In today's fast-paced advertising landscape, we've transitioned from traditional analog and broadcast media to the dynamic world of digital advertising through connected television. This shift to CTV marketing offers great benefits, such as precise targeting, increased interaction, and personalized messaging. Yet, when it comes to CTV Measurement, one critical aspect remains unclear: transparency. The core idea of digital advertising was always to give advertisers a clear view of who saw their ads and how effective they were. Sadly, the reality in connected television hasn't met our expectations.

CTV advertising has had its share of challenges, from dealing with bots to inconsistent measurement methods and a lack of industry standards. This has made it tough to accurately measure how many people watch our ads and how to measure the return on our investment. In the early days of digital advertising, the focus was mainly on driving incremental reach, especially as people cut the cord. We didn't worry much about fraudulent activity because all that mattered was scaling their CTV programs amid scarce inventory and keeping costs in check. But things have changed. Today, with the rise of streaming consumption, connected TV has become a significant part of TV budgets. We're now witnessing a major merging of budgets between traditional TV and digital.

This convergence highlights a significant problem – the transparency that was a given in the broadcast and cable industry is now notably absent in the digital realm. In the world of connected TV, transparency challenges extend beyond different channels; they also encompass major platforms like Google, Amazon, and Disney, where a substantial portion of viewing occurs behind their walls.

To address this, Simulmedia and other industry leaders have been discussing what should be the standard for transparency as traditional TV and connected TV converge. Simulmedia is proud to introduce the "

Advertisers' Bill of Rights for Transparency in Streaming and Linear TV

." At its core, this bill of rights is founded on the belief that a lack of transparency across the streaming and linear TV advertising ecosystem erodes trust, accountability, and the efficiency of the medium.

 empowers advertisers with the information they need to thrive in today's complex media landscape. We firmly support advertisers' fundamental rights to transparency, giving them the information needed to foster trust and ensure a thriving advertising environment. We are convinced that full transparency benefits everyone involved, especially in the long run, from publishers and advertisers to consumers. It promotes clear communication, accountability, and, most importantly, enhances the effectiveness and trustworthiness of advertising partnerships.

To foster greater transparency, trust, and accountability in the advertising industry, the 

Advertiser's Bill of Rights for Transparency

 establishes baseline principles advertisers should expect and demand from media partners. This bill of rights is meant as a starting point to drive an industry-wide conversation and evolve best practices, not as an exhaustive or fully complete list.

The right to know where ads appear - the specific programs, networks, services, and apps.

The right to know what devices ads are viewed on - TVs, phones, etc.

The right to understand how ad targeting and measurement works, including data sources and methodologies.

The right to accredited third-party measurement for ad campaigns.

The right to verify ads are viewed by real humans, not bots.

We’ll explore each of these rights in detail, analyzing why transparency around each principle is so critical. We'll also examine the downstream impacts that opaque practices can have on the entire advertising industry.

By codifying and embracing these rights, advertisers and media partners can build greater trust. This will lead to more efficient and effective ad investments that better reward content creators and platforms for quality programming that engages real audiences. Transparency is a journey, not a destination — but establishing core rights is the first step.


1. Placement Transparency. Advertisers have the right to know the programs, networks, services and apps where their ads appear.

Advertisers should have the right to know exactly where their ads are being displayed. This includes knowing the specific programs, networks, services, and apps where their ads appear.

Why is content obfuscated? Publishers sell their ad spaces either:

Through a large number of partners, who resell the spot to advertisers.

Prices can vary across each situation, and publishers sometimes deliberately hide content and episode information to maintain high prices. They worry that advertisers can buy a spot on the same show from one of their partners at a lower price and use this as a bargaining chip to demand that the publisher lower their own prices.

Resellers, on the flip side, may be motivated to strategically misrepresent their inventory to artificially enhance its appeal to potential buyers, thus justifying a higher asking price. While not all resellers have bad intentions, there are bad actors — or those participating in app spoofing. Here, resellers and intermediaries misrepresent or “spoof” an app to inflate the price of a piece of inventory and make it more attractive.

