From Awareness to Performance: How Fragmentation Is Shifting Streaming Goals 

4 Min Read

Whether you’re a marketer, a streaming consumer, or both, you’ve probably noticed there have been a lot of changes in the Connected TV (CTV) and Over-the-Top (OTT) world lately. Between the addition of new platforms and subscription options, it’s a lot to take in. This fragmentation, combined with the decline in linear viewership and the evolution of CTV, has marketing teams rethinking their strategies. 

Recently, MNTN’s Maggie Pendergrass, Customer Success Manager, and Jacob Trussell, Content Marketing Lead, joined Adweek to discuss the shifting landscape of television advertising. Take a look at some highlights of their conversation: 

What’s Going On With Streaming Fragmentation?

The Connected TV landscape is fragmenting as it matures. Right now, it’s changing quickly and often, with more and more channels launching new platforms and ad-supported options. Netflix, for example, made headlines this year for adding in a less-expensive, ad-supported tier while raising the cost of the ad-free option. 

While fragmentation is prevalent in the overall market, it’s also found within certain individual companies. Amazon recently announced their plans to add an ad-supported tier to Prime Video. With this addition, advertisers now have multiple options with Amazon alone, including running ads on Prime Video and FreeVee, their Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) offering. 

You’ve probably picked up on our point by now: a lot is going on in the streaming world, especially when it comes to fragmentation. But how does all of this play into the goals brands set and their ability to achieve them? 

Out With Awareness, In With Performance

While television used to be solely focused on driving brand awareness, today’s tools and technology can help advertisers meet their performance marketing goals with it, too. As CTV platforms have evolved, advertisers have more options for reaching their target audience — no matter what content they’re watching. 

The fragmentation discussed above would have been a catastrophe an issue in the past. But with precision audience targeting, marketing teams don’t have to worry about wasting dollars on shows their audience isn’t even watching. By focusing directly on the consumer, brands can reach the right audience at the right time and use their marketing budget more effectively. 

The Importance of Audience-First Creative 

Since you’re targeting based on your audience, you’ll want to take this opportunity to personalize your video content and speak directly to those consumers. If you don’t create content for the specific audience segment you’re targeting, they’ll have a much harder time connecting with it (and that’s best case scenario). Purpose-based creative, on the other hand, starts with a specific goal or audience in mind, helping your brand resonate more effectively. 

For example, your existing customers don’t need to see the same ad creative as your awareness-level audience. When retargeting an audience, you can leave out all the intro-level information — they already know it. Instead, you can offer a more detailed background on your company, upcoming deals, or exclusive access to an existing customer experience. 

No matter which audience you’re speaking to, you can help your message resonate with video marketing best practices. From beginning to end, some of these include: 

• Starting with a clever opening hook to engage your audience 
• Maintaining an on-screen URL throughout
• Ending with a clear CTA

Additionally, you’ll want to ensure your team follows a consistent schedule for updating your ad creative. By refreshing your content on a regular basis, you’ll be able to prevent ad fatigue and make sure your brand stays top of mind with your audience. 

The Future of Performance Advertising Is Here 

While television and brand awareness have often gone hand-in-hand, Connected TV has expanded the possibilities for performance. Now, marketers can use data-driven, audience-first strategies to target their customers wherever they watch their favorite shows, adding TV to the performance lineup. 

Ready to learn more about reaching the right people at the right time on CTV? Watch the full webinar here.