The TV Versus Digital Debate. Ad Age comes into it.

A great follow-upper to our Blog of yesterday which created a good stir (and thanks to Camillus O'Brien for pointing this out), is a story in Ad Age, the 'Bible' of Ad Agency land.

It's an excellent piece and we don't want to criticise it but (isn't there always).... the headline is 'TV Budgets shifting to Social? Yes, it's time to worry' and the "yes, it's time to worry" bit, clearly shows the readers concerns about Digital. Whereas, there's nothing to worry about here at all folks.

The sub-head is the crux of the story - "The growing video businesses of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, pose a viable alternative to TV' - and that's what we've been saying. 

But it's a breakthrough to read that on Ad Age. Warms the heart.

The overall point of the story, is that for media buyers who want to reach the optimum audience, a combination of Social and TV gets it done rather than, TV on its own.

In the US over 70 billion usd will be spent on TV Advertising whereas Facebook will generate circa 2 Billion usd. A "trickle" right now but "that trickle can very easily become a strong flow". And so it should because Advertising money follows Audiences. 

The Ad Age conclusions are based on some facts or thoughts;

1. The growing availability of Social Video Ads. A rise in Social Media inventory and new video opportunities on Digital, encourages growth.

2. Strong Demographics and Reach on Social. The infamous quote that there's a TV Superbowl audience on Facebook every day and there is, means Social is delivering a TV equivalent audience. Facebook had 83.3 million unique viewers in March 2016, Google 182.2m. 

That's higher than a lot of TV stations. Most, even.

3. Advertisers prepared to spend on Digital. So the switch from TV Dollars to Video Ads is happening already, albeit in a small way but the intent, procedure is there.

4. Video Ads are moving towards TV style measurement. All 4 major Social platforms have enlisted Nielsen to verify online viewing so shortly, they'll be TV comparable.

5. The push for Live streaming. Which in itself, will bring TV advertising style opportunities notably around live sports - the now critical earners for TV networks. So this is a threat to TV viewing because as live sports are watched online, traditional TV audiences will diminish further.

6. The growing importance for Social Video to advertisers. They see it working, they know it works, they've dipped their toes. The 30 second TV spot is over with viewers happily prepared to watch longer form online video.

But a fair piece that really brings the whole debate into the open and is reassuringly positive. As we said yesterday, one is not a substitute for the other. They both work but best in tandem.

Full marks to Ad Age. 
And we never thought we'd be saying that.

Online Video Ads? That's streamabout.com too. Now there's an Ad.


Here's the full story (sorry, you'll have to cut+paste) 

http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/tv-budgets-shifting-social-time-worry/304078/?utm_source=digital_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage&ttl=1464627625

New Nielsen data shows TV viewing continues to decline.

New Nielsen data as published by Ad Age shows Americans still watch 5 hours of traditional TV a day (149 hours a month in fact). However, that's a reduction of -6 hours a month over the last year....

So what are they doing instead?

Watching more online video.

In fact in the last quarter of 2014, online video was up +3 hours a month year-on-year. A +38% increase. And they're watching more time shifted TV (recorded) than before, possibly skipping those Ad breaks.

And the switch to online is more noticeable in those lucrative 18-24's and you'll see from the above chart.

TV is losing audience, losing market share and consequently, must lose Advertising dollars.

Story and charts here

http://adage.com/article/digital/video-revolution/297996/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage&ttl=1429493873

Online Digital Video. You've made it, now what do you do with it?

There's a point about online video.
Once you've made it, what do you do with it?

According to Ad Age, General Electric put a video out online featuring Jeff Goldblum and within 24 hours, had 700,000 views (2 million today). Not bad, given that not a penny was spent on media promotion of it.

Notable too, is that it is over 2 minutes long (so none of your traditional 30 second messages) and the light bulb, sold out.

This is the exception though and not the rule. You can sit down and pray that things like that happen or you can help make it happen.

Creation of content is one part of the equation, distribution, another almost as vital.

Perhaps put in on YouTube's 'Trueview' Ads or Facebook's new auto-play video ads but perhaps too, place it on traditional online media such as news sites.

Paid for syndication or media buying, gets the video out there but it has to be good in the first instance, to get engagement and notably, sharing. 

However, the combination of both, creation and distribution, can be a lethally effective piece of marketing. You shouldn't have one without the other or at least, a clear understanding as to where the video is appearing.

Consider too, that in targeting different audiences, you may even cut/edit the video story differently to suit better, the audience watching it on different sites. One size doesn't always, fit all.

One thing for sure though. If you don't have an online video....you've no chance.

And Streamabout.com helps you do BOTH.

Television Advertising overtaken by Digital. It's in a death spiral.

Digital to overtake TV Ad spend in ALL US spending in 2016.

And that's not me saying it, it's respected researchers 'Forrester' as appearing in the Ad Industry "bible", Ad Age.

Wow.

They estimate it will hit 103 Billion Dollars in 2019 - 36% of all Ad spend whereas 86 Billion will be spent on TV Advertising. 

And why? Because digital works - with fundamental proof that's lacking in traditional Advertising.

Interesting too, 'Search' (SEO) budgets are starting to be capped. In other words, brands have spent whatever they're going to, on Search. Because once you've optimised Search, no further money is needed.

Mobile too will drive the spending switch as will Social Ads and of course, online digital video. Editing your TV Commercial just isn't as effective as native video.

So the long awaited budget switch is on.
Traditional Advertising is fast becoming unbalanced towards digital.
And TV Advertising,is well.......