Brand safety controls may also be another casualty of non-transparent inventory. According to 

a study conducted by contextual ad-tech company GumGum

, in an analysis of over 100 children's shows, which represent just a fraction of the vast CTV landscape, approximately 20% of all ad breaks featured at least one advertisement that was deemed unsuitable for children, as per the guidelines, regulations, and suggestions outlined by the Federal Trade Commission. While not every instance explicitly breached an FTC regulation, they all pertained to subjects on which the FTC has either issued recommendations or conducted hearings.

Understanding the context in which ads are displayed is essential for advertisers to ensure their messaging aligns with the content and target audience. By knowing the programs, networks, services, and apps where their ads appear, advertisers can make informed decisions about their ad placements and optimize their campaigns accordingly.

By exercising their right to know where their ads appear, advertisers can build trust and accountability in the advertising industry. With the knowledge of the programs, networks, services, and apps where their ads appear, advertisers can make informed decisions and ensure that their advertising efforts are aligned with their brand values and objectives.

Tech providers like Simulmedia’s TV+ already provide a level of placement transparency advertisers deserve. Simulmedia collects data regarding applications, publishers, and programs where CTV ads are shown and normalizes that data into logical mappings for our end users, removing ambiguity and redundancy so buyers have more information about what their media spend bought them.


2. Device Transparency. Advertisers have the right to know the devices on which their ads are viewed.

The device on which an ad is viewed can significantly impact its effectiveness. Viewing an ad on a large television screen often leads to higher engagement compared to viewing on a small mobile device. This is because larger screens offer a more immersive experience, captivating viewers' attention and filling their field of vision. The superior audio-visual quality on a large TV enhances the overall impact of the ad, making it more memorable and persuasive. On top of that, the larger screen makes it easier to notice and appreciate the details in the ad, such as product features and messages. Moreover, watching on a larger screen often becomes a shared social experience, encouraging discussions and word-of-mouth recommendations about the products or services advertised, ultimately increasing the ad's reach and effectiveness. As such, advertisers should have transparency into where their ads are being shown to ensure they leverage the benefits of larger screens for optimal engagement.

Without accurate device information, advertisers are operating somewhat blindly. They may be paying premium rates for ads viewed on television when, in reality, a large portion are being shown on mobile phones. This lack of transparency is akin to buying a gourmet meal and ending up with fast food – it's not what you expected.

 from the advertising world. A leading connected TV buying platform frequently preaches about the power of high-quality CTV inventory and why advertisers should settle for nothing less. However, every buy executed within this platform offers a mix of additional inventory types, including digital display and mobile, 'in order to maximize performance.' Essentially, this platform combines various types of inventory to reach as many viewers as possible. They do not permit buyers to choose only CTV inventory or even to dictate the percentage of the overall buy that must be CTV. Instead, they ask brands to sign off, hoping that a decent amount of the inventory purchased will be in the format they desire and near decent content. It's a bit like ordering a gourmet pizza but ending up with a mishmash of toppings you didn't choose. Unfortunately, this platform is not unique in this regard.

Knowing the breakdown of devices provides important context. Advertisers can ensure campaigns are being delivered as intended. They can optimize based on performance differences across devices. And they can verify ads are being shown in appropriate environments.

Now, let's talk about a dark side of the digital advertising world – device spoofing. Some resellers, who can be considered as bad actors in this industry, may misrepresent the device on which ads are shown to fetch higher CPMs. In the digital advertising context, it means a mobile device may pretend to be a high-value smart TV, which typically commands higher ad rates. This unethical practice artificially inflates the value of ad impressions.

We at Simulmedia take a different approach. We filter and only make bid requests for the big screen (CTV). This ensures we're focused on delivering ads in the format advertisers desire rather than mixing in various inventory types. Bad actors can spoof device IDs as well, which is another reason we buy direct and don’t use third-party resellers.

As streaming plays a larger role in media plans, device transparency becomes increasingly vital. Advertisers, purchasing these impressions, rightfully demand accurate, third-party verified reporting on device breakdown. It's imperative for device transparency to be the norm, not the exception, ensuring advertisers understand the context in which their ads appear.

3. Audience Transparency. Advertisers have the right to know the sources, composition, and methodologies of the data and models used to target and measure their ads.

Data and algorithms are used extensively to target ads and measure campaign performance. However, there is often a lack of audience transparency into the inner workings of these systems. Advertisers have the right to understand how the audience segments advertisers use to target and measure their campaigns are collected and vetted.

