TV Ad Tech 101: Let’s Learn About Campaign Objectives

This is Class 1 where we will learn about Campaign Objectives. To continue reading, check out the TV Ad Tech 101 page.

The TV landscape is complex and constantly evolving. From the days of only broadcast and cable to today’s variety of advanced TV offerings, it is a challenge to keep up with the latest terminology. With a growing interest in ways technology can bring brands and audiences closer together, media buyers are left to figure out how it all works. To help you navigate this complex ecosystem, we’ve broken out the core elements of the TV landscape into a six-part series we’re calling TV Ad Tech 101.

Campaign objectives are the goals you set before planning a campaign. You need to first decide on these objectives in order to determine the right audience for your brand and establish the KPIs you will use to measure your success in reaching that audience.

Establishing clear campaign objectives is critical for a successful campaign. How will you know if your ad drove the right results if you have nothing to measure it against? The strategy for your entire media plan will hinge upon the campaign objective, so it’s important to know who you’re targeting and why.

Types of Campaign Objectives

Age and gender are the most common demographic-based audience identifiers. These demographics can be used to segment your audience for national linear TV campaigns, which are measured in GRPs – the rate of exposure. While most commonly used in traditional linear, age- and gender-based audiences are available across all TV media types including advanced TV.

Additionally, there are addressable audience-based targeting solutions leveraging behavioral, purchase, intent, and other data sources that can be used within indexed, addressable STB, CTV and OTT. Unlike traditional linear TV, advanced TV can be measured in terms of a marketer’s business outcomes, such as conversion, acquisition, and revenue. To accomplish this, closed-loop measurement methodologies are used to determine the lift in the desired action by the exposed group (consumers who were shown the ad) versus the control group (consumers who didn’t see the ad).

Why It Matters

There are several ways to approach setting campaign objectives. This includes:

Brand Awareness
TV advertising is an effective medium if your campaign is trying to boost brand awareness. The leading consumer brands have become household names by creating a brand narrative and distinct voice, then consistently using that message over time. When a brand creates ad content that is authentic to their brand, this builds trust and generates stronger brand awareness. This is a tactic used by both lesser-known brands trying to boost awareness and brands that are household names that want to remain top of mind.

Direct Response
This form of advertising, sometimes referred to as DRTV, is used when a brand uses a call-to-action to ask consumers to call, click, or purchase at the end of their commercial. For example, if your brand’s product is sold at a specific retailer, you may ask viewers to visit that store to buy the item. This approach is most commonly used in informercials, but can also be applied to other styles of advertising – in fact, many newer direct-to-consumer brands have utilized DRTV for their ad campaigns.

New Product Launch
When a brand is launching a new product or service, they may want to use TV ads to make a splash. A well-timed, catchy, or unusual TV ad can help brands drive interest in new items by helping them to stand apart from the rest. Is the product something that hasn’t existed before? Or is it a new way of doing something that other brands offer? Leveraging TV advertising for a new product launch can be the platform that catapults that brand to success.

Competitive Conquest
Does your brand operate in a highly competitive or saturated market? Brands that operate in a competitive space will often use TV ads as a way to drive a share shift. What this means is that advertisers can implement a TV ad campaign meant to drive consumers away from competitors. Take paper towels – we’ve all seen ads that show how one brand’s paper towels are more absorbent than another. The intent is that consumers will take this information with them to the store and it will become a part of the decision-making process when evaluating options on the shelves.

Rebranding & Repositioning
Times change and so do brands. Whether a brand is changing their look and feel, updating their messaging, or carving out a new place in the market, TV ads can help spread the news. With TV ads, small rebrands can make a big impact, and big rebrands can go viral. Consider Old Spice grooming products. Old Spice was once an average CPG brand; however, a strategic TV ad campaign proved to be the perfect outlet for their innovative rebrand.

Be sure to come back next week for Class 2 of TV Ad Tech 101, where you’ll learn all about Premium Content.