How do you memorize something? You read, watch, listen, etc. to it over and over again. And whether you want to or not, if you see or hear something multiple times, it’s going to embed itself in your memory, at least for a while. When it comes to ads, research shows that consumers not only remember ads they see and hear across multiple platforms, they actually engage better with them too. This is especially true when it comes to linear TV and CTV ads.

Combining Linear TV with CTV Ads Delivers Results

How Many Screens Should Your Clients Use?

A recent article by US Today, highlighting research from Spectrum Reach and Magna Global, reports that, “A multiscreen approach increased ad attention and engagement, as well as consumer purchase intent.” A multiscreen ad approach also increases “unaided brand awareness.” The sweet spot when it comes to the number of screens is three. When consumers see ads on three different types of screens:

81% say that the ad’s message is clear
39% say that they learned new information (kind of like how you notice different things the more times you watch a movie)

While three screens tested the best, two proved to be only slightly less effective.

Which Screens to Use

Two Screens

The study covered linear TV, connected TV and mobile devices. Out of all the combinations studied, researchers found that the best combination of ads is CTV and linear TV ads. Overall, this combination is the most memorable to consumers.

Three Screens

Although the combination of linear TV and CTV ads is the most effective overall, that doesn’t mean that mobile can’t join the party. After all, the three-screen impact makes the biggest impression on consumers, according to the study. As long as your clients uses linear TV and CTV ads, the third screen of mobile will complement them well and boost the effectiveness of the entire campaign.

Avoiding Ad Burnout

Now, you may have been thinking that, yeah, seeing the same ad a lot can help you remember its messaging, but it can also be very annoying. That’s true if the campaign isn’t handled as well as it should be. This can be solved by not releasing the same ad on every screen all at once. For example, your client could release an ad on linear TV first. Once it has run for a while, put it on CTV. Then follow it up on mobile. No matter which order you and your client use to release the ad, be sure that linear TV is first. According to the study, “Leading with linear on a cross-platform campaign increased purchase intent by 25%, while streaming first led to a 14% increase and mobile first led to a 4% increase.”

Expanding Your Client’s Campaign

What if your client wants to extend the campaign beyond linear TV, CTV and mobile ads? Which types of ad media should you use to complement the campaign? Well, that depends on your client’s target audience.

AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel has you covered. All you have to do is look up your client’s target audience and you’ll discover a wealth of marketing research, including:

Which ads influenced what percentage of the audience to take action within the last year
What types of TV shows they enjoy watching
Which streaming services they use
Which devices they use
Their internet usage habits
Which social platforms they’re active on
Their attitudes toward different advertising tactics
So much more

Just present this information to your client and you’ll be able to come up with your most effective ad campaign yet! (And then the next one. And the next!)

Photo by Anna Kasin