Advertisers look to target specific audiences on CTV so they can deliver their ads to the most relevant people. They turn to data provided by Data Management Platforms (DMPs), which are often integrated into major Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs). DMPs offer thousands of audience categories, such as age, gender, income, interests, hobbies, and ownership, allowing advertisers to find the perfect audience for their ad.

However, the quality and accuracy of these audience pools remain uncertain. Questions arise regarding the accuracy of demographic categories like “Women 18-45” and the methodology used to classify CTV viewers within these categories. Additionally, the effectiveness of these audience pools on CTV is a concern, as a low match rate can lead to unmet campaign goals.

Marketers share responsibility in the data quality issue. The pursuit of hyper-specific audience targeting often neglects whether data providers can define such audiences accurately or whether these audiences exist at a scale that fits campaign budgets. The entire supply chain, from brand managers to agencies and data providers, may overlook these critical questions in the quest for scale and efficiency.

Many data segments available in marketplaces, DMPs, and DSPs are modeled from a seed of real data collected from various sources such as web activity, surveys, or publicly available but complex datasets. The methods and quality of data science models used to create audience segments can vary widely, and understanding the source and size of the seed audience is essential as it impacts the quality of the resulting audience pool.

In practice, audiences are often created by applying AND/OR/NOT logic to multiple data sources, resulting in a complex combination of modeled data. This approach can lead to a haphazard assortment of identifiers that only partially match the intended target audience.

Without audience transparency, advertisers face significant challenges, as highlighted in 

 on the accuracy of programmatic ad targeting. Academic research revealed that when using a single targeting parameter like gender, the accuracy was only 42%. To put it in perspective, this accuracy falls below the natural population's gender distribution of 50%. In practical terms, a campaign using this targeting parameter is 15% less effective than a "spray and pray" approach without any specific parameters. Even showing ads to every possible user would achieve a 50% on-target rate, surpassing the accuracy of paid gender targeting parameters from data brokers.

Moreover, the study found that when two targeting parameters are applied for ad targeting, such as gender and a selected age range, the average accuracy drops to 24%. Different data vendors exhibited varying levels of accuracy, ranging from as low as 12.9% to as high as 32.3%.

The consequences of such inaccuracies in targeting are significant, particularly in light of stricter privacy policies. As Mike Woosley, COO of Lotame, explained 

, consider the case of a men's brand that used to acquire one customer for every $5.00 spent targeting 1,000 men. Now, to reach 1,000 men, the brand has to show ads to 2,000 people because of the uncertainty in distinguishing between men and women, resulting in doubled acquisition costs and a 50% loss in yield.

Advertisers have a legitimate right to inquire about the sources and the degree of customization of the audience pools they purchase, ensuring that these audiences are well-suited for CTV. When evaluating data sources at Simulmedia, we make sure to ask the right questions and get the important answers around privacy, sample sizes, and accuracy, such as:

If the data is modeled from a sample, what is the ratio of the final audience to the original seed?

What privacy and opt-in/opt-out considerations were used in the data collection?

What methods have you used to test the accuracy of your segments (surveys,deterministic samples)?

In the future, we will use AI to test audience data holistically, testing thousands of audience segments against known benchmarks and analyzing statistical relevance vs. random chance

Requiring audience transparency does not demand advertisers to become data scientists themselves but allows them to receive clear explanations from platforms about their operational methods. Third-party audits and inspections can also help advertisers ensure data quality.

Audience transparency enables advertisers to make informed decisions on whether to rely on a platform's proprietary measurement or require independent, accredited third-party measurement. Without audience transparency, advertisers cannot reasonably be expected to simply trust "black box" targeting and measurement systems.

Ensuring audience transparency in data and algorithms will lead to greater accuracy, accountability, and trust in the digital advertising ecosystem. This benefits not just advertisers but platforms as well by instilling confidence in their systems. Audience transparency should be a fundamental right, and advertisers must continue to demand it as connected TV advertising grows.

4. Independent verification. Advertisers have the right to independent, transparent, accredited, third-party measurement of their campaigns.

