I have already shared that, as marketer, I live in fear of new marketing jargon creeping up on me. In a parking lot. In the dark. In the rain. Alone.
Ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but when I heard the acronym ‘OTT’ for the first time, I honestly thought it wasn’t marketing jargon at all.
I assumed it was ‘teen speak,’ like OOC. (Out of Control, for you Gen Xers and older.)
OTT stands for over-the-top.
My presumed usage? Susan’s outfit is a little OTT. Amiright Karen?
Not so, my friends. OTT ads are ads shown on a TV screen through a smart (connected) TV, or streaming device. So, you’re watching Hulu or YouTubeTV, you’re being served OTT ads. They skip, or go ‘over’ your cable box, hence the name.
This is in contrast with traditional OTA, or over-the-air ads. OTA is what you are used to seeing on TV.
Data-driven marketers…here’s where it gets interesting.
OTT lets you highly target your ads by household based on viewing habits and interests of the people at that IP address. While this is not a new phenomenon on your PC, it is when it’s in the living room and you are viewing broadcast-quality spots inserted in your favorite shows.
OTT is making its biggest splash in political advertising right now because of its ability to target households granularly. The 2020 presidential campaign may be OTT’s biggest moment yet.
I’m using OTT as part of my marketing mix. My target audience is IT professionals, so I can ‘buy’ households who identify as having an IT professional in them and serve ads to them inserted in their favorite TV shows on their preferred TV networks.
OTT speaks to the biggest reason why marketers have typically chosen the PC over the living room and generally dislike broadcast advertising so much: waste. OTT drastically limits waste.
Plus, my target creates his/her own ‘primetime.’ Primetime is whenever he or she is watching. I pay the same price no matter when my ad is served.
Data-driven marketers…here’s where it gets interesting…AGAIN.
The spots I am currently broadcasting are B2C focused. I’m using a coupon code, so I can see results easily.
But here’s the crazy thing about IT professionals. They are rarely unemployed. IT unemployment sits around 3%, even in the worst markets.
I always have a strong B2C2B angle in my marketing. B2C customers are in my top 3 campaigns for downstream B2B opportunity generation.
Even if I didn’t have a B2C or a B2C2B strategy, though, I still feel that OTT might have a spot in my B2B marketing mix.
Why? OTT provides reasonable CPMs that may make it worth trying. This is especially true if you’ve already got some creative that can be adapted.
Besides, I think marketers get caught up in B2B/B2C too often sometimes. Have you seen those new AWS commercials popping up? They’re on to something.
Because if you’re sitting down to watch a re-run of Friends, you’re just a person.
You’re not thinking “Am I a consumer or a business today?”
Rather, you’re wondering, “Are Ross and Rachel together in this episode?”
And therefore, it’s a great time to reach you.
So right now, yes…I’m down with OTT. I’ll keep you posted on the results.
Recent Comments