Marketers to Seek Outside Help for TV Ad Buying Strategy

BY Rachel Cagle
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TV has been one of the most popular media formats since it first became widely available to the public. And the COVID-​19 pandemic only made viewing habits more diverse and the time spent watching TV longer. However, TV isn’t just watched on TV sets anymore. Consumers can watch TV (and TV ads) on their mobile devices anywhere they want on an ever-​increasing array of streaming services. “In this new data-​rich environment, marketers can now target segmented audiences based on interests, purchasing habits and much more, not merely demographics,” states The CMO Club in its the Unstoppable Evolution of TV to Total Video solution guide.

The constant evolution of TV presents marketers with numerous opportunities. One of the biggest is that in-​house marketers are seeking the help of outside agencies to plan their TV-​ad buying strategy.

Marketers Need Help with TV Ad Purchasing

According to The CMO Club, 80% of CMOs are seeking help from media buying agencies or consultants to plan their TV-​ad buying strategies. Additionally, “42% say their agency strategy team is primarily responsible for developing TV strategy. To increase reach and effectiveness of TV dollars, 44% seek to hire external partners or agencies in the next year.”

This TV ad development presents two opportunities for you:

  1. If your clients don’t already utilize your expertise in TV ad planning, promote your services to them. It’s almost always easier to upsell current clients than to have new ones sign on with you.
  2. Be available as a TV ad-​buying consultant for potential clients. Put your expertise out there for potential clients to find when they do online research. You should also spotlight TV ad strategy services during your elevator pitches.

Influencing Clients to Focus on TV

Your clients/​potential clients may need more information before they decide to invest further in TV ads. Here’s information you can give them to help them make an informed decision they’re comfortable with.

Increasing Budgets

According to The CMO Club, within the next year, marketers plan to increase their budgets for:

  • Connected TV: 52%
  • Addressable TV: 34%
  • Linear/​Broadcast TV: 17%

That’s a lot of TV ad options to balance with different expertise needed to make the most out of each. So, as mentioned above, many marketers are turning to third-​party agencies and consultants to increase the reach and effectiveness of their ads.

Different Methods of Targeting

Demographics may be a good targeting method for TV ads, but it’s not the only one available anymore. There’s also:

  • Behavioral: Focusing on specific interests and audience classifications, such as pet owners
  • Retargeting: Ads targeted at consumers who have recently interacted with the company in a different way, such as visiting the website
  • Purchase-​Based: Based on past purchases

Your existing and potential clients may not have a way to track this information or come up with solid creative ideas for TV ads based on it. That’s where you come in.

Are TV Ads Worth Your Client’s Time and Money?

Your existing and potential clients may not even have an existing TV ad strategy. Perhaps they don’t think their target audience watches much TV or pays attention to the commercials. But chances are, they do. Check out your client’s target audience’s profile on AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel. There, you’ll find information on:

  • What percentage of your client’s target audience took action based on TV ads within the last year
  • What types of TV programming are their favorites
  • How often they watch TV

You clients need to “Approach TV as ‘total video’ rather than siloed buys of traditional linear TV, addressable TV and connected/​OTT,” says The CMO Club. “Take all providers into account when planning your creative and buying strategies. Think and measure holistically across all channels.” And if your clients think that sounds like a lot of work, then they could definitely use your help.

Photo by Alex Suprun


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