What makes a TV ad effective? There are many answers to the question. Simply put, goals fall under brand awareness, recall, inciting people to learn more and driving purchases. In most cases, TV ad formats are traditional 30-second spots. A new study on the impact of untraditional streaming ads reveals much more about effectiveness. What works for streaming can do the same for broadcast TV.
Survey Offers Insights on What Makes Ads Engaging
A new survey of TV watchers offers some great data points that can inform ad campaigns. Here’s what consumers had to say:
- 94% of people said they would avoid TV ads less often if there were changes in the type of ads.
- 60% of watchers want more entertainment, 53% want value in return, and 48% like new information.
Next, survey participants viewed different ad formats available on OTT/CTV, including:
- Thematic tagged vignette: Short-form, branded pieces corresponding to a specific season or theme
- Original premiere tagged vignette: Short-form, branded content that ties into the programming in which they air
- Watch-along: Original, hosted, short-form content series that lives within ad breaks in a movie and ties to it
Then, watchers rated these new ad formats against traditional TV ads. There was a 57% lift in recall, an 8% lift in brand favorability, and a 16% lift in intent to search for nontraditional content. Those lifts ranked much higher than traditional TV ads.
There were more positive returns for new formats. Tagged vignettes ranked well for viewers learning something new and getting helpful information. Original premiere tagged vignettes outperformed traditional TV ads on purchase intent and intent to recommend. There can be good synergies and increased favorability when a brand aligns itself with a show.
Watch-along formats had many optimistic reviews and were much preferred to traditional ads. Additionally, watch-alongs had a 66% increase in top-of-mind ad recall.
So, what does this mean for broadcast TV?
Analysis of Learnings and How to Leverage Them
The survey made it obvious that TV viewers want new ad experiences, with entertainment and information in demand. Putting them together creates infotainment, and any local TV advertiser can capitalize on this trend. Encouraging your clients to be innovative in storytelling directly correlates to consumers taking actions that lead to purchases.
A broadcast TV ad can follow the same creative path as those in streaming. Here are some ideas and examples:
- Local outdoor and recreation retailers: Promote summer safety tips for hiking and camping that bring in a bit of entertainment and valuable information.
- Furniture stores: Use a theme around maximizing space in small spots with decorating and organizational ideas.
- Gyms and yoga studios: Highlight how to prepare for a workout with funny outtakes on stretching gone wrong, and then follow up with how to do it right.
You can also capitalize on ads that align with programming. That’s not always possible for broadcast TV. If you have the ability to narrow a daypart by the hour to see specific audience data points, you can recommend this to local advertisers. There are likely connections between those brands and programming. Additionally, if they like the idea of vignette ads, they would likely purchase more spots within a specific show.
Another idea is vignettes that accompany your content, such as special reports, morning talk, local sports or other community programming.
Energize TV Advertiser Content with Fresh Takes
As a local TV ad seller, you’re always seeking ideas to inspire your advertisers. Taking the points from this study could lead to great conversations and more ad spending. Streaming has a large chunk of viewership, but broadcast TV is still relevant and an excellent way for businesses to connect with and reach an audience.
