While that sentiment may still ring true to some extent, redundancy in advertising can actually ruin consumers’ modern-day viewing experiences. Consider the last time you watched a show or movie on your favorite ad-supported streaming platform. How many times did you see the same ad? And how many times have you seen the same ad across other platforms and on other devices? The number is probably higher than you’d care to admit.

Earlier this year, Samba TV research revealed that airing ads too many times to reach desired audiences may be costing brands billions of dollars. But ads are the lifeblood of many TV platforms and streaming services. Advertisers cannot afford to lose on such a massive scale. 

In short, it’s time to forget about the “Rule of 7.”

Understanding the consumer

People consume content over a myriad of platforms and devices, even when dealing with the singular medium of TV. Data continues to play an integral part in advertising with identifying, locating and catering to the audience. 

However, with CTV, linear TV and digital, there are sometimes three or four different ways one person can watch one program. Gone are the days of one-time aired programming. Consumers are no longer siloed into one singular viewing experience, and the ads that reach them should not be either. 

As consumer viewing options have evolved, advertising options have remained the same, with companies buying up ad space for each stream individually. The result? Audiences are bombarded with repeated ads four or five times in the same sitting. Instead of reaching multiple audiences in your target, you’re reaching one an unnecessary number of times. This wastes money and creates a poor viewing experience.

Reduced repetition through data and technology 

Repetition is not a data problem. Advertisers know who they are targeting, what they’re tuning in to and how to sell to them. But data alone doesn’t get the advertiser all the way there. The magic happens at the intersection of data and technology. While data enables advertisers to reach their desired viewers, technology can maximize reach and control frequency against these most desired audiences. 

Consider this: If a brand buys ad space on ABC as well as ABC content on Hulu, is there a way to verify unique impressions across platforms? Can ad frequency be controlled so that individuals are not seeing the same ad over and over again? Yes, if data is combined with investment decisioning technology that optimizes incremental reach and manages frequency. 

When data silos are unified across all streams, it becomes possible to manage the frequency and maximize the reach of ads. In order for brands and media buyers to drive growth in today’s fragmented media industry, they must have a grasp on content consumption habits, understand duplication overlap and unify their video investments holistically so effective optimization can happen.

Only then will they find success in reaching their audiences effectively and cost-efficiently.

This article was originally published on AdExchanger. 

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Repetition of desired messaging is key to building a successful ad campaign. Yet, in this advanced television gold rush, advertisers and viewers alike are finding it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. While viewers are exposed to a wide variety of advanced television programming, the same cannot be said for their ad experiences. Bottom line: Viewers are growing fatigued from experiencing the same ad over and over again, and sometimes even twice in a row.

A recent Samba survey found that “airing ads multiple times to reach desired audiences may be costing brands billions of dollars, and largely ineffective.” Compounding the issue, the survey also found “roughly two-thirds of all ad impressions delivered in the same period across linear reached just 1 in 5 viewers.”

This is a major issue plaguing our industry. We need to listen to consumers and evolve the media planning process immediately, otherwise you can say goodbye to your once loyal consumer following (or if you’re at the early stages of reaching new audiences, there’s still hope to salvage). Here’s how.

The importance of data
Being strategic about data can ensure you’re reaching the right audience based on your brand identity and desired business outcomes. Advertisers and agencies have gotten a lot better at using data to inform their buys and going beyond the generic age demographics previously used. Where they fall short, however, is thinking that data and technology are the same.

An industry colleague recently shared a story about his TV viewing while at home. After being served the same ad five times in a single viewing experience, he realized that buyers are still not advertising the way they know consumers watch TV. This is precisely the issue!

Let’s say there was a sophisticated coffee retailer that used data from three different media networks and all their owned properties to specifically find and target coffee lovers. At first glance, this is an innovative approach. However, the coffee retailer doesn’t understand how to unify those buys. This often results in reaching the same people within each silo too many times, and thus, you get the same ad over and over.

Data alone doesn’t get you to where you need to be unless you have the tech to unify all the different streams that you’re buying across. Otherwise, you cannot manage and optimize incremental reach and frequency, which leads to a bad consumer experience and repetitive ad targeting.

The technology that powers data
Here is a valid media buying question to consider: If a brand is buying linear MTV content in addition to also buying digital MTV content on Pluto, is that incremental reach against their target? And can the ad frequency be managed so the targets don’t have to watch the same ad multiple times? For most advertisers, the answer would be no, because they lack the technology to unify silos that could manage reach and frequency.

The same can be said for the initial coffee advertising example referenced above. Technology can help those retailers identify the different types of coffee drinkers and where exactly they lie across the different silos to then manage cross-screen frequencies more effectively so they’re not reaching the same incremental coffee drinkers.

A revolution of the advanced television ad industry is crucial for the industry’s overall success and longevity. Many agencies and advertisers are fostering a negative experience of brand awareness for their target audience and ultimately losing customers simply because they won’t take advantage of readily available technology that supports their data.

If media buyers want their brand message to effectively land with their target audience, they need to use smart technology to locate potential clients across the media landscape. Understanding duplication overlap and optimal buying unification is the greatest potential for brands within the ad-tech industry.

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At Amobee we have great tools to help shed light on the confusion. The two primary tools are the 4Screen Report and our Broadcaster Duplication Report. These tools allow buyers to understand the consumer experience across screens and within screens – before, during and after a buy. Together they can help identify what combination of screens lead to increased reach. Where duplication is the greatest across a media plan. What pockets of the ecosystem are untapped opportunities for a target audience. These reports provide a blueprint to help make buyers as smart as they can be when planning their media. The unspoken issue is that the vast majority of buyers are not leaning into sophisticated, data science and technology to help solve their problems. 

Today’s reality is that media companies are not helping buyers build the best holistic media plans, and at best are only able to give them guidance within their own footprint. While media companies are incentivized to keep as much media spend inside their platforms as possible, media buyers need a solution to look across screens, across the entire landscape. To answer the questions many media owners don’t want answered.

Below is a sample of a 4Screen Report.

This one report is a treasure trove of information. Not only does it tell you who has been exposed to an ad, but it also shows the overlap of exposure and the untapped opportunities. While in this example linear TV reaches the most unique viewers at 13.4%, you can clearly see that it is the combination of linear TV, CTV, mobile and desktop that brings everything together.

Our tools can also go down another layer and show duplication within a platform. This broadcaster duplication report helps identify where opportunities and waste exist.

Our role at Amobee is to empower media buyers and sellers with information to make the strongest case for how to combine assets to deliver the marketers’ target audiences. 

For a long time, the industry has been embracing new data sets that are fundamental to better understanding media performance. But the reality is that with increased fragmentation and a proliferation of supply sources, data is simply the first step to decoding the mystery of audience delivery. The real hero needed to convert marketplace complexity into actionable insights is the combined power of data and technology.  So allow technology to unlock the mystery inside of your media plans. Allow technology to be the unsung hero in cross screen planning.

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