Measuring and verifying advertising campaigns is critical to the advertising ecosystem. Advertisers invest significant resources into campaigns with the goal of reaching target audiences and driving business results. Advertisers rely on campaign measurement and analytics to determine the effectiveness of those investments.

Historically, measurement of traditional media like TV, radio, and print has been conducted by independent third parties like Nielsen. However, with the rise of digital and streaming media, much of the measurement is now controlled by the media platforms themselves. This creates an inherent conflict of interest, as platforms are incentivized to report metrics that make their inventory look most attractive to advertisers.

Advertisers have a right to campaign measurement and analytics that are independent, transparent, and accredited. Independent third-party measurement mitigates the conflicts of interest that exist when inventory sellers control the measurement. Transparency through independent verification enables advertisers to evaluate methodologies and inspect data sources. Accreditation from oversight bodies like the Media Rating Council ensures measurement practices adhere to industry standards.

There are several benefits to independent, transparent, accredited measurement for advertisers:

It mitigates conflicts of interest and bias that exist in seller-controlled measurement

It provides a consistent and impartial source of truth for campaign performance

It enables optimization and planning decisions based on unbiased insights

It drives accountability and integrity across the advertising supply chain

It ensures measurement practices adhere to industry standards and oversight

It builds trust between advertisers, agencies, and media platforms

From a technical perspective, media platforms have the capability to support independent measurement via privacy-safe data sharing and matching through clean rooms. Advertisers should have the right to leverage accredited providers to independently verify campaign delivery and performance across walled gardens and closed ecosystems. This creates a fair and level playing field for advertisers regardless of which platforms their campaigns run on

. Advertisers invest big into YouTube — the media giant's total ad revenue for 2022 amounted to 

. Advertisers pay Google to serve their ads on YouTube, but these ads are sometimes run on third-party sites and apps — also known as Google Video Partners.

Google measures and verifies its own inventory — in other words, the platform grades its own homework. But while Google claims it vets partner sites to ensure they're of the utmost quality, 

 reveals the opposite. According to the report, "many media buyers were surprised to learn that the majority of their ad budgets against a so-called "walled garden" environment was spent on muted, auto-playing video ads on third-party websites."

Had advertisers been given an alternative option to measure and verify their campaigns — one that came from a neutral third-party — it’s likely advertisers would have caught wind of low-quality impressions and inventory sooner.

While marketers may choose to rely on first-party measurement reports from media sellers, they should not be forced to do so. Just as brands have choices for media buying and creative development, they should also have choices on measurement. Advertisers who demand independent, transparent, and accredited measurement will accelerate progress for the industry as a whole.

5. Independent fraud detection. Advertisers have the right to verify that their ads are being viewed by real users and not bots or fraudulent sources.

Advertisers have a fundamental right to ensure their advertising budgets are reaching real human audiences. With the rise of bots, click farms, and other fraudulent tactics, it has become increasingly difficult to guarantee ads are being seen by real people. This undermines the effectiveness of advertising and wastes significant marketing dollars.

, recognized as one of the largest CTV ad fraud operations ever discovered. This operation employed over 28,000 fake websites and mobile apps to generate fraudulent ad impressions. StreamScam had its sights set on exploiting the booming CTV advertising market, potentially costing advertisers billions in wasted ad spend.

 came to light, as reported by Pixalate. This scheme specifically targeted the Grindr mobile app, operating through a fraudulent mobile app impersonating Grindr. It used fake domains and malicious apps to deceive advertisers, generating illicit ad revenue.

 was exposed in November 2021. This scheme, also disclosed by Pixalate, exploited a combination of server-side ad insertion (SSAI) and client-side ad insertion (CSAI) to carry out its fraudulent activities. It significantly targeted CTV and OTT environments, deceiving advertisers into purchasing invalid inventory and resulting in substantial financial losses for the industry.

In addition to these specific fraud schemes, it's crucial to consider the broader context of ad fraud in 2022. According to 

, CTV ad fraud surged with a 69% increase in bot fraud during that year. This significant growth in CTV fraud schemes highlights an alarming trend in the industry. Fraudsters continually adapt their tactics to exploit the expanding CTV advertising market, which can have profound financial implications for advertisers. Staying vigilant, implementing advanced fraud detection measures, and fostering industry collaboration are essential to combat these evolving threats effectively.

