Adam Shalagin delves into the new and imperfect ecosystem that is Streaming Media, whose video content is arguably the most powerful medium available for advertisers and brands to reach potential customers.
Never has there been so many options to consume media in Australia and finding customers with advertising has never been more complex.
In this article we’ll focus on the new and imperfect ecosystem that is Streaming Media, whose video content is arguably the most powerful medium available for advertisers to reach potential customers.
There is no one dominant player or tech that “owns” the channel, in fact there are lots of competing interests, and new entrants like Netflix… now that represents a huge opportunity for advertisers to win back a degree of influence in what they get for their investments.
As you can see in the image below, the days of streaming being completely ad free are almost over. While you can still pay to not see ads, the size of addressable audiences is growing quickly across services like the Netflix “Basic with Ads” tier, with even more momentum due to rising cost of living.
To put this into perspective, content recognition data from Samsung TVs in Australia (how we are watching) point to more than two thirds of the time Australians spend watching TV is on Streaming Services.
Streaming accounts for more than 2/3 of Total TV viewing time in Australia
(Samsung Ads – The Anatomy of a Streamer October 2023)
Has anyone noticed that marketing has become very complicated!?
Most media platforms are infatuated by video content right now, short form, reels, bumpers, 15s and 30s seemingly the limit (or long as its skippable!). The reason for this is the high engagement, high impact media that resonates with the audience if done well, be it on mobile or a media screen of any size. Everyone claims to be both a short-term performance driver as well as a long-term brand builder… and while there is some truth to this, it is no surprise that all is not equal in this mix…
Some takeaways around the Performance / Branding Equation are:
- Creative Matters – Good Brand focused ads that speak clearly to what you sell will have immediate performance results.
- Results Matter – A brand ad that yields short term results will also yield long term brand uplift to impact future conversions.
- Premium Environments Matter – The halo effect is real when brands align with premium content.
- Size Matters – People like to consume their media on big screens when possible, particularly longer form content.
Being Seen
YouTube is an awesome platform, and it seems like their access to an audience is limitless! The premium content available via streaming services, however, is not as easily accessible and does require either a specialist buying platform, using an agency, or dealing directly with the streaming services. Each of these approaches has costs and benefits. I would encourage everyone to do your research, get some advice and take advantage of the real opportunity to build your brand efficiently and effectively.
Words by Adam Shalagin, Managing Director, AdMatch.io , Co-Founder, AdUnion.com.au / https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalagin
About Adam: “I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in marketing and online for the past 25 years working for retailers like Expedia and eBay, launching AdUnion, a Media Agency and AdMatch, an Advertising Technology Company. Fun Fact – I was running digital text ads for retail travel agents last century, before Google Ads was even a thing!”
Link – Getting Your Brand Top of Mind in 2024 – Power Retail
