Turn Up Your TV Ad Volume: Get More From Sponsorships Online

Since I travel a lot and my DVR won’t fit in my carry-on, I watch a lot of TV shows and movies online. Typically, I navigate between broadcast and cable Web sites, as well as Netflix’s “watch instantly” feature, Hulu.com or YouTube.

But when at home with some time to relax, I still don’t catch most programs “live.” The family DVR contains my favorite shows, and the convenience of watching one hour here or 30 minutes there uninterrupted is a great thing. But still, there are interruptions. Commercials are present in the recorded shows, which I can fast forward through. When I view content online, the commercials are unavoidable, but I’m more willing to watch them there. Online content offers a carrot at the end of the stick, so to speak.

I’m no Peter Parker, but my spidey sense says there’s a lesson here. How can marketers make the most of their TV programming sponsorships, and utilize online media like search to get the most eyeballs for their dollars?

In a recent study conducted by my company DoubleClick Performics in partnership with ROI Research, we sought answers and a better understanding of the behaviors and opinions of DVR users and online viewers. One of our primary objectives was to gain an understanding of the impact that DVR ownership has on consumer television and advertising viewing. We also wanted to evaluate any shifts in ad consumption from TV to the Internet and measure viewer engagement for those who view TV programs online.

Many of the results regarding DVRs confirmed our assumptions and my own personal experiences. Nearly half (47%) of the respondents said the convenience of watching whenever they want is what they like most about their DVR. More than half (52%) fast forward through commercials; 85% of the respondents watch fewer commercials now that they own a DVR. However, when asked what form of advertising makes the most impression on them, 42% still responded “television ads.”

Among the DVR owners surveyed, almost half have watched at least one television program on the Internet and six percent do so once a week or more. Half of those who reported viewing programs online also indicated they pay the same amount of attention to online and TV ads; 38% say they pay less attention to the online ads. Almost one-quarter think they will watch more television programs online in the future.

Marketers need to develop a little spidey sense of their own and scale the walls between marketing channels. There’s an opportunity to saturate the target market with the right message by hitting more channels.

First off, consider what advertising and programming is being run where and why, and to what end. For example, if your company sponsors an episode of “The Simpsons” on Fox’s Web site, then you should check where else “The Simpsons” can be watched. On Hulu.com and Fox, the advertisers are not the same. On Fox, it’s Chevy, and on Hulu it’s Chili’s. A search for “The Simpsons” on YouTube, with several refreshes, reveals neither Chevy nor Chili’s ads.

Granted, there are different budgets, media buys and advertising fees to consider. But once a decision is made to sponsor a specific program on a specific network, marketers should fully investigate all the ways to communicate with that show’s target audience online. The target consumer might loyally visit only the Fox network site for Fox programming. Or, she might watch only “The Simpsons”—but on 20 different Web sites. Either way, cost effective ad buys are available and efficient.

To drive consistency across marketing efforts, search ads should mirror television/Internet ads, use similar language and trigger off of appropriate keywords. The key here is good old-fashioned “repetition, repetition, repetition.”

My spidey sense tells me that if a consumer is engaged enough to watch “The Simpsons” online, then they probably view content from multiple sources. This offers brands a fantastic opportunity to increase awareness among the right consumers by reaching them where they most often begin their online experience—at the search engines.

Stuart Larkins is senior vice president of search operations at DoubleClick Performics and a monthly contributor to Chief Marketer. Contact him at [email protected].