There are several key reasons bots and fraudulent traffic have become so pervasive:

The technical infrastructure of digital advertising contains vulnerabilities that allow spoofing of users and devices. It is easy to make a mobile device appear as a connected TV, for example.

Scarce inventory keeps CPMs high, which in turn appeals to bad actors. They can spoof an app and display a CPM lower than the genuine publisher's rate to attract more demand and bidders.

Relying solely on "blacklists" of known bad actors is insufficient. Fraudsters can instantly spin up new sites, apps, and inventory sources faster than blacklists can keep up.

To combat this, advertisers have a right to verification that their ads are viewed by real human users, not bots or other fraudulent sources. This includes the ability to:

Inspect the methodologies used to detect fake traffic and sources. Advertisers should have transparency into how platforms and partners identify real users.

Analyze log data to look for patterns indicative of fraud, such as unusual spikes in traffic or concentrated geographic sources.

Leverage independent verification partners not incentivized by campaign performance. Many dominant verification tools today also offer campaign optimization, creating potential conflicts.

Confirm traffic quality across the entire supply chain, including resellers and intermediaries. Work only with partners you know you can trust.

With tens of billions in ad spending at risk of fraud, advertisers must be empowered with the tools and knowledge to verify campaign quality. Trading short-term savings for ignorance of where ads actually appear harms marketing outcomes. By embracing transparency and verification, advertisers can optimize spend while supporting a healthy, sustainable, and fraud-resistant media ecosystem.

On a macro level, there are five main areas where we focus to ensure we are as transparent as possible for our partners:

We limit the number of sources where we get our inventory from, through direct relationships with publishers and distributors. By doing so, we reduce the opacity in the supply chain, ensuring a more direct connection to quality inventory.

We leverage our proprietary tech to enhance the level of transparency we provide our partners. This includes advanced tools and technologies that offer a clear view of where ads are being shown and how they're being measured.

We open up our buys to third-party verification and fraud detection providers. Collaborating with these providers allows us to have an additional layer of scrutiny, ensuring that campaigns are genuine and reaching the intended audiences.

The Transparency Bill of Rights empowers advertisers with the information they need to thrive in today's complex media landscape. We firmly support advertisers' fundamental rights to transparency, giving them the information needed to foster trust and ensure a thriving advertising environment. We are convinced that full transparency benefits everyone involved, especially in the long run, from publishers and advertisers to consumers. It promotes clear communication, accountability, and, most importantly, enhances the effectiveness and trustworthiness of advertising partnerships. 


The Advertiser's Bill of Rights: Fostering CTV Transparency and Trust in Advertising

Setting the Stage for Spring Holiday Success

Spring holidays may be months away, but in the world of marketing, it's never too early to start planning. As we gear up for the season of blossoms and sunshine, our previous blog post on 

"Unveiling Spring Break TV Advertising Secrets Targeting College Student Viewership"

 has already given us a glimpse of the action-packed spring break playground.

Now, we're shifting our focus to another demographic that's just as exciting—the families with school-aged kids who are eagerly anticipating their upcoming spring holidays. These holidays are still a few months down the road, but savvy marketers from various verticals know that it's the perfect time to start developing TV campaigns that will capture the hearts and minds of parents and children alike.

From the bustling travel and tourism industry promoting family-friendly vacation destinations to retailers showcasing the latest in spring fashion for kids, from entertainment and amusement venues such as theme parks and movie theaters to companies in the consumer electronics sector, there's a myriad of opportunities to engage families during this special time of year. For marketers in these verticals, the spring school holidays represent a golden opportunity to capture the attention of families when they're actively planning vacations, shopping for new spring wardrobes, seeking entertainment options for quality family time, and considering educational programs to keep their kids engaged and learning during the holidays. It's a season of increased consumer spending, family travel, and quality time together, making it the perfect stage for TV advertisers to shine.

We won't tell you that we're going to tell you something because, well, that's just not our style. Instead, we're going to take you on a journey through the TV viewership patterns of households with school-aged kids and unveil the secrets of crafting successful family marketing campaigns. We'll provide insights to help you fine-tune your family marketing campaign strategy and achieve remarkable results.

