Consumer behavior has continued shifting with technological innovations, and so has the path to purchase. A consumer’s buying journey now has multiple paths, and brands must rethink how they engage audiences and sequence their messages. For example, consumers can easily bounce between the awareness and education stages due to online research and social engagement before coming close to the purchase stage. Eighty-two percent of smartphone users research in-store purchases on their phones before buying and 45% read reviews before making a purchase. Consumers have many options at the purchase stage, too. They can visit a store, use a browser, a mobile app or even a voice assistant to complete a transaction.
Consumers are hyper-aware of the breadcrumb trail of preferences they are leaving, and in return expect a personalized buying experience that’s linked across all of those avenues. Data provides a path of information and marketers have to decide what to do with it.
The Immersive Nature of TV Is Valuable to Marketers
It’s television’s ability to emotionally connect with audiences that makes it much more than a brand awareness vehicle. It’s a versatile medium effective at reaching people in the digital age. Today, “TV” refers to an experience more so than a specific device sitting in the living room. And that experience can be found on-demand, on digital devices and connected to catalogs of programming for any interest or topic.
But TV’s place as the most immersive medium is cemented. Viewers tune in expecting to be drawn into another world. They know for the next hour they’re giving the programming their full attention, and they want the story arc, not just the story. Viewers come back, episode after episode, for weeks. Aside from music maybe, TV is the only media experience in which people expect to be transported emotionally to another world.
Evolving from Awareness to Something Much More
TV has historically been used for brand lift, awareness and share of voice. But, as technology has transformed the journey to buy, it has also changed the way television can influence and measure. Today’s television — data-driven and targeted — can refresh and reinforce messages to specific segments, foster loyalty and advocacy, educate during the research phase, and sell products.
It’s time for agencies and advertisers to take a fresh look at TV’s purpose in the advertising mix. As consumer purchase behavior has evolved, TV advertising has adapted to be more relevant, targeted, measurable and flexible. In a world where the consumer buying process spans multiple screens, we believe TV can drive better return on ad spend (ROAS) than ever before.
