Traditional Media, Not So Traditional Anymore!
Author: Marit Spisany
Published: 8/23/2021
If you want a well-rounded marketing campaign, you are probably aware that you need to have a mixture of media - including digital and traditional avenues - to really see a significant difference in your business growth. You’re also likely aware that there are certain metrics that are important to analyze for the purpose of making sure that you are reaching your target audience. When buying traditional media, rankers are used to determine which station(s) to buy in your demo and then layering in reach, frequency, gross rating points and so on to develop a campaign worth investing in.
In some of our prior case studies, we have referenced how we achieved ultimate success for our clients and the steps we took to ensure that their goals were achieved. Having proved time and time again that how we go about garnering our return on investment is one of the most important steps in calculating a successful media buy.
SO, WHAT IS CHANGING?
If you are a media planner/buyer or a client who is thinking about traversing the media landscape, the biggest change is how to think about where your audience is coming from. The way people consume media is changing as we become a nation of cord cutters. With more and more viewers getting tired of paying for cable, alternate broadband offerings are becoming increasingly attractive. YouTube TV, Sling, Fubu TV, AT&T Watch TV and more are drawing viewers away from broadcast television. Essentially broadband only homes (homes where the viewer watches more than five cumulative minutes of broadcast TV through any broadband source) are garnering viewership momentum.
With that viewership power exchange, a new methodology needed to be developed. The reality is, measuring strictly broadcast TV viewers is not a fair assessment of the true viewership universe.
WHAT NOW?
When considering the entire TV viewership population, one can no longer rely on outdated ratings practices when planning a media buy. Where buys used to be negotiated on GRP’s (gross ratings points), the practice of including BBO (broadband only) viewers needs to then be negotiated using impressions. The easiest way to think about an impression is the moment an ad appears, and a viewer has the opportunity to see the ad, that is an impression. This article by Meredith, Atlanta is a great resource to use in learning about measuring impressions: https://www.meredithatlanta.com/blog/impressions-ratings-and-how-to-measure-your-audience.
Buying impressions is a more accurate way to look at the bigger picture of who will be exposed to your commercial.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Measurement matters because audience estimates are expressed in two ways. In thousands, or the actual number of viewers watching the TV or in ratings or a percentage of the TV universe. As BBO homes become currency, measuring thousands is the most accurate picture of consumption. Basically, viewers will increase with the inclusion of BBO, but the ratings will decline. So, if you are negotiating on ratings only, the station will likely fall short in their delivery.
WHEN SHOULD THE SHIFT IN BUYING IMPRESSIONS OVER GRP’S HAPPEN?
Nielsen has moved the target start date of the impressions-based measurement several times to have the best reporting accuracy. Currently the projected start date is set for October 2021, but the largest agencies in the country are planning to stay the course and continue buying GRP’s until the end of 2021. Whichever methodology you choose, it is important that you buy against it and post against the same numbers and hold the TV stations accountable for delivering what you paid for.
Not sure where to start? We have our own in-house Media Planner and Buyer that can get you on the right track using traditional media to market your dental practice!
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