As technology reshapes our media experience, TV remains a powerful channel for content consumption. In our next Ask the Expert series, we dive into a pivotal subject – the convergence of TV, linear (conventional broadcast and cable TV), and digital marketplaces.
In this Q&A segment, we’re joined by two industry experts, Dan Hickox, VP of Development & Partnerships at 605, an iSpot.tv Company, and Chris Feo, Experian’s SVP of Sales & Partnerships, who guide us through an engaging discussion on convergent TV, attribution, measurement, and safeguarding personal data in the evolving landscape of TV advertising.
How convergent TV is changing the future of advertising
The convergence of traditional TV and digital streaming platforms presents an innovative opportunity for advertisers to engage their target audience. With convergent TV, you can create campaigns that bridge the gap between linear and streaming, ensuring your message reaches your target audience while avoiding ad fatigue.
Along with high-quality content, extensive inventory, and targeting capabilities, convergent TV offers advanced measurement and attribution tools that will empower you to optimize advertising campaigns for maximum impact. You can make better decisions regarding when and where to strategically allocate your advertising budgets with effective TV measurement and attribution.
Attribution in converged TV
TV attribution involves tracing consumer actions and uncovering valuable insights into their behavior. With these insights, you can gain a clear understanding of the audience exposed to your ads and their actions in response. Lean into data attribution tools to track your target audience throughout the customer buying journey.
Measurement in converged TV
In contrast, TV measurement enables the tracking of performance TV advertising campaigns to assess campaign effectiveness. Through converged TV measurement solutions, you can rely on a singular data source, unifying different channels, devices, and metrics for actionable insights. This analysis will give you insights into the audience reached, their location, and the resulting actions taken.
TV attribution’s impact on cross-channel media
Embracing an omnichannel advertising approach is vital. Evaluating advertising campaigns across various platforms and devices – including linear, TV, and digital channels – is essential for identifying the channels that drive revenue for your businesses. Converged TV and digital streaming enable you to control ad frequency across all channels, enhancing the cross-screen experience. This convergence paves the way for a more comprehensive and holistic future in advertising. Here are three ways TV attribution impacts cross-channel media.
Identify the most effective channels
TV attribution offers a significant advantage in determining the channels that generate the most conversions. By using this data, you can make informed choices about budget allocation to achieve maximum impact.
Deliver a seamless customer experience
Consumers demand consistency in their brand interactions. TV attribution can help you by guiding the optimal timing and placement of ads, resulting in a more seamless viewing experience. This synchronization can significantly enhance customer loyalty and retention.
Enhance marketing effectiveness
By identifying the most effective channels and refining campaign strategies, TV attribution can significantly improve the success of marketing campaigns. The outcome is a measurable increase in sales and revenue, demonstrating the impact of informed and data-driven advertising.
Audience-based targeting across linear and digital ecosystems
It’s crucial to comprehend and connect with the appropriate audience. The emergence of linear and digital platforms has required the development of audience targeting. Across these two ecosystems, audience-based targeting aims to enhance this process by concentrating on specific audience segments rather than general demographics or programming.
Benefits of audience-based targeting
There are four key benefits of audience-based targeting across the TV ecosystem.
Personalization at scale
Digital platforms have conditioned users to expect tailored experiences. Audience-based targeting ensures ads resonate with individual preferences and behaviors, even within the vastness of linear TV.
Combining data from both linear and digital sources makes it possible to segment audiences more precisely. This results in advertising content tailored to each individual, making it more relevant and personalized.
Optimized ad spend
Improve your return on investment by targeting specific audience segments more likely to convert, ensuring your messages reach suitable viewers.
In contrast to traditional TV purchasing, where advertisement slots are bought based on a show’s overall demographic, audience-based targeting focuses on the viewers’ behavior and interests, regardless of the program they are watching.
Unified measurement and analytics
When combining traditional and digital methods of reaching target audiences, it is essential to have a consistent approach to measuring success. By doing this, you can gain insight into how well your ad campaigns perform across different platforms and the frequency with which they are being seen.
By comprehensively understanding audiences within different ecosystems, you can adjust your strategies in real time, guaranteeing that your campaigns remain flexible and successful.