The Playground of TV Viewership: Households with School-Aged Kids

Picture this: a vast playground of 41.7 million linear households and 47 million streaming households. It's not a tug of war between the two; rather, they coexist, forming a vibrant landscape for advertisers. These households, naturally, tend to be more extensive, as they are bustling with the cheerful presence of children. After all, it's school-aged kids we're talking about.

Now, let's hop on our school bus of data and embark on a journey through the TV viewership habits of these households.

Recess on the Screen: TV Viewing Insights

In the vast playground of TV viewership, there's an exciting blend of habits that keeps the action going. In these households with school-aged kids, you'll find a dynamic mix: 15% of them still rely exclusively on linear TV, while 25% have embraced streaming-only ad-supported content. And the remaining 60%? Well, they're the versatile bunch, seamlessly hopping between traditional linear TV and ad-supported Connected TV (CTV).

The average daily viewing time in these households? A whopping 3 hours and 54 minutes. That's the equivalent of a long recess, and the kids are eager to play. Of those 234 minutes, 76%—a remarkable 178 minutes—are spent on traditional linear TV. It's where they gather around to catch their favorite shows, often with their parents.

But don't forget the 24%—56 minutes—devoted to ad-supported Connected TV (CTV). Kids these days are tech-savvy and enjoy streaming content on various devices.

Finding Your Spot in the Playground: Targeting Strategies

When you're the new kid on the block, it's essential to know where the cool kids hang out. In the world of TV advertising, the "cool kids" are ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and ESPN, where you can find 31.91% of households with school-aged kids. But don't fret; you can also locate significant numbers of them on other networks more economically, just like making friends in different corners of the playground.

For those who love digital playdates, Paramount, Vizio, Samsung, Peacock, and Hulu are the go-to sellers on streaming platforms. Here, you'll reach a whopping 66.18% of households with school-aged kids.

Best Practices for a High Score in the Game of Advertising

We did some scenario planning on this TV audience for a budget of $500K, $1M, and $1.5M. The results speak volumes. 

If you're handed a budget of $1 million, our recommendation is to invest 40% in your linear TV buy and 60% in your CTV buy. This strategic blend ensures you reach a grand total of 18.6 million households with school-aged kids, a perfect recipe for successful family marketing campaigns.

You see, when you strategically allocate your budget across both linear and connected TV, you'll always reach more of your strategic audience, maximizing your impact and ROI. To put it in playground terms, it's like combining the strength of the swings with the exhilaration of the slide to reach new heights. If you spent that money on linear alone, you'd reach 12.1 million households, and if you spent it on CTV alone, you'd only reach 12.3 million households. So, the blend works wonders for your campaigns.

This approach not only enhances your reach but also allows for a flexible and tailored strategy, ensuring that you're present where your target audience spends their time. It's akin to joining in the games kids love on the playground, making friends and being part of the fun.

The key to a successful family marketing campaign during the spring holidays lies in understanding where to allocate your budget effectively. By mixing the power of linear TV with the dynamic capabilities of CTV, you can make the most of your advertising dollars while resonating with families during this special time of year. So, take a page out of the playground playbook and get ready to win big with your next family marketing campaign.

Conclusion: Simulmedia—Your Playdate Partner for Spring Holidays

As you gear up for your spring holiday TV advertising campaigns, remember that Simulmedia is your ultimate playdate partner. With our expertise and platform, including the powerful Performance TV offering driven by the TV+ Advertising Platform, we can help you plan, buy, measure, and optimize your campaigns to reach households with school-aged kids effectively. Whether it's a day at the amusement park or a family getaway, we're here to ensure your message resonates with your target audience.

With our Performance TV offering, you have the tools and insights to reach the right audience at the right time with precision and efficiency. Our data-driven approach allows you to maximize your ROI, making every advertising dollar count.

So, let's make this spring holiday season a memorable one, both for the kids on the playground and for your brand. Join hands with Simulmedia, and let's create advertising magic together while leveraging the exceptional capabilities of our Performance TV service.

We're going to take you on a journey through the TV viewership patterns of households with school-aged kids and unveil the secrets of crafting successful family marketing campaigns. We'll provide insights to help you fine-tune your family marketing campaign strategy and achieve remarkable results.

