run. What this means is that not only do your ads run run the risk of being drowned out by all the other ads running next to yours - they might not be getting any attention at all.
Consideration
This is worth thinking about, because based on our own findings (and this is not a scientific fact) not only are younger viewers likely to be more distracted but if you want their attention at all - then you have to earn it. Earning someone's attention on Connected TV these days requires some form of value exchange.
AD BLINDNESS AND AD FATIGUE
Problem
This may seem peculiar coming from an advertising company, but people are exposed to so many ads from every angle each day that they are naturally choosing to tune them out whenever they can. This is significantly easier to do in a CTV viewing environment, especially when you consider that upwards of 95% of all TV viewing is done by viewers who have a 2nd device either in their hand, in their pocket or on their lap.
Consideration
The answer to this problem is not to give up advertising; it's to rethink HOW you advertise. Relevant CTV ad targeting is one obvious way, but so is the need to think about how your ad spot can look, feel and sound different.
TECHNOLOGY
Problem
While CTV ad tech is fundamentally here to help us, the explosion in solutions, services and software flooding the CTV advertising market is material - and much of it is stuff that we don't yet know 'plays well' with others and if you play chess you'll know what we mean. Every move of a chess piece is designed to help you play out a strategy that hopefully lets you win, but sudden changes to your planned move can quickly turn a previously perfect execution into a mess. This can happen when you start layering new CTV ad tech on top of existing CTV ad tech.
Consideration
So be careful with what you adopt, test it somewhere in a closed loop environment and make sure you keep an eye on everything else that the existing CTV ad tech is meant to be doing for you (eg frequency capping).
IN CONCLUSION
As uncomfortably as it might make you feel, the best way to approach your next CTV advertising campaign is to ask yourself the basic question - what can I do to stop my ad from becoming 'background noise'? Because it will be by asking these ugly questions and daring to break away from the norm, like Freddie did, and daring to stare down the old ways in favor of the new.
Be bold, be brave, choose courage over comfort and you will stand out from the pack.
ABOUT ORIGIN
Origin is a creative technology company whose pioneering Native CTV advertising solutions have reshaped the way brands engage and activate consumers on the largest screen in the home.
Fusing dynamic content animation with proprietary ad serving technology, Origin's Native CTV ad formats elevate attention, recall, consideration and outcomes for brands who want to amplify their presence on Connected TV.
Origin was founded by media veterans Fred Godfrey and Stephen Strong whose careers have been shaped by their relentless commitment to enraging the status quo. Learn more at www.originmedia.tv.
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