Broadcast TV needs to rethink its own sales approach if it is to effectively counter the challenges to its budgets posed by digital advertising, research suggests.
A study for thinktv Canada highlighted several reasons unrelated to advertising outcomes why brand marketers might be happy to push more money towards digital advertising, even though they understand how effective TV is and are aware of the various issues plaguing digital platforms.
Measurement figures, viewability, brand safety – all these were talked about by the participants in the qualitative research carried out by management consultant Carsten Knoch.
“What becomes clear though is that they didn’t care,” he told the recent Medial Future of TV Ad Forum. (For more details, read WARC’s report: Why TV lacks engagement with marketers.)
His take was that digital advertising’s user experience – “the daily numbers that say every day, every minute of every day, that it’s working, it’s working, it’s working” – stand in stark contrast to that offered by TV.
“Overwhelmingly they [brand marketers]only spoke about their experience with digital media planning, buying, execution and reporting,” he said.
“Digital advertising works really hard to articulate its value, not just during the sales stage but on an ongoing basis,” he added.
TV, on the other hand, tends to be regarded by marketers as a black box with inputs (planning, budgets) and outputs (reports, often months after the campaign has gone off air).
TV is “incredibly low touch”, Knoch argued, “and it doesn’t really provide information or feedback frequently enough to hold marketers’ attention.” The result is they can feel uninvolved with, and lacking control over, their television campaigns.
“Platforms on the digital side seem to be fulfilling a very important purpose which has nothing directly to do with whether digital advertising is working as a product,” he said. Rather it has “everything to do with getting and retaining marketers’ attention – it makes marketers feel smart accomplished and in control”.
–
This article first appeared in www.warc.com
Seeking to build and grow your brand using the force of consumer insight, strategic foresight, creative disruption and technology prowess? Talk to us at +9714 3867728 or mail: info@groupisd.com or visit www.groupisd.com
