Why Should Children-Oriented Brands Launch CTV Ad Campaigns?

December 22, 2020

The everyday life of most families changed during the current COVID-19 pandemics. The global lockdown has resulted in parents and kids staying at home for months on end. On the one hand, this has resulted in financial and stress-related difficulties, but on the other, they have had more free time to spend together. Due to these lifestyle changes, most families have strived to find common entertainment. TV has always been a surefire option for family-focused content. Today, linear television has given way to more advanced media - connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT).

In 2019-2020, CTV became the primary means of entertainment for millions of people around the world. This growth gave a strong boost to advertisers. According to Pixalate, CTV advertising leaped 330%, while the global rise of CTV apps increased by 230% over 18 months. Family content is an advertisers' target, which means that they need to learn how to provide relevant messages to people of all ages and namely – kids.

What's the right way to approach promotional content for children ? How can it be made entertaining, memorable, but at the same time – wholesome and light? And how can fraud be avoided when launching your campaign? These and other questions are key for advertisers who are willing to start a CTV journey. Let's break down the answers.

Most European countries have strict regulations regarding direct targeting when it comes to children. It is unlawful to use kids' data for any purpose, especially commercial. The reason: children under 12 years cannot understand that ad content is meant to sell and psychologically influence. They don't really understand the commercial context.

While targeting and data gathering is not allowed in most countries, advertisers can still benefit from contextual ads. These are the commercials relevant to the streamed content. For example, if a child prefers watching a particular show or cartoon on a CTV channel, the relevant ad might promote character figures and plush toys. Kids easily associate themselves with other kids they see on the screen and mimic their wishes and actions. When they see a child going crazy about a toy, they want to have one, too.

Also, ads where celebrities are eating something, are captivating for kids. This is another influential scenario for every youngster. Here is an example: according to this study, children preferred eating Walker's chips advertised by Gary Lineker, a famous English sports figure, over regular snacks. Among two bowls marked as "Walker's Chips" and "supermarket brand", most of them picked the first one. There are other studies that demonstrate that same effect: kids are more likely to choose food sponsored by celebrities . If you thought that taste is the reason – it isn't. This works with anything, including fruits and other healthy foods.

There is an opinion that contextual advertising is at least as efficient as direct targeting. This opinion is supported by the data. According to IPG Lab, contextual targeting increases purchase intent by 63%; 83% of customers recommend the advertised product to their friends after seeing a contextual ad, and overall brand favorability increases by 40% with contextual targeting. All of these numbers compare favorably to the lower rates of personalized targeting. The percentages speak for themselves.

OTT and CTV have become a popular option for brands seeking to reach the under-16 audience. This marketplace can boast of having a huge kids audience, as well as the CTV and OTT format enabling safe contextual advertising. Ad campaigns across the CTV market reflect kids' viewing behavior, provide numerous video formats, and encourage interactive content. This all means that advertisers can take advantage of advanced contextual targeting opportunities.

When advertisers work with family content, they expand their audience and take a step onto a huge market. As such, their risks grow – buying inventory and cooperating with publishers can be connected with some serious issues, such as fraud – the last thing an advertiser can want. According to The Industry Pulse Report, in 2020, 46% of publishers named different types of online fraud as the main challenge for their programmatic advertising. This mostly relates to fake traffic – scammers using bots to generate impressions and activity.

CTV decreases fraud risks in the following ways:

• CTV ensures correct ad placement. Due to this strategy, buyers purchase from trusted publishers and sources of ad requests are strictly verified;
  
  
• CTV platforms provide performance reports about campaign efficiency. Advertisers have a clear picture of users' activity and track all metrics personally;
  
  
• Content agencies allow advertisers to cooperate with certified publishers.
  
  

When you launch a CTV campaign, cooperation with reliable partners is a key to success. Strong anti-fraud systems and transparency of deals ensure positive results for both sides as well as a great experience for watchers.

It is true that the popularity of CTV and OTT will continue growing. On-demand content is popular among children that don't really watch traditional TV in 2020 and aren't likely to start. Families are already used to watching CTV shows together, meaning that millions of eyes are fixed on CTV screens, so advertisers need to hurry up and benefit from this medium. OTT and CTV are great platforms for contextual and direct targeting. They provide rich opportunities for publishers and advertisers that work with different types of promotional content, including family-oriented ones.

Platforms like BidMind by Fiksu provide endless opportunities for advertisers and publishers. Instruments for analysis, content delivery, creative advertisements, and fraud protection are all included in the package. Consider starting your CTV campaign with Fiksu today!