Enhancing the viewer experience
Audience-based targeting benefits viewers by reducing the number of irrelevant ads they see. As a result, viewers can have a more pleasant experience while watching content, which may discourage them from skipping ads and increase their engagement with the content.
Future-proofing and safeguarding data
Businesses are focusing on future-proofing for data privacy, and safeguarding individual data is becoming more significant than ever before. Now’s the time to embrace new methods that protect your data privacy while ensuring that measurement remains accurate. Experian offers privacy-safe solutions to help businesses preserve precise measurement, even with fewer cookies.
“What we’re working toward is future-proofing ourselves. To do that, we work with partners like Experian who are already thinking forward, and with your pixel technology, we can capture and resolve the identifiers that we know will be around for a while.”
Dan Hickox, VP, Solutions Consulting, Development & Partnerships, 605
How Experian and 605 work together
605 is an independent TV measurement and analytics company providing solutions for advertising, content measurement, attribution, planning, optimization, and media transactions.
“We partner with great identity partners, such as Experian, that really help us act as the connecting glue across different data touch points. So what it really is, is the ability to have holistic measurement across the different channels, across the different audiences and it starts out with the ability to be able to take disparate data sources and match them together.”
Dan Hickox, VP, Solutions Consulting, Development & Partnerships, 605
605 and Experian have a strong partnership that enables 605 to enhance its data through Experian’s Consumer Sync and Pixel solutions.
- Consumer Sync – 605 utilizes Experian’s Consumer Sync to ensure their data is privacy-compliant and deterministic across all sources. Experian identity organizes people into households, links their digital devices and IDs to them, enriches their identity with behavioral attributes, and then makes this data actionable in any environment, all while maintaining consumer privacy and data regulations.
- Web Pixel Attribution – 605 utilizes Experian’s pixel solutions to generate web pixel attribution reports on a client-by-client basis – for linear, TV, and cross-platform reporting. 605’s reporting capabilities allow customers to understand their marketing campaigns’ true impact and precisely identify high-performing strategies. With the Experian pixel, partners like 605 can learn more about anonymous website visitors by linking associated demographics and behavior attributes, build audience segments based on the highest cart value customers, and more.
The 605 and Experian partnership work hand in hand to make linear TV as actionable as digital media for you. Customers can prove the effectiveness of their marketing tactics and gain actionable insights to deliver highly impactful campaigns.
Watch the full Q&A
Visit our Ask the Expert content hub to watch Dan and Chris’s full conversation about TV measurement, data analytics, privacy regulations, and the evolving landscape of TV advertising in the digital age.
About our experts
Dan Hickox, VP, Solutions Consulting, Development & Partnerships, 605
As the Vice President of the Solutions Consulting team, Dan collaborates with sellers to turn prospective opportunities into long-term client relationships. He leads new initiatives and drives partnerships that expand 605 capabilities and improve marketplace positioning.Dan brings over a decade of cross-channel media experience in advanced analytics, media optimization, data integration and statistical analysis to 605.
Chris Feo, SVP, Sales & Partnerships, Experian
As SVP of Sales & Partnerships, Chris has over a decade of experience across identity, data, and programmatic. Chris joined Experian during the Tapad acquisition in November 2020. He joined Tapad with less than 10 employees and has been part of the executive team through both the Telenor and Experian acquisitions. He’s an active advisor, board member, and investor within the AdTech ecosystem. Outside of work, he’s a die-hard golfer, frequent traveler, and husband to his wife, two dogs, and two goats!
