From BVOD to CTV and FAST to SVOD, the media landscape is awash with acronyms. And that’s before you even consider the JIMJAM…(yeah ok, we made that one up). Planning and buying a TV advertising campaign has become mind-bogglingly complicated. It’s no wonder there are growing calls from industry insiders to simplify the TV advertising market.
Not so long ago, if you had an audio-visual commercial it went on TV. That’s it, just TV. Now media planners and advertisers need to negotiate myriad different options before you start to even think about a channel mix. Keeping up with the latest developments is a full time job for even the most astute TV planner and we can’t help but feel this over-complicated market place is doing nothing but confusing advertisers, to the detriment of the whole industry.
Time for a more simple TV advertising marketplace?
Let’s be clear, we welcome and embrace new developments that allow our clients to run more efficient, effective advertising campaigns. We’ll happily sit down and wade through the pros and cons of the very latest opportunities but we can’t help but feel it doesn’t need to be this difficult. After all, consumers don’t care whether they are streaming or watching linear, if you ask them what they’re doing, the answer will be “watching TV”…
Elliott Millard from industry body, Thinkbox agrees. He wrote the following:
“We need to move on from the chaotic, unhelpful language that has grown like ivy around TV. We need to embrace the concept of Total TV.
Total TV includes what we currently call linear, BVOD, AVOD, SVOD, etc. – and that content when delivered on other platforms like YouTube, for example.
Viewers will just call it TV, but in advertising, Total TV is available in two specific buying modes: mass and addressable.
* Mass (one to many) – reaching mass audiences efficiently, building fame and cultural presence at scale.
* Addressable (one to one) – targeting specific audiences, households or individuals with precision.
That’s it. Not twenty acronyms. Not separate teams with separate planning processes and separate measurement frameworks. Two modes, one environment.”
An interesting proposition. Of course, simplifying TV advertising is unlikely to be quite that easy. Total TV sounds great in theory but there will be detail that needs to be ironed out and there will always be fringe cases that don’t fall neatly into either category but the industry needs to make a start.
Industry research shows advertisers are put off by confusing terminology. By 2030 three quarters of TV viewing will be “addressable” so things need to change, now. Media owners and campaign planners must agree on how best to ensure clients are well positioned and informed of the opportunities this presents.
However, in the short-term, the situation continues. If you’re an advertiser who is struggling with a confusing and fragmented TV advertising landscape, get in touch. We specialise in straightforward advice that puts the client first, every time. Visit our services page for more information on our TV offering.