Unlocking the Secrets of Family Marketing Campaigns for Spring Holidays

As we find ourselves in the midst of autumn, the upcoming spring break may seem like a distant dream. However, in the world of advertising, preparation for the next season begins well before the first ray of spring sunshine warms the sand. So, let's dive right in and uncover the secrets of targeting college students during spring break.

Who's in the Spring Break Advertising Game?

When it comes to spring break, it's not just about sandy beaches and wild parties; it's also a prime season for advertisers to connect with college students. The excitement and anticipation of a break from academic routines make it the perfect time to catch the attention of this energetic and dynamic demographic.

The spring break advertising landscape is as diverse as the destinations college students flock to. While travel agencies and tourism boards are at the forefront, offering enticing getaway packages and promoting sought-after locations, other businesses also join the fray. Beverage companies are busy crafting tropical-inspired concoctions to quench the thirst of beachgoers. Swimwear brands ensure everyone looks stylish and ready for fun in the sun. However, the competition doesn't stop there. Spring break advertising encompasses a broad spectrum, with various brands and industries eager to make an impact.

So, why do these advertisers choose TV as their medium of choice for spring break campaigns? As spring break planning kicks into high gear, advertisers want to ensure their message reaches the right audience at the right time. TV advertising provides the reach and impact they need to capture the attention of college students who are not only dreaming of beach vacations but also looking for the perfect gear, outfits, and refreshments to make their spring break memorable.

College Student TV Viewership: Where Do They Surf?

Spring break advertisers are in for a wild ride as they navigate the choppy seas of college student TV viewership. To help steer their campaigns in the right direction, we have some interesting data that might be your compass.

Consider this: within the realm of college households, you'll find a unique landscape. With 5.43 million linear households and 6.84 million streaming households, there's a harmonious coexistence between the two.

But it's not just about the numbers; it's the composition that sets them apart. College households tend to be more extensive, with a distinct deviation from the national average. While single-member households represent 10% of the general population, they make up only 7.10% within college households, emphasizing the preference for shared living. Furthermore, college households comprising four or more members, which constitute 45% of the national population, rise to 47.3%, reflecting the communal nature of student living. Likewise, households with a size of three, representing 18% of the general populace, surge to 21.96% among college households. This distinctive household dynamic offers a rich tapestry for advertisers looking to engage this vibrant demographic.

Let's break it down even further: 14% of households are old-school, sticking solely to linear TV. Meanwhile, 31% have cut the cord and gone full-throttle into streaming. The majority, a whopping 55%, tread the waters of both linear and connected TV, dipping in and out as they please.


On average, this audience spends about 3 hours and 40 minutes daily glued to ad-supported linear and streaming TV. Of those 220 minutes, 78%, or 172 minutes, are devoted to linear TV, while 24%, or 48 minutes, are swaying towards ad-supported CTV. It's like a beachfront party with a mix of laid-back lounging and lively dancing.


But where do you find the college crowd amidst this TV fiesta? Linear TV still holds its charm, with 32.84% of college students frolicking in the waves of ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and ESPN. Yet, don't disregard the more budget-friendly options, as you can still spot significant numbers on other networks.


For the streaming enthusiasts among the college crowd, Paramount, Vizio, Samsung, Peacock, and Hulu are where the virtual beach party is at, with 59.17% of college students enjoying the virtual sun and surf.


Building the Ultimate Spring Break Campaign

Now that we've got the lay of the land, let's talk strategy. For the savvy advertisers planning their spring break advertising campaigns, we recommend a mix of linear and connected TV. Why? It's simple – you'll reach more of your strategic audience this way.

We did some scenario planning on a $500,000, $1 million, and $1.5 million budget, and the results are, dare I say, epic. Here's a table that paints a vivid picture of the possibilities:

Let's break this down further – imagine you have a budget of $1 million. If you go all-in on linear TV, you'd only reach 3.61 million college students. On the other hand, if you sail toward CTV, you'd hit 12.3 million. Now, here's the golden nugget: investing 15% in your linear TV buy and 85% in CTV would catapult you to reach 13.2 million college students. It's the perfect spring break cocktail – just the right mix of both.

Why Choose Simulmedia.com for Your Spring Break TV Campaign?