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The political winds in the United States shifted sharply to the right earlier this month with Republicans making gains across the board. While political party affiliation was a strong indication of a candidate's success in the election, we wondered: Can the political leaning of a TV show's audience determine the success of the program? The answer is yes. Experian Simmons examined the political party registrations of viewers of over 700 television programs measured in the Spring 2010 Simmons National Consumer study. We found that registered Republicans and Democrats, indeed, have different preferences in entertainment programs. But especially noticeable was the preponderance of highly rated Nielsen programs at the top of the Republican list. Not all shows that skew Republican are ratings darlings, of course, but programmers should take note of this fact if ratings are their foremost goal. Republicans: When looking at programs on broadcast TV, we see that Republicans tend to gravitate towards reality shows that center on some sort of competition. In fact, Republicans are 32% more likely to watch The Amazing Race on CBS than the average American adult. They're also 24% more likely to watch American Idol on Fox and 18% more likely to watch America's Got Talent on NBC. The Simmons data provides some evidence that it's the competitive angle of these shows that is attracting Republicans. Specifically, Republicans are fully 29% more likely than the average adult to watch the results show of Dancing with the Stars on ABC and just 17% more likely to watch the non-results episodes of the same show. Republicans tend to gravitate towards reality shows that center on some sort of competition. When it comes to cable entertainment programs, Republicans tend to prefer lifestyle programs on HGTV and TLC. Republicans are also found in high concentrations among many adventure/documentary show audiences, like Ice Road Truckers on History and Deadliest Catch on Discovery. And finally, big families are big draws for Republicans with 18 Kids and Counting and Jon & Kate Plus 8, both on TLC, attracting more than average concentrations of Republican viewers. Top indexing Republican NETWORK programs (non-news, non-music) Republican Index Top indexing Republican CABLE programs (non-news, non-music) Republican Index THE AMAZING RACE (CBS) 132 PROPERTY VIRGINS (HGTV) 125 DANCING WITH THE STARS RESULTS SHOW(ABC) 129 MODERN MARVELS (HISTORY) 121 MODERN FAMILY (ABC) 124 COLOR SPLASH (HGTV) 120 AMERICAN IDOL (FOX) 122 UNSELLABLES (HGTV) 120 V (ABC) 122 LEVERAGE (TNT) 118 THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS) 119 18 KIDS AND COUNTING (TLC) 116 THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) 119 DEAR GENEVIEVE (HGTV) 116 THE MENTALIST (CBS) 119 WHAT NOT TO WEAR (TLC) 116 AMERICA'S GOT TALENT (NBC) 118 DINERS, DRIVE-INS & DIVES (FOOD NETWORK) 115 SURVIVOR (CBS) 118 HOUSE HUNTERS (HGTV) 115 DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC) 117 INCOME PROPERTY (HGTV) 114 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC) 116 OPERATION REPO (TRU TV) 114 NCIS (CBS) 115 WHITE COLLAR (USA) 114 HUMAN TARGET (FOX) 114 ICE ROAD TRUCKERS (HISTORY) 112 LIE TO ME (FOX) 114 PAWN STARS (HISTORY) 112 THE BACHELOR (ABC) 114 SAY YES TO THE DRESS (TLC) 111 ANTIQUES ROADSHOW (PBS) 113 DIRTY JOBS (DISCOVERY) 110 CASTLE (ABC) 113 MYTHBUSTERS (DISCOVERY) 109 HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS) 113 JON & KATE PLUS 8 (TLC) 106 THE BACHELORETTE (ABC) 113 AMERICAN LOGGERS (DISCOVERY) 105 EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (ABC) 112 IN PLAIN SIGHT (USA) 104 NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS) 112 THROWDOWN WITH BOBBY FLAY (FOOD NETWORK) 104 TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS) 112 DEADLIEST CATCH (DISCOVERY) 103 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC) 111 MAN VS. WILD (DISCOVERY) 103 CELEBRITY APPRENTICE (NBC) 109 THE SMOKING GUN PRESENTS:WORLD'S DUMBEST (TRU TV) 103 Democrats: On the left side of the broadcast dial, we see that registered Democrats tend to be drawn to crime and legal dramas like Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU, both on NBC. We also see higher concentrations of Democrats tuning into broadcast shows featuring female characters playing central or leading