Fragmented, Not Hiding

Fragmentation – a buzzword in the marketing world to be sure but when does a buzzword just become a simple truth to describe a phenomenon? After all, it became a buzzword for a reason.

 

Businesses now have to weigh so many options when deciding where to put their ads, but the reality remains that content is (and will always be) king. People like variety, flexibility, and multitasking, so meet users where they are streaming. Consumers are not hiding what they like, and the rising number of OTT and audio subscribers paint that picture completely. For example, Spotify audio subscribers hit 299 million this year and The Walt Disney Company has merged Hulu, ESPN, and Disney+ into a mega-streaming triad with Hulu outpacing Netflix subscribers (even with ads). Wow, so I have to make deals with huge players like ESPN and Spotify? That’s going to eat up so much budget! Not exactly.

 

Inventory opens up every day in the programmatic exchanges to give nearly everyone access to today’s top publishers and content at scale. The caveat? An avenue to buy them programmatically or set up a private deal, but that’s where agencies come in. Having an agency partner who already has a ticket to the exchange is crucial to getting varied ad inventory on major publishers on your behalf. Buying programmatically across a varied network of publishers gives brands a broader reach. Broader reach gives users a better ad viewing experience – unlike the familiar irritation of seeing the same 3 commercials on your local cable channel. The last thing your brand wants is your commercial associated with a feeling of annoyance. Not only are you wasting impressions in your buy, but you’re creating a negative effect. If you buy across a network of streaming providers that is targeting a specific user – not a specific channel – you can reach the right person at the right time with your message. The bonus on top is because programmatic data is so measurable, your agency can set frequency caps to ensure a good user experience that looks at frequency over time to create a positive memorable experience.