As you prepare to set sail on your spring break advertising adventure, we've saved the best for last. Simulmedia.com is your ultimate partner in planning, buying, measuring, and optimizing your next spring break TV campaign.

We understand the nuances of reaching college students on TV, and our data-backed insights can help you navigate the complex waters of TV advertising. Whether you're a spring break advertising veteran or a first-timer, we've got the expertise and tools to ensure your message lands right where it should – in the hearts and minds of the college-age audience.

And here's the exciting part - as a token of our commitment to your success, we're offering a 

. Want to get a taste of the invaluable insights we can provide for your TV campaign? Visit 

 and request your audit today. It's your opportunity to dive into the depths of data-driven TV advertising and discover how we can take your campaigns to new heights.

In conclusion, spring break advertising isn't just about beach parties and swimsuits; it's a strategic endeavor to capture the attention of college students who are transitioning from textbooks to beachfronts. By understanding the unique TV viewership patterns of this demographic and using the right mix of linear and CTV advertising, you can make a splash and ensure your spring break campaign is a hit. Don't miss out on the opportunity to explore the power of TV advertising with Simulmedia.com. Happy sailing!

As spring break planning kicks into high gear, advertisers want to ensure their message reaches the right audience at the right time. TV advertising provides the reach and impact they need to capture the attention of college students who are not only dreaming of beach vacations but also looking for the perfect gear, outfits, and refreshments to make their spring break memorable.

Unveiling Spring Break TV Advertising Secrets: Targeting College Student Viewership

‘Tis the season for advertisers to start planning their holiday campaigns. With an estimated 

 in holiday sales on the line for brands this year, the stakes are high to capitalize on this golden opportunity.

But with competition tight, making the most of the season will be a challenge. To outpace competitors, advertisers must stay ahead of the trends set to take hold in Q4. What industry challenges should they expect to face? Will viewers continue to shift towards streaming and will the opportunities to reach them through advertising increase dramatically?

In order to help brand marketers, retailers, and other holiday-period advertisers stay top-of-mind with audiences and execute strategic, rather than reactive, end-of-the-year TV campaigns, we’ve created this guide to ensure you can make the most of your ad budgets – and outfox your competition – no matter how chilly the headwinds may become.

What Do Holiday Shoppers Look Like (On TV)?

Before we dig into how viewers behaved during the holiday season, it helps first to understand what they look like. Here’s what you need to know about Black Friday shoppers on TV.

We see an even distribution of households across middle-aged demographics, but those percentages slightly spike at ages 65+. This raises the question: Are Black Friday shoppers aging?

2. They’re largely lower to middle class

 defines middle-income as an annual income of $52,000 to $156,000 for a household of three, while lower-income is defined as households that earn less than $52,000.

Assuming each household represented in our data accounts for two or more persons, we can see that Black Friday shoppers are largely lower to middle class. This makes sense — Black Friday shoppers are often price-sensitive due to budget constraints and want to take advantage of the massive deals available during that period.

3. They aren’t ready to completely cut the cord just yet

Many advertisers have adopted a black-and-white mindset, believing linear TV is over thanks to an explosion in connected TV. But our data shows most viewers aren’t ready to completely cut the cord.

A whopping 84% of Black Friday shoppers are reachable through connected TV — 26% exclusively watch ad-supported streaming while 57% watch a mix of streaming and linear TV.

The size of the linear TV audience is nearly as large. 74% of Black Friday shoppers are reachable through linear TV — 16% are exclusively reachable through linear TV while 57% watch a mix of both. With this in mind, advertisers should think cross-channel first.

A cross-channel strategy requires careful planning and a thoughtful strategy. Notice how 57% of Black Friday shoppers are in both linear and connected TV households — a big share of the total audience. Treating linear TV and streaming as separate siloes means advertisers may end up reaching the same households across linear and connected TV again and again.

Specifically, with $1M in TV budget today, you would only reach 12.3M of Black Friday Shoppers through CTV alone. Using Iinear alone, you would reach 51.9M viewers.

 Want to drive reach even further? Make the most of today’s technology, like Simulmedia’s powerful TV+ platform. With powerful predictive analytics and an audience-based approach, TV+ can help holiday advertisers run a cross-channel campaign. Our theoretical 

 buy outperforms buying CTV