The question: “Is YouTube Advertising replacing TV advertising?” is a fair question given the current media landscape in Australia. Only several decades ago, major brands had a more traditional approach to reaching their target audience. They would take out an ad during the commercial break of a primetime television program and (for the most part) cross their fingers and hope for the best. Nowadays, with so many different channels and devices to advertise across, for example, YouTube Advertising, the traditional approach to Video advertising has, by some standards, become the least targeted (and often most expensive) method available. When one considers the number of different platforms, websites, devices, and media channels that have now become mainstream and commonplace, one begins to get an idea of the complexity of our current media landscape. The idea of the optimal time of day to show you’re your ad hardly applies, with adverts being served at odd hours, in strange places and across all devices, both large and small.
While the new media landscape is a more complicated one, it has also brought new opportunities for marketers that were once not available. YouTube Advertising is an excellent example of a medium that allows the modern marketer to achieve optimal audience engagement by showing ads at moments where users are most focused, while sending an impactful and contextual message. Here are some tips on achieving the best results for your YouTube Advertising campaign:
Choose the best device to appear on
No matter what the content being watched is, one thing is clear; consumers go for convenience when it comes to choosing a device to watch a YouTube video on. Advertisers doing YouTube Advertising have to be flexible about showing their ads at any time, on any device, and on different categories of video. A recent YouTube report released in 2014 revealed that a staggering 98% of video was viewed on mobile devices for the 18-34 year-old age demographic! In terms of YouTube Advertising, YouTube videos make up nearly half of the videos being viewed in that age group.
If there’s interaction, always engage
Staying connected to your audience is key. An important fact to consider when contemplating YouTube Advertising on Mobile, is that consumers who view videos on their mobile show around double the level of engagement with the brand when compared to viewers of TV. When you consider that the more focused the viewer, the more likely they are to purchase, it makes YouTube Advertising on Mobile a much more logical and attractive opportunity. Engaging content become more and more important as our attention spans shorten. In the turn of the millennium, our collective attention span was just over ten seconds. In 2013, it fell to 8 (hopefully you’ve read this far)! No longer is simple video content sufficient to capture an audience’s attention. It’s all about presenting ads intelligently to drive engagement. This means growing out of stagnant creative and moving into newer dynamic approaches.
One such format that has proven effective in increasing levels of engagement in YouTube Advertising is TrueView. Just as our devices become more complex, the digital creative we use must also evolve and adapt. TrueView gives advertisers more value by letting viewers decide whether or not to actually watch an ad during their viewing experience. When they do, the advertiser pays. This pay-per-real-view approach has been hugely successful for Benchmarketing clients, particularly in combining this with programmatic buying. YouTube Advertising using TrueView and programmatic lets advertisers connect with their audience in moments that matter and in ways that truly engage on an individual level.
Spend wiser across all devices
Consumers are increasingly demanding more from their viewing experience, and brands must do what they can to deliver a clearer brand message to their target market on all devices. This involves making the most out the data you can collect from your programmatic campaigns and using these insights to make better choices about where and how you spend your digital (and non-digital) budget.
Next Steps
The programmatic marketplace is ever-expanding and constantly evolving. Here at Benchmarketing, we wait with bated breath for the development of Programmatic buying and selling for TV ads, both on smart devices and linear TVs. Watch this space! In the meantime, if you’re looking into programmatic media buying, Benchmarketing can help you run a successful YouTube advertising campaign across all screens and devices.
