60% of Media Buyers Believe Cross-Screen Campaigns More Effective

Today's viewers don't choose TV or mobile, broadcast or streaming. Instead, they watch it all on a variety of devices. Viewers have firmly embraced multi-screen viewing and so have media buyers. In its first survey of media buying habits, video advertising company VideoAmp found 60 percent of brands and agencies believe cross-screen campaigns outperform traditional non-integrated campaigns.

While media buyers are firm believers in cross-screen marketing, VideoAmp noted a disconnect in what they say and what they do. For example, 57 percent say they target TV viewers across digital screens and devices, and 66 percent say they use digital data when orchestrating their TV buys. However, only 16 percent of media buyers' TV and digital budgets are spent on integrated campaigns, and only 32 percent of agency-based buyers have used or are currently using a cross-screen platform.

While 85 percent of those surveyed believe that failing to use cross-screen planning will harm their marketing efforts, adoption numbers are still surprisingly low.

"VideoAmp's Buyer Survey illustrates the growing industry consensus around the importance of cross-screen platforms to aggregate TV viewership and digital video audience data, and thereby to enable the efficient planning, cost-effective buying and accurate measurement of TV and video advertising that is essential to brands' successes," notes Jonathan Steuer, chief research officer for Omnicom Media Group.

To help buyers get past their difficulties and adopt cross-screen marketing, the report offers multiple suggestions. Buyers should match digital audiences with their households on a one-to-one basis, it says, while maintaining privacy. Use TV audience data to better target digital audiences (extending the reach, frequency, and impact of linear campaigns), and use digital data to better target linear audiences (bringing precision to linear TV buys).

VideoAmp's survey questioned 200 brand and agency contacts via email. For more, download The Convergence of TV and Video Advertising for free (registration required).

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net