The way we view and consume media has changed drastically over the past decade, and it can feel impossible to keep up. Our media consumption habits are constantly evolving, and the past few tumultuous years have only accelerated those changes. These emerging media trends have made many organizations wonder whether they should abandon traditional media advertising in favor of newer channels. The best advertising strategies rely on a mix of contemporary and traditional mediums.
Learn more about the evolving media trends, advertising strategies that still work effectively, and how you can tweak your existing advertising campaigns to enhance your brand image and drive more sales in the short and long term.
Streaming Has Growing Popularity
Despite the increase in time spent watching streaming services, traditional television remains an effective way to attract viewers' attention to advertise your products or services. That is especially true if you opt to advertise on local channels to increase brand awareness within your community. To enhance your television advertising game, investing in OTT advertisements can be a worthwhile endeavor.
OTT, or over-the-top television, describes the streaming services that most households now subscribe to monthly. Some examples of OTT services include HBO Max, Hulu, and Netflix. These platforms collect numerous data points about viewers, allowing advertisers to run more targeted ads than regular television. Based on the number of time viewers spend watching certain shows, OTT platforms can determine plenty about the viewers' interests, demographics, and socioeconomic statuses.
Utilizing this data allows companies to optimize their marketing and get a strong return on investment with their advertising dollars, as you will display ads only to those most likely to be interested in what you offer. The best part about OTT advertising is that you can use ads you have already shot for traditional television. The main difference between OTT and traditional television advertising is in their distribution, not their content.
Social Media Maintains Steady Use
Social media channels are another advertising platform that has seen significant changes in recent years, though people continue to use such platforms at a steady rate. Throughout the early days of the pandemic and beyond, people spent more time using social media than ever before. Social media platforms also experienced some falls in use once people were more able to gather in person again. The overall time spent on social media during the pandemic has stayed relatively consistent.
Many popular social media networks became more important throughout the pandemic as they transformed into more meaningful ways for people to stay connected and interact while they were physically apart. More recently, social media platforms have also become more synonymous with news, national and local, and continuing interactions among people and companies.
For these reasons, social media channels are still an excellent place to advertise, especially because social media allow for incredible precision with targeted ads. These platforms also enable brands to engage further their audiences, which helps convert casual shoppers and fans into loyalists who spread the word about how great your products and services are on your behalf.
Gen Z Prefer Video Games
When considering which platforms to advertise on, many brands shy from promoting on video games because it is still a relatively new practice. However, video games are highly likely to capture the attention of Gen Z. This generation spends far more time playing video games, whether on consoles, mobile devices, or subscription-based games. Subscription and mobile games operate similarly to online and digital ads, including advertisement spaces where you could display your ads.
Like social media, these gaming platforms will also collect useful data about users' habits, helping your ads target the right audience, helping optimize your advertising dollars to go further. Additionally, advertising with digital and mobile ads in video games allows you to collect extensive analytics about how your ads are performing. It provides your company with critical insights about what currently works about your ads and what you should tweak for more effective campaigns.
Smartphone and subscription-based games appear only to be gaining in popularity, and companies that hop on this bandwagon while it's still early can expect to see some serious returns.
Advertisers Must Adapt to Changing Consumer Habits
Most people's ways of life have changed drastically over the past two years, making most people adopt completely new habits. Advertisers who are quick to adapt to these changes will set themselves up for far more success than those who continue to rely on the advertising channels that worked in the past without including new methods of capturing consumers' attention.
By combining old and new methods, your brand will be able to reach a highly diverse audience with a wide variety of interests, which gives your company the best possible chance of genuinely increasing sales and generating revenue.
