The Evolution of TV Advertising in the Streaming Era

TV advertising has come a long way over the past 50 years. What started as catchy commercials on linear television has now evolved into highly strategic ads on streaming platforms. Let’s explore the evolution of advertising and look at how Simulmedia is utilizing streaming services to transform traditional TV ad strategies to reach modern-day audiences.

A Change of Approach

TV advertising has always had one goal: Convince the audience to purchase the product or services being promoted. While the objective hasn’t changed, the strategy has evolved from product-focused advertisements to comprehensive, data-driven ad campaigns. Early television advertising came in three main groups:

• Commercials – 30 to 60-second long ads that aired during the main programming.
• Sponsored programs – A business or brand would sponsor an entire program, which would then feature their products.
• Product-based – Ads that focused on the unique selling points and facts surrounding the product or service.

As time progressed, TV advertising began to change, focusing on a more entertainment-based presentation to capture the audience’s attention. Soon, ads fell into three main genres:

• Direct response and infomercials – Popular during the 1980s and 1990s, infomercials were made to drive the consumer to act immediately.
• Animation, music, and jingles – Newly emerging production styles and techniques during the 1960s led to catchier, more cinematic ads.
• Presenter-led – During the 1960s and 1970s, many ads were led by a presenter.

While these types of advertisements worked for the time, the emergence of modern-day streaming services would open the door for a more personalized approach. The future of TV advertising was about to undergo a drastic change and transform how businesses reached consumers.

How Streaming Services Revolutionized the Evolution of Advertising

While linear TV ads were slowly changing, they all relied on attention metrics to gauge their effectiveness. While this information can be helpful, it only provides insights into the customer’s reactions, not into the consumers themselves. Streaming services changed all of that.

Precision Targeting

Now, businesses can use comprehensive data analytics taken directly from the viewers to assess their demographics, behaviors, and interests. Why does that matter? By understanding who the customer is, you can create relevant, targeted, and compelling ads customized around their purchasing behavior.

Streaming services also allow brands to create their own advertising campaigns, offering unmatched freedom and control. You can decide how you want your ads to look, the amount you want to spend, which shows they air on, and more. But, while creating your own ads is great, if you don’t know how or when to play them, you’re not making the most of this exciting technology. The first-party data collected from streaming services solves this dilemma, telling you what users are watching, when, and the devices they use.

Better Data Measurements

Streaming services allow business to adjust their ad campaigns based on real-time viewer data. You can track their ad engagement to better understand your campaign’s overall effectiveness.

By having up-to-date insights, you save time and money, ensuring you create ads that resonate most with your target customer.

Cost Efficiency

When it comes to your advertising strategy, cost is always a top concern. Since streaming services are extremely popular, with over 1.8 billion users worldwide, you can reach a larger audience without the expense prime-time TV requires. Businesses can focus on creating highly refined campaigns, saving money without sacrificing effectiveness.

Endless Opportunities

Streaming services are truly transforming the future of TV advertising, providing more opportunities to engage with customers who are truly excited about their product offerings. By using opportunities from on-demand content, where viewers are more open to seeing and interacting with ads, to LiveTV, where you can create ads based on the customer’s viewing habits and demographics, the possibilities are seemingly endless. The only question is how you’ll use streaming services to transform your next ad campaign.

Simulmedia is proud to be the premier cross-channel TV advertising campaign, revolutionizing how businesses reach their customers. Discover how you can reach a wider audience with compelling ads that convert with Simulmedia.