Unlocking the personalisation and engagement potential of CTV advertising – Part 1

In the rapidly evolving landscape of advertising, Connected TV (CTV) has emerged as a game-changer, offering unparalleled opportunities for personalisation and engagement. As traditional TV viewing habits shift towards digital platforms, advertisers are leveraging CTV to reach audiences in a more targeted and meaningful way than ever before.

In 2022, ad expenditure on CTV in India exceeded $50 million, with projections indicating a steep upward trajectory over the next five years, culminating in CTV ad spends nearing $400 million by 2027.

According to ‘The CTV Advertising Insights Report 2024’ released by Innovid, nearly 380 billion global video ad impressions were served on its platform in 2023.

Commenting on the significance of CTVs, Vivek Gupta, Managing Director (Research) at Ipsos India, said, “Connected TVs represent the future of entertainment evolution, transcending traditional linear TV. They facilitate the delivery of focused and targeted advertising to audiences. Moreover, with connected TV, marketers can reconnect with premium audiences, many of whom have transitioned from traditional linear TV to cord-cutting. Connected TV provides an alternative media vehicle, offering a more impactful and engaging advertising experience compared to the constraints of small-screen digital consumption.”

Enhancing Personalization and Engagement in CTV Advertising

The trajectory of advertising within the CTV realm is increasingly veering towards personalization. India’s CTV industry, with its seamless integration of technology and profound viewer insights, is heralding a new era in digital advertising globally. As we step into 2024, the landscape is primed for a surge in personalized content and data-driven advertising, propelled by sophisticated analytics and machine learning algorithms that unravel viewer behaviors and preferences with precision.

Amitt Sharma, CEO, VDO.AI, expounds on the essence of personalizing CTV ads, stating, “While VDO.AI doesn’t directly administer its own CTV ads, it serves as a linchpin in empowering brands and agencies to orchestrate personalized and avant-garde content across CTV platforms. Our platform equips brands and agencies with advanced targeting capabilities, enabling them to tailor their CTV advertising content to specific viewer demographics, interests, and behaviors. One way VDO.AI facilitates personalized content for viewers is through furnishing rich data insights and audience segmentation tools. By scrutinizing viewer data encompassing IP addresses, demographic information, and content preferences, brands can craft highly targeted advertising campaigns that strike a chord with individual viewers on CTV platforms.”

“Moreover, VDO.AI pioneers dynamic ad insertion technology, empowering brands to deliver personalized content to viewers in real-time based on contextual cues such as location, time of day, and even weather conditions. Additionally, our platform facilitates A/B testing and optimization, enabling brands to iteratively refine their CTV advertising strategies based on performance metrics and viewer feedback. This iterative approach ensures that personalized content resonates with viewers, driving desired outcomes such as heightened brand awareness, engagement, and conversions,” he added.

Speaking about Whiskers India’s strategy, its CEO, Neeja Shah Goswami, said, “Our brand harnesses the potency of CTV advertising to dispense personalized content tailored to the preferences and interests of viewers across diverse mediums. We meticulously analyze viewer data to glean insights into their demographics, interests, and viewing habits. This enables us to serve pertinent ads that strike a chord with each viewer, enriching their overall viewing experience and amplifying the likelihood of engagement with our brand.”

Emphasising on the precision of CTV advertising, Varun Pasricha, COO, Excitel, shared, “Traditional TV broadcasting casts a wide net with ads, often leading to audience spillage beyond our target region, whereas CTV advertising thrives on accuracy. As a hyper-local brand, we’ve leveraged CTV to pinpoint specific geographical areas, maximizing the efficacy of our advertising endeavors. This ensures that our message resonates with the right audience, not just because of location, but because the ad directly speaks to their interests.”

Advantages of CTV Advertising with emphasis on Client Privacy Protection

In recent years, the surge in CTV advertising has been unprecedented, cementing its status as an indispensable element in every brand's marketing arsenal. This meteoric rise is chiefly owed to the manifold benefits CTV offers to brands striving to forge meaningful connections and cultivate engagement with their target demographics. VDO.AI’s Amitt Sharma elucidates these advantages as follows:

• Targeted and Expanded Reach: CTV facilitates extensive reach and engagement by tapping into the burgeoning audience of cord-cutters and cord-nevers, who predominantly consume content via streaming services and smart TVs. This extends beyond conventional TV viewership, ensuring brands connect with consumers where their engagement is most active.
• Compelling Content Formats: CTV platforms support diverse interactive and immersive ad formats, including interactive overlays, shoppable ads, and 360-degree videos. These formats not only enrich the viewer experience but also foster deeper engagement with the brand's messaging.
• Measurable Impact: CTV advertising offers robust measurement and analytics capabilities, enabling brands to monitor key performance metrics such as impressions, click-through rates, and conversions in real-time. These insights empower brands to optimize their advertising campaigns for optimal effectiveness.

In addressing brand safety concerns, Sharma underscored, “CTV platforms typically offer advanced brand safety features, such as content verification tools and ad placement controls, to ensure that ads appear alongside brand-relevant content and steer clear of harmful or inappropriate content. However, it's imperative to ensure that personalized advertising on CTV platforms respects user privacy and complies with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. At VDO.AI, we prioritize data privacy and compliance by implementing stringent measures to safeguard user information. Brand safety protocols, including 'do not air' show-level blocking, are also integral to our campaigns, aligning with industry best practices for user privacy and regulatory compliance.”

Echoing similar sentiments, Neeja Shah Goswami pointed out, “Advertising on CTV presents several advantages, including precise targeting, heightened engagement rates, and the ability to reach a highly engaged audience in a premium viewing environment. To ensure that our personalized advertising respects user privacy and complies with regulations, we adhere to stringent data privacy guidelines. We anonymize and aggregate viewer data, obtain explicit consent where necessary, and uphold transparency to viewers. Additionally, we collaborate closely with trusted partners and platforms that prioritize data privacy and compliance.”

“CTV advertising offers a potent yet conscientious approach to engaging with one's target audience. It furnishes several advantages, including precise targeting, enabling us to deliver our message to viewers based on their demographics, interests, and viewing habits, thereby maximizing efficiency and return on investment. Simultaneously, we recognize the paramount importance of user privacy. We ensure that CTV advertising campaigns comply with all regulations and respect user privacy by meticulously anonymizing data,” Varun Pasricha said.

“Advertising on Connected TV (CTV) offers numerous advantages, including targeted advertising capabilities that facilitate precise audience segmentation based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring advertisers reach their intended audience effectively,” shared Russhabh R Thakkar, Founder, and CEO, Frodoh World, adding, “CTV also boasts elevated engagement levels, with viewers typically more engrossed in the content, resulting in heightened ad recall and engagement rates compared to traditional TV advertising. Additionally, CTV platforms furnish measurable outcomes through comprehensive analytics and real-time reporting, enabling advertisers to promptly optimize campaigns. The adaptability of CTV advertising accommodates various ad formats, including pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads, while interactive ads enhance engagement by integrating elements such as skinners, prominently featuring brand logos and taglines, and even incorporating QR codes for seamless consumer interaction, thereby enhancing ad effectiveness and recall.”

He further said, “With cross-screen targeting capabilities, CTV advertising ensures maximum reach and frequency across devices such as smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles. Notably, in burgeoning markets like India, CTV presents a significant opportunity for brand building, harnessing the advantages of the traditional big screen while embracing contemporary targeting and engagement strategies.”

(Tomorrow: Part 2 of this report will delve in to measuring the effectiveness of CTV ad campaigns, scaling up viewer engagement, customizing CTV advertising messages, and much more.)