TV Advertising

For marketing leaders considering TV advertising, there are 4 key considerations: 

• Goals and KPIs: Establish solid pilot tests and align goals.
• Measurement: Consider look-back windows for KPI evaluation.
• Aligning Creatives: Ensure creatives align with your message for different consumer segments.
• Budget: Allocate budget across linear and streaming, with a nuanced understanding of the brand ethos.

Reaching Your Audience with Precision

To effectively reach your audience on TV, it is essential to employ a multi-faceted measurement approach:

• Performance Measurement: Use closed-loop attribution to track outcome-based metrics such as CPV, CPI, and CAC.
• Brand Measurement: Measure brand metrics like impressions, reach, and frequency.

How Tatari Can Help 

1) Experian Audience Match: Tatari integration with data sources such as Experian provides insights into audience demographics for precise targeting. 

2) Tatari Intelligence: Use Tatari Intelligence to aggregate cross-client industry performance from similar advertisers and identify top-performing publishers/networks.

3) 1P Insights: Analyze demo and TV viewership habits of website visitors using Tatari Tag Manager.

Budget Allocation and Costs: A Tailored Approach

Budget should be aligned with your brand’s nature and goals. For early-stage companies or brands new to TV advertising, a Direct Response Lite approach may work, with an investment ranging between $70,000 and $150,000.  

Budget Options

• Platform Access: Minimal testing across 1-2 inventory types to gather learnings about creatives and audiences.
• Direct Response Lite: Testing across 1-2 inventory types to lay the foundation for optimizations.
• Scaled Direct Response: Establishing the groundwork for continuous growth by testing across the full spectrum of inventory types.
• Premium (Full Funnel): Increasing awareness and supplementing your Direct Response Video Campaign with Premium tests across CTV and Linear platforms.

Even early-stage companies with limited resources can drive TV campaign performance with budgets as low as $2,000.

While leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and repurposing videos from other channels can be cost-effective, there are specific elements to consider:

• Consistent Branding: Just like the logos you often see in the bottom right-hand corner of TV screens, consistent branding early and often can significantly impact viewer recall.
• Clear Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the value your brand offers to the audience.
• Problem/Solution Structure: Clearly address who you are and the problem your product or service solves.
• Authenticity: Authenticity is key. Present your brand genuinely with direct eye contact to establish authenticity.
• Cast Inline with Your Audience: Tailor your creative, including the cast, to align with your target audience.
• Soft CTA and Simple URL: Instead of pushing a hard sell, use a soft call-to-action (CTA) like "Learn More" in your end card to engage viewers without overwhelming them.
  

How Long Should the Ad Be?

We recommend exploring 2-3 concepts, each in 15 and 30-second formats. While 30-second ads are great for conveying brand messages and value propositions, 15-second ads are cost-effective and can keep your brand top of mind. Testing both durations enables you to gather valuable data and insights.

Real World Examples: A Strategic Approach to KPIs

Approaching your creative varies based on your campaign's KPIs—whether it's an upper funnel for brand awareness, a mid-funnel for product/service demonstration, or a lower funnel for performance-driven results. 

In the video below, we present real-world examples from Daily Harvest, Made In, and Magic Spoon to illustrate how aligning creative strategies with specific KPIs can make an impact.

Regulatory Compliance: Navigating the Do's and Don'ts

Approval processes differ among networks. However, brands must be mindful of basic TV regulatory considerations, such as profanities, sexual content, and weapons. Pharma brands and emerging industries like CBD should also avoid unsupported claims.

Choosing the Right Channels 

Choosing the right channels is an art and a science — it depends on understanding your target audience and the price of the audience. Consider leaving room for ambiguity as you choose channels, allowing space to learn about potential audiences you may not have considered before. 

1. Your Target Audience

For example, take Manscaped, a men’s grooming brand. They initially targeted male customers but then realized that females were interested in gifting their products to male partners. This expansion of their audience allowed them to remain open to unexpected opportunities in the channel.

2. Price of the Audience

You also need to justify the cost. This involves measuring CPM and how it correlates with the response rate. 

Local vs National: Weighing the Options

While local advertising can be effective for brands with a small presence, national campaigns offer unparalleled reach and scalability. 

Local TV advertising also has its limitations, including higher CPMs, less flexibility, and delayed measurement. So, unless you really want to drive sales to a particular storefront or series of storefronts, consider national campaigns for lower CPNs, more scale, and effective measurement.

Success Metrics: Beyond Branding to Measurable Outcomes

Contrary to the belief that TV advertising is solely for upper-funnel goals, success metrics in modern TV campaigns can be outcome-focused. These can include:

• Next-day reporting
• Immediate vs. delayed response
• View-through vs. incremental measurement
• Digital vs. Tatari view-through
• Exportable data, S3 buckets to automate data ingestion

4 Weeks: Optimal Time to Look at Data

We recommend analyzing data after 4 weeks to determine whether TV is the right marketing channel. This allows for a focus on specific networks, creatives, or dayparts. Remember, being successful in TV advertising requires patience and endurance, as it takes time for testing, learning, and adjusting strategies.