How often do you ask someone, “What’s a good show you are binge watching right now?” or “I need a good new show to watch?”  Probably a lot nowadays. Over the past few years, the rise of OTT (Over-The-Top) services and streaming platforms has transformed the way we consume entertainment and media. With the proliferation of these services, advertisers have also had to adapt their strategies to reach audiences in this new landscape.

OTT services are defined as any video content delivered over the internet and bypassing traditional cable or satellite TV providers. This includes popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and many others. These services have become increasingly popular due to their convenience, affordability, and variety of content. According to a report by eMarketer, the number of OTT users in the US is expected to surpass 200 million by 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the key advantages of OTT services is that they allow users to watch content on demand, at any time. This means that audiences are no longer tied to traditional TV schedules and can watch their favorite shows or movies whenever they want. As a result, traditional TV advertising has become less effective in reaching audiences, leading advertisers to shift their attention to OTT platforms.

OTT services have also enabled more targeted advertising. Unlike traditional TV ads, which are broadcast to a broad audience, OTT ads can be targeted to specific demographics based on user data such as age, gender, location and behavior. Some examples of targeting options are below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This allows advertisers to deliver more personalized ads that are relevant to their audience, increasing the chances of engagement and conversion.

However, there are still challenges that advertisers face when it comes to OTT advertising. One of the biggest challenges is measuring the effectiveness of OTT ads. Traditional TV advertising relies on metrics such as ratings and impressions, but these metrics may not be as relevant in the OTT landscape. The great news is some measurement is now available for OTT.

The first option is OTT with Visit Tracking. Of the people we serve ads to, we can layer in On-Site Visit Tracking to your business to show you of the people who saw your OTT ad, who then visited your location.

How does this work?

Our OTT behavioral targeting categories are created from first-party data where we have collected mobile device IDS, then we mapped those IDs to a corresponding IP Address. If that IP Address is served an OTT ad on their Connected TV and then that person goes to your client’s location with their mobile device active, it is recorded as an on-site visit.

Talk about great ROI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another great way to measure ROI is with Social Mirror OTT.

Just like traditional Social Mirror where we can mirror a social post or video, we can also mirror any social video post and create an OTT ad and run it on connected TV’s. The ad features the client’s logo, business name, description and a QR Code. QR Code scans are captured to show that the commercial DID have engagement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So now OTT can be measured for effectiveness outside of traditional metrics like calls, sales or appointments.

The rise of OTT services and streaming platforms has transformed the way we consume entertainment and media, and advertisers have had to adapt their strategies to reach audiences in this new landscape. OTT advertising offers advantages such as targeted advertising with measurable data.