roles, such as Brothers & Sisters on ABC, Medium on CBS, 30 Rock on NBC and the Good Wife on CBS. The Good Wife, actually, has higher than average concentrations of both registered Democrats and registered Republicans. Given that the program is about the wife of a politician, it's not such a surprise that registered voters from both sides of the aisle tune in. We also see higher concentrations of Democrats tuning into broadcast shows featuring female characters playing central or leading roles. On cable, we see high concentrations of registered Democrats tuning into character-driven dramas, like Dexter and United States of Tara, both on Showtime. Democrats also flock in disproportionate numbers to cable reality shows. But unlike the competitive reality shows favored by Republicans, Democrats prefer observational reality shows where they get to peer into the lives of celebrities or unique and extraordinary people. Top indexing Democrat NETWORK programs (non-news, non-music) Democrat Index Top indexing Democrat CABLE programs (non-news, non-music) Democrat Index FLASHPOINT (CBS) 145 TYLER PERRY'S MEET THE BROWNS (TBS) 189 HOMETIME (PBS) 143 HOUSE OF PAYNE (TBS) 181 90210 (CW) 140 REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER (HBO) 165 WIFE SWAP (ABC) 136 SNAPPED (OXYGEN) 162 AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (CW) 135 SHERRI (LIFETIME) 153 NOVA (PBS) 133 HAWTHORNE (TNT) 153 LAW & ORDER (NBC) 132 LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET (E!) 149 SMALLVILLE (CW) 131 DEXTER (SHOWTIME) 147 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (NBC) 130 UGLY AMERICANS (COMEDY CENTRAL) 147 BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC) 127 KOURTNEY & KHLOE TAKE MIAMI (E!) 146 PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC) 127 TODDLERS & TIARAS (TLC) 145 MEDIUM (CBS) 126 UNITED STATES OF TARA (SHOWTIME) 144 TRUE BEAUTY (ABC) 126 MEET THE NATIVES (TRAVEL CHANNEL) 144 AMERICA'S MOST WANTED (FOX) 126 BRIDEZILLAS (WE TV) 143 30 ROCK (NBC) 126 TOP CHEF MASTERS (BRAVO) 142 VICTORY GARDEN (PBS) 126 WOMEN BEHIND BARS (WE TV) 142 THE GOOD WIFE (CBS) 124 THE BOONDOCKS: ADULT SWIM(CARTOON NETWRK) 142 ONE TREE HILL (CW) 124 TABATHA'S SALON TAKEOVER (BRAVO) 140 NEW YANKEE WORKSHOP (PBS) 122 DOWN HOME WITH THE NEELYS (FOOD NETWORK) 140 LAW & ORDER: SVU (NBC) 122 BAD GIRLS CLUB (OXYGEN) 138 MASTERPIECE (PBS) 122 SCARE TACTICS (SYFY) 136 COMMUNITY (NBC) 122 MILLION DOLLAR LISTING (BRAVO) 135 BIG BROTHER (CBS) 121 MODELS OF THE RUNWAY (LIFETIME) 135 GOSSIP GIRL (CW) 120 TORI & DEAN: HOME SWEET HOLLYWOOD (OXYGEN) 133 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC) 119 DESTINATION TRUTH (SYFY) 132 For more information about the in-depth consumer behaviors, attitudes, lifestyles, brands and media measured in the Simmons National Consumer Study, visit our website.
Frugal living seems to have become a more common trademark of the American consumer in the last couple of years. Since the beginning of 2008, 20% less and 35% less US adults report to have purchased merchandise at the upscale stores Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s respectively. By contrast, 8% more and 62% more US adults report to have purchased merchandise at Marshall’s and Ross Stores, respectively. Discount stores appear to be weathering the recession better than some of their full-price counterparts, as they carry first-quality designer merchandise at competitive prices, often advertised at up to 70% below department store prices. However, many of these designer discount retailers would be in a difficult position without the existence of department stores, since the designer discount business model is primarily based on purchasing close-outs from the very department stores that they compete against. Discount stores appear to be weathering the recession better than some of their full-price counterparts Since the beginning of 2008, an average 54% of US adults shop around a lot to take advantage of specials and bargains. Also, from January 2008 to August 2009, 7% more US adults tend to hold out on buying things until the go on sale and 13% more head right for the clearance rack when they enter a store. In conclusion, the past 2.5 years have seen the American consumer become a more serious discount shopper – a trend that is likely to continue in this current, uncertain economic environment.