OTT streaming services established themselves quickly and have surged in popularity over the last decade. In 2019, OTT viewership for consumers between 18-34 years old hovered around 65% — and that has only increased since the pandemic! Investing in OTT ads can enable your business to reach a broader audience than ever before.
Moreover, OTT ads are much more accessible than many businesses expect. Here, we'll discuss how you can benefit from OTT ads and even use commercials developed for television as crossovers into the world of streaming.
OTT stands for "over the top," referring to services that bypass traditional distribution to deliver entertainment content, such as movies, TV, music, or podcast. For example, companies like Netflix and Hulu bypass traditional TV by offering online entertainment customers can stream on-demand. Furthermore, services like Roku are CTV, which includes gaming consoles and present the means for accessing OTT.
OTT ads have many similarities to TV commercials, although there are some significant differences between the two mediums. A couple of similarities include:
Most of the advertising differences between OTT and TV involve reach, specificity, versatility, and analytics. For instance:
Even without highly involved campaigns, there are other key benefits of OTT ads that your business can obtain. For example:
OTT's benefits increase as you invest more, such as by investing in more advanced OTT targeting. However, you'll still benefit from using OTT as a linear extension of TV by gaining access to more people at various times.
In terms of creative and technical development, TV commercials are identical to OTT ads. That's good news for your business since whatever you invest in developing a TV commercial (demographic research, script composition, or A/B testing) can easily cross over into the world of OTT.
The key distinction between OTT ads and TV commercials is how they reach audiences. Granted, there is a learning curve when it comes to distributing ads via OTT channels. However, working with an experienced media partner who can help you navigate any challenges will help your marketing plan stay on track.
In summary, there are many compelling reasons to invest in an OTT campaign — even a small one. OTT ads can:
OTT advertising is highly accessible to even small businesses and is a great way to reach a local audience. If you haven't already considered implementing an OTT campaign to bolster your brand presence, then start exploring this option today. If you do, the outcome may be a flourishing business that enjoys sustainable growth.