There are a lot of terms in the world of advertising and media buying. What do they all mean?
In this post, I will explain what linear TV ads, linear addressable ads, and digital/linear media are. Hopefully it will help you understand how to plan your next marketing campaign!
Linear television is traditional broadcast television that is delivered through over-the-air signals or cable networks. This means that the commercials run on a predetermined schedule (e.g., every 15 minutes). It’s called “linear” because there is one line of programming content being played at any given time; if you miss an episode while watching something else, you’ll have to wait until later in the day or week to see it again (unless you record it using DVR).
What is linear advertising ?
Linear advertising refers to traditional television advertising that is not targeted or interactive. It can also be called “offline” media, in the sense that it doesn’t exist online (at least not yet). Linear TV ads are scheduled in advance and played at a specific time. This contrasts with digital media, which offers advertisers on-demand ad placement and the ability to target specific viewers across a range of websites, mobile apps, and connected TVs.
Linear TV advertising is mostly targeted towards people that are sitting down in front of their television screen for extended periods of time, watching regular programming. Because linear TV ads are scheduled at fixed times, advertisers typically look at the number of people who watch TV at that time when deciding how much to spend on linear TV advertising.
How does it work ?
Linear TV advertising works by purchasing a spot on an individual channel at a particular time, during which one or more ads are shown. The advertiser schedules the ad with the channel so that it is played when they want people to see it. This means there can be times when an ad will not be seen by any viewers, especially if the ad appears outside the program that people are watching. It also means that ads can be seen more than once by some viewers, if they watch the same channel at different times of day or catch repeats.
Linear addressable advertising ?
Linear addressable advertising is software-defined TV ad insertion for live and VOD programming, allowing advertisers to target viewers across linear TV, VOD and online. It targets the same household wherever they are watching content. This makes it more effective than traditional set-top box addressable advertising, which can only be used to target the people watching the primary set in a household at that time. Linear addressable advertising allows advertisers to use data from home security systems, smart meters and other IoT devices to target people in specific locations.
Linear addressable advertising works over the open internet rather than on a closed cable system. Advertisers only pay for ads that are seen by household members wherever they happen to be watching content across any device. This allows advertisers to demonstrate ROI because they can measure the number of households that see an ad.
Linear and digital media ?
Digital advertising is online advertising that uses the internet to deliver promotional marketing messages to consumers. Digital ads are capable of being “customized” for individual consumers, dynamic message insertion, retargeting, tracking click-throughs, conversion tracking and more.
Traditional media advertising, on the other hand, can be “non-addressable” or “linear addressable.” Non-addressable traditional media ads are placed in advance based on estimates of audience size. Linear addressable is when advertisers schedule advertisements during specific times. Digital advertising technology enables technology to target consumers across all types of connected devices.
Linear TV commercials are scheduled in advance and shown at specific times. This contrasts with digital media, which offers advertisers on-demand ad placement and the ability to target specific viewers across a range of websites, mobile apps, and connected TVs. Digital advertising is online advertising that uses the internet to deliver promotional marketing messages to consumers.
Digital ads are capable of being “customized” for individual consumers, dynamic message insertion, retargeting, tracking click-throughs, conversion tracking and more. Traditional media advertising, on the other hand, can be “non-addressable” or “linear addressable.” Non-addressable traditional media ads are placed in advance based on estimates of audience size. Linear addressable is when advertisers schedule advertisements during specific times. Digital advertising technology enables technology to target consumers across all types of connected devices.
The benefits of linear advertising
The benefits of linear advertising are that it allows the advertiser to plan their campaigns well in advance, and they know how much each campaign will cost them. It also offers an uninterrupted experience for viewers. Viewers cannot skip the ads like they can on digital, and very often do when watching TV content online (for example ad blocking software). This makes advertisers happy as viewers are more likely to pay attention to their ads, and advertisers can make sure viewers receive their messages.
The benefits of digital advertising are flexibility and the ability to target specific audiences across media channels including TV, mobile, and PC/laptop devices. Digital ads provide far greater opportunities for targeting (this includes time of day, location, gender, age range) and tracking user behavior. This enables advertisers to get a more accurate understanding of the ROI from their marketing initiatives.
Linear and digital can be used together to get the best results from both worlds. Digital media is not going anywhere, so the need for TV advertising will always remain strong!
Why should you use it ?
You should use it because it is one of the most effective ways to get your message out to a mass audience.
According to Ipsos, in their 2017 Global Trust in Advertising Survey, TV tops the list for trustworthiness. It beats newspapers, magazines, radio and online ads by miles. The same report tells us that people who watch commercial TV every day are 30% more likely to believe what they see advertised, and are 80% more trusting of the claims companies make about their products or services.
This makes it the best option for launching new products to market, advertising your brand at large scale, creating awareness & recall of messaging etc.
When should you use it ?
Linear media is still an effective way to reach a mass audience. This makes it perfect for big brand launches, season changes, product releases and the like. In fact, any time when you have important messages that you want to communicate.
You should use it when you have a new release or product/service launch, when your target consumers are in-and-out of their TVs, and open to receiving your marketing messages.
Who else uses linear advertising ?
Some major companies who prefer linear media include:
Starbucks: The global coffee brand launched their new vegan plant-based food range, featuring a plant-based sausage roll and flat bread. They advertised this launch on TV with a pre-roll commercial appearing before YouTube videos hosted by influencers such as James Charles and Daniella Monet.
Amazon: They are using TV advertising to promote their 4K TVs, which are now available for purchase through Amazon.
Netflix: A recent study shows that Netflix is one of the ad industry’s best-kept secrets . It has managed to stay at the top of its game, without having to go overboard with ads, and provides lots of great content for advertising partners to use in their ads.
Examples of successful linear advertising
Kraft Mac & Cheese: In 1984, music worked well with TV ads and was a popular choice for marketers. Kraft had an idea to marry the two together. Since its launch in 1989, more than a hundred artists have created exclusive songs for the brand.
Starbucks: Launched their vegan food range through influencer marketing on YouTube. They also released their own holiday ad, which featured Sarah McLachlan’s song “I’ll be home for Christmas.” The proceeds from the song went to charity shelters that will help protect women and children.
Netflix: Used its commercial time during Super Bowl 50 in 2016 to advertise four new shows. Titles included Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and a revival of the 80s show, Gilmore Girls.
Netflix: Uses TV ads to promote its shows as well as social media influencers such as YouTubers Kevin Harts and Matthew Espinosa to create awareness about certain products/shows on their platform.
Starbucks: In 2015, Starbucks joined hands with Spotify for a campaign which enabled Starbucks app users to choose the music played in store by their favorite artists.
Ebay: Ebay runs a TV-ad for its holiday promotion. It includes a variety of great deals on TVs, speakers, and laptops. The brand also provides 100% purchase protection on all items sold on its platform to ensure that customers have a smooth shopping experience.
The linear advertising model was created in the 50s and has been used for decades to create ads. It is a popular method of marketing because it can be cheaper than other forms, but there are many downsides. For example, this type of advertisement does not allow consumers to pause or skip an ad if they find it irrelevant or uninteresting. They also don’t receive any information about the product before deciding whether they want to buy. This often leads people to make purchase decisions that may not align with their interests and needs after watching an ad that failed to engage them enough beforehand.
