By Samantha Lister, Head of Marketing Science at Finecast, GroupM Nexus’s addressable TV solution
It is no exaggeration to say we are well and truly in the new era of television. We are witnessing a fantastic proliferation of content and tech platforms to view TV when and how we want – from Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels to hybrid SVOD-AVOD streaming platforms. It is a great time for viewers to watch TV!
However, this explosion of content and channels poses significant challenges to brands and advertisers. As viewers are increasingly fragmenting across a wide range of platforms, advertisers are grappling with the issue of how to reach their target audience with accuracy in the most cost-effective way.
The increased complexity and sophistication of the CTV landscape makes it more challenging for advertisers to plan ad campaigns and measure their effectiveness. The traditional, broadcaster-centred, CTV measurement systems can no longer capture the complete picture and provide a holistic view of how a TV campaign has performed across different channels.
Ushering in a new era of TV ad measurement
This current era of television is calling for measurement capabilities to catch up. To stay ahead of the competition and maximise outcomes of their TV ad campaigns in a constantly evolving landscape, brands need to devise an effective measurement strategy that captures both linear and addressable viewing.
This is the main challenge Finecast Total TV Measurement aims to address. This new solution aggregates, aligns and de-duplicates a set of complex data sets with data science principles at its heart. Total TV Measurement combines Finecast log-level data – including BVOD, AVOD and other broadcast-like content – with AudienceProject’s custom design TV measurement technology. The solution then fuses and analyses data to create a single measure of cross-channel addressable reach, which is then measured against BARB data via TechEdge to produce de-duplicated reach and frequency metrics across addressable TV and linear campaigns.
In today’s highly competitive business environment, ensuring brand credibility and meeting the expectations of all stakeholders is crucial to success. For this reason, Finecast’s new solution has been verified via an independent assurance review conducted by PwC. The assessment adhered to the International Standard on Related Services (ISRS) 4400 (Revised) for Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements.
The advantages for advertisers and agencies
Total TV Measurement offers multiple advantages to advertisers and media agencies. It allows advertisers to accurately measure the results of their TV ad campaigns by delivering in-depth insights into the reach contribution of both linear and addressable TV. The solution also provides enhanced metrics on campaign frequency against a broad set of BARB demographic audiences.
The solution, in other words, offers value-driven insights into how addressable and linear TV can work efficiently together to optimise reach at different points throughout the reach curve. It enables brands to assess and compare addressable and linear TV campaigns, providing evidence of the efficiencies that can be gained by combining the two approaches.
Better measurement is key to unlocking a smarter allocation of ad budgets. While linear TV has been historically regarded as the most cost-effective channel, Total TV Measurement highlights that it does not always need to be linear first. Unleashing the power of addressability helps to focus on a more specific customer base and to reach the right audience with the right message.
Depending on the specific KPIs and goals of a campaign, advertisers might benefit from investing most of their budgets in addressable advertising, reserving a smaller slice of the pie for linear.
Ultimately, this new solution will benefit advertisers and agencies by ensuring greater union and cross-channel insights, an indispensable condition for taking media planning to the next level.
Setting TV campaigns up for success
We’re well aware that advertisers rely on post-campaign metrics not only to measure the results achieved and show the value of their work, but also, and more importantly, to pave the way for the success of future campaigns.
With TV and video becoming more and more intertwined, a myriad of new ways to consume content and mounting pressure over ad budgets, streamlining the measurement process has become non-negotiable.
Total TV Measurement goes one step further in disclosing the value of addressable TV on the media plan and, in doing so, empowers advertisers and agencies to make the most of their ad spend.
