The Super Bowl Reminds Us That ‘The Old School Way’ Works
I admit it. I got a little choked up watching the Clydesdales deliver beer “The Old School Way” in Budweiser’s Super Bowl Commercial. The Big Game, especially one as good as that one, is a great reminder of how TV has been delivering brand awareness at scale since the first-ever commercial aired in 1941 for Bulova Watches.
Broadcast TV’s Supernova Event
Yet, I also couldn’t help but think that the Super Bowl is a “Supernova Event” for broadcast television. One last big bang before viewers turn traditional broadcast off for good. Despite TV ad spending set to grow in 2024, the audience decline due to cord-cutting is an irreversible reality. There will be another bump due to the 2024 Election Cycle, but things start to look bleak after that for Traditional TV.
Luckily for the industry, the decline of broadcast is being made up for by Connected TV’s rapid growth. 80% of US households will be CTV viewers by 2027. CTV delivers brand awareness at a scale far larger than any single event like the Super Bowl every single day, 365 days a year. The democratization of CTV ad buying also means you can launch a campaign for a heck of a lot less than the $7 Million price of airing one Super Bowl commercial. In fact, you can run an ad for your business or product on the premium channels you know and love starting at just $500.
Data-Driven Brand Awareness
But why do I only hear people talk about performance advertising? It seems like the entire industry is trying to convert CTV into yet another performance channel like search and social. Well, I’m going to make a statement that might get me blackballed at some industry events. TV will never be search and social, and that’s a good thing. TV is the best way to feature your brand. The visually stunning, emotional impact you can deliver to a viewer watching your brand on a 65-inch TV is always going to capture audiences better than fleeting glances on social feeds or cluttered search results.
TV viewing commands your attention. Viewers are immersed in premium content, creating an environment ripe for brand messaging to resonate. In fact, more than 80% of CTV viewers recall ads they’ve seen, whereas only 21% of viewers remember social media ads.
Furthermore, while spending on Traditional TV might have felt like a black box, CTV is rich in data. In CTV, granular contextual targeting by streaming service, genre, or channel is possible. CTV makes it easier than ever to ensure your product is associated with premium content and not crammed into an endless feed where your brand can get caught up in the latest trending scandal.
CTV offers a strategic advantage over broadcast, search, and social. It's not just replacing old-school television; it's a smarter, more effective medium where brand awareness is a continuous narrative woven into the very fabric of the viewing experience.
