Getting viewers to discover a particular program is arguably one of the biggest challenges for marketers in today's highly fragmented media landscape. And breaking through the noise to reach the right people at the right time requires more than a great message. Data and the platforms that marketers choose are key. But not all data is created equally and not all platforms are where to find particular target audiences.
That's according to Conor Teehan, Digital Sales Manager for New York Interconnect (NYI). He explained that programmers can pack a bigger punch by combining linear television with over-the-top (OTT). That's something the company has had particular success with for tune-in campaigns. In one instance where a client combined addressable TV with IP (internet protocol) targeting, NYI found that households that were exposed to both the linear and digital campaigns averaged a 67% higher incremental tune-in lift than those who were not.
"There's a lot of noise for most consumers on a daily basis. It's all about eliminating waste, whether it's streaming or linear television," said Teehan.
A joint venture of Altice USA, Charter, and Comcast, NYI represents multiple systems in the New York market. The obvious advantage is the access these partnerships give NYI to first-party data through set top boxes.
NYI relies on multiple forms of data. "We layer our first-party data on top of third-party data and pass it through a third-party data broker to make sure it's privacy compliant and anonymized," Teehan explained.
Some third-party data is provided by TV set manufacturers, which collect information about viewing habits. A household may not have cable, but they have high speed internet connection. In that case smart TV data can help determine the viewing habits of those non-cable households through the process of automatic content recognition (ACR).
In addition, Teehan noted that NYI is able to utilize program guide, main menu banner (MMB), and video on demand (VOD) advertisements. In one campaign aimed at driving VOD rentals of a certain film, they found that households exposed to a combination of both MMB and VOD ads rented the movie at a 158% higher rate than those not exposed. That result supports his belief that a driver in the success of tune-in advertisements is reaching the customer in the environment where they can take action.
NYI wants to make streaming as safe an option as linear TV has always been for buyers. Traditional TV is, by design, a fraud-free environment. Streaming brings with it the digital challenges of placement next to questionable content. Teehan explained that by sourcing premium cable content, NYI is able to maintain impression integrity and effectiveness of reach.
While viewing habits have changed drastically in the last five years, the goal continues to be finding the audience wherever they are viewing content, Teehan noted. He believes that as fragmented as video has become, it is coming back together. "It's about convergence in media, but also convergence in data -- bringing together all these different parties to execute a campaign and have it informed in the right way."
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