From the days when “Video Killed the Radio Star” to DVDs to streaming, the way audiences consume video is constantly changing. As that evolution continues, video has become more and more important in consumers’ lives: eMarketer found that US adults will spend 8 hours and 2 minutes per day with digital media this year, 14 minutes longer than in 2023.
Despite so many developments in the way people consume video, the way we buy media hasn’t changed much over the years. Traditionally, advertisers bought video via linear network upfront deals, which were predicated on how well linear has worked in the past. But those old-school techniques won’t work in the new world of digital media: to win, you need to be meeting your customers where they’re paying attention.
Consumers have more video environments to choose from than ever before. That means you’ll need to create a holistic strategy that takes all of those different options into account. Brands have more opportunities to get in front of their customers–but only if they’re willing to take a unified approach to video.
Why is a unified approach to video essential?
Video is on the rise, both in ad spending and in its ability to capture your audience’s attention. According to eMarketer, video ad spending is set to outpace the digital ad market and regardless of format will account for more than 35% of all digital ad spending in 2024.
But not all video formats are created equal. You need to know where to invest and build an informed strategy to succeed.
Source: eMarketer
As linear viewership declines, primetime and live programming have become increasingly important. At the same time, other forms of video are on the rise, especially for younger audiences: eMarketer found that younger demographics prefer social media to linear TV when it comes to their video-viewing habits.
Source: eMarketer
But it’s not just Gen Z switching from linear to other forms of video. According to KORTX, time spent on CTV devices has nearly doubled over the past four years thanks to increased viewership of subscription services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Tubi, and YouTube.
With viewers watching in so many different places, it’s crucial to take every format your audience is using into account when choosing your video mix. And with a constantly evolving media environment, you’ll need to stay ahead of the latest trends to succeed.
Optimizing the right video mix for your business
The right video mix will be different for every brand. It will depend on where your audience is spending time and what your brand’s unique advertising needs are.
No matter what, brands should be focused on a unified approach to video advertising that spans the mediums and networks where their consumers spend their time viewing video. For most advertisers, this will likely mean making a dramatic shift away from linear and placing a much larger emphasis on CTV, social, and YouTube.
For example, a fashion brand that appeals to customers with high-quality products and partners with influencers on some of their marketing shouldn’t be spending on programmatic (even if it has worked for them in the past). Instead, that brand should expand their horizons to other video environments because they know that’s where their audience will be, especially on social media, where their influencer partners draw customers.
Depending on the video formats you choose, you’ll need to adapt your creative to fit each specific platform. Social video, for example, needs to feel native to the platform. Don’t fall into the trap of relying on cutdowns of overproduced linear assets–instead, your creative should be aligned with how consumers view video on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
You’ll also need to make sure you’re delivering your ads at the right pace for different platforms. On YouTube, you need to get your brand message across succinctly in the first 5 seconds of a video ad; while with CTV, you have more time to articulate important product/service information for potential customers, since CTV ads are forced 15, 30, or 60-second spots.
Adapt your creative to each environment, but make sure all of your advertising is delivering a cohesive overall strategy, regardless of format. Your messaging needs to be consistent across all platforms so the consumer doesn’t get confused or distracted before they can convert (no matter which part of the funnel they convert in).
Measuring the impact of a unified video strategy
Out with the old, in with the new also applies to measurement: you should be doing away with techniques that used to work in favor of more efficient strategies.
Instead of relying on older forms of measurement, like media mix modeling (MMM) and TRP/GRPs, you should look to measure the downstream impact of video. Did it result in a purchase? Did it create brand loyalty? Did it increase brand awareness?
This line of thinking also applies to measuring in the digital world: look for view-through and click-through metrics to measure the immediate efficacy of digital-first mediums like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube, and CTV.
Video’s short-term impact can be measured via a high-velocity MMM or incrementality model like Wpromote’s proprietary Polaris growth planner. Longer-term purchase intent can be measured with brand lift metrics and by looking at the halo of video ads, which can span weeks, months, or even years.
Effective long-term measurement leverages short-term proxies like search intent and brand lift metrics coupled with overall long-term sales lift.
Start planning your efforts by assessing where your core consumers spend the most time watching video to stack-rank the platforms with the highest reach against your target audience. From there, make sure your creative and go-to-market strategy comes to life via each video medium.
Remember, a unified approach doesn’t mean doing the same thing on every platform. Instead, it’s about recognizing which types of video will reach your audience at the right places in their customer journey and cultivating a cohesive message that works across formats.