Why Cross-Channel TV Is a Gift for Holiday Advertisers

The end of any year is typically filled with reasons to rejoice, with holidays like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa in the final quarter. And although macroeconomic headwinds are swirling, consumers can at least look forward to closing out 2022 and ringing in the New Year with family and friends minus the anxiety and disruption caused by the pandemic.

The start of COVID-19 in the U.S. in 2020 sparked new customer behaviors that rippled across verticals and industries. Online shopping took a new foothold as people adapted to remote living, which set off a boom in ecommerce as many traditionally brick-and-mortar retailers built out the infrastructure to satisfy online shoppers. While the pandemic fueled spending on mostly at-home lifestyle goods, this season is anticipated to gear towards bigger purchases surrounding the holidays. And despite the inflationary costs of stable goods like groceries and gas, analysts predict that consumers will still be primed to click “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” during the first fully in-person holiday season in three years.

But with so many celebratory (and shopping) occasions packed into the fourth quarter, marketers need to plan skillfully ahead to carve out market share, meet demand and nudge out competition. The holidays are ripe with consumers making purchases, both planned and unplanned, of brands they know and love as well as emerging names. According to The 2022 Meta Holiday and Mega Sale Days Marketing Guide, a whopping 91% of shoppers are likely to try a new brand during the holiday season. Plus, 63% of holiday shoppers who shop during a mega sales day will make an unexpected purchase.

By leveraging the right tools and partners, marketers can ensure their brand and product messaging reaches the entirety of their target audience cost-efficiently to drive measurable results with smart, data-driven TV campaigns across both linear and connected TV (CTV).

Responding to the Holiday Surge in Demand in a Time of Supply Constraints

This summer, retailers enjoyed a record-breaking Amazon Prime Day, which generated total sales surpassing $11.9 billion in the U.S. alone. The upwards trend in spending began during the onset of the pandemic as people stayed inside, went online and filled their carts. From 2020 to 2021 alone, US ecommerce sales saw a $116.45B increase – creating fierce competition in the marketplace for consumer mindshare and dollars.

Marketers should anticipate a similar wave of enthusiasm in Q4. But with supply chain issues lingering, marketers need to be strategic in their planning to ensure they can fulfill the uptick in demand prompted by their advertising – and know how to respond when they can’t. The Adobe Digital Economy Index found that one out of every 59 online product pages show an out-of-stock message, a 235% increase from pre-pandemic, 2019 levels. Marketers must seek out advertising partners and platforms that provide the flexibility needed to respond to unforeseen shifts in supply and demand in mid-campaign flight – without sacrificing cost-efficiency, reach or effectiveness. Brands and businesses should be able to pivot, reposition and reallocate budgets when supplies run low and offer realistic solutions when demand surges, with alternative offers to steer interest towards inventory on hand.

Capitalize on Fierce Consumer Interest and Emerging Priorities

With demand high, competition will be fierce for retailers trying to gain an edge. That’s why honing in on data-driven audience targets and maximizing reach wherever people are watching or streaming is imperative for making an impact. With a strong partner, brand advertisers can be guaranteed full audience reach across premium inventory on both linear and CTV. In addition, with limited time until the holiday season is over, consumers are expected to be click-happy and ready to make big purchases for the right price. For brands that are new to TV advertising, know that there is a considerable halo effect of TV advertising on digital channels – in fact, one Accenture study found that TV lifts digital ROI by 22%.

Now more than ever, customer affinity can be earned with the right messaging delivered at the right place and time, creating a loyal base that spills into the New Year and affects sales for weeks and months to come. To ensure target audiences are reached with a minimum of wasteful duplication (after all, 60 million U.S. households regularly watch both linear and CTV), access to the largest swath of premium inventory across all ad-supported television is key to making the biggest impact.

Adopt a Flexible Campaign Strategy to Respond to Results

With Q4 packed with holidays and other events attracting consumer time, attention and expenditures, marketers will need to test and learn which creatives, spot placements and audience targets work in the weeks leading up to each holiday. Having the flexibility to pivot or scale in near real-time in response to results will be paramount to success for any TV campaign. So will choosing an ad platform with the agility to plan and deliver on bespoke scenarios based on the needs of the advertiser.

Unwrapping a Bountiful Quarter

This Q4 holiday season can be a lucrative opportunity for brands looking to advertise across the TV landscape. Consumers are click-happy and ready to shop, but wading through endless options on ecommerce sites or at traditional brick-and-mortar offerings means brands need to be prepared to stand out, effectively track results and optimize campaigns.

No mass medium is as effective in reaching and activating as many audiences as TV, and no advertising solution can provide unified reach across the breadth of the dynamic TV landscape quite like Simulmedia’s unique cross-channel TV+® platform. It uses patented forecasting technology and AI-powered automated processes to guarantee marketers full audience reach, measurement and results over 250 linear networks and streaming services, which translates to access to 300 million viewers in the U.S. across 120 million households.

Download our free Q4 TV Advertising Unwrapped: Your Guide to a Successful 2022 Holiday Season playbook for a complete guide to ending the year on a merry and bright note for your brand and business.

Want to learn even more about cross-channel TV advertising? Contact us or email us at advertise@simulmedia.com to see how our unique TV+® platform for planning, buying, activation and measurement guarantees full audience reach across both linear and CTV.