• by Abbey Thomas , Columnist, November 19, 2015

Marketers all agree audiences are more fragmented than ever. There’s a variety of content available to stream on a seemingly ever-increasing number of screens, making winning the attention of consumers exponentially more challenging. In entertainment marketing, quality content is more the rule than the rarity. Content may have been king, but he has been dethroned. As MediaPost’s Bob Garfield noted previously, there’s a new ruler in town, and his name is Attention. 

Marketers deeply understand the value of getting consumer attention. However, the heightened priority to grasp a consumer’s attention has never been more pronounced because there has never been so much noise to break through. Roadblocks used to suffice but now we must be even more strategic.

Video is one of the fastest-growing mediums for advertisers, and it’s no wonder. According to eMarketer, U.S. adults spend nearly six hours watching video every day. This is good news for entertainment marketers who, as storytellers, have the right assets to easily translate into video advertising. Add a layer of engagement on that video, which no other marketing medium can offer, and you have a powerful piece of creative that entices consumers to lean-in. So the question is, how do you successfully integrate video into your plans to win consumers’ attention?

Cross-screen campaigns

This past fall TV season, appointment viewing played a major role as networks saw ratings jump significantly in the live +3 numbers, proving that even in this digital age, television holds great relevance. Even still, consumers are watching more of their content across devices, spending an hour more on these devices than just five years ago, and 25 minutes less in front of the television, according to eMarketer. Not only that, they’re using their mobile devices while consuming these live programs. 

Consider here, marketers, Connected TV (CTV). While relatively new, this platform offers a wide range of opportunity for entertainment marketers to capture attention through video. However keep second viewing tendencies in mind. Make sure your content is presented at the right time, and develop a call to action that makes sense for the user’s state. Take advantage of the fact a remote is already in-hand.

Advanced Targeting

One recent study found that consumers are only three hours a day without their mobile phone. The reliance on devices for information has impacted purchase behaviors. Since consumers are least receptive to video ads that use browser history as their primary data set, according to research from Millward Brown, using geo-behavioral targeting to deliver relevant ads can yield a greater return on your ad spend. 

Geo-behavioral targeting technology utilizes real world geo-behavioral data to reach consumers using data collected from their mobile devices. By leveraging this type of data, you get a more authentic picture of intent and behavior through analyzing visits, frequency, and dwell time. You can ultimately better understand where your consumer is on their purchase journey.

Programmatic

With the right combination of data and technology, we can find consumers wherever they are, on the right device, at the moment where they’re most receptive to seeing it. And thanks to programmatic buying, we can do this more efficiently than ever before. 

Many marketers believe the myth that programmatic advertising hinders creativity and is less effective than ads that are direct-sold. But in reality, programmatic video is a great strategy for entertainment marketers who can marry creative ad formats with the swath data available through this type of transaction. Programmatic video formats with interactive features enable consumers to interact with brands in a meaningful way, and keep entertainment at the forefront. 

I find it ironic when programmatic is associated with poor viewability.  One of the benefits of utilizing a video platform is their ability to provide guarantees around viewability as measured by third party verification companies. One entertainment marketer recently found that by utilizing programmatic inventory specifically curated to optimize viewability, that metric was  5.6 times greater than open auction.

When consumers have so many options in terms of how and where they’re consuming their content, its important entertainment marketers use all of the digital tools at their disposal. Let’s go beyond creating content and ensure we are creating content and placing it in places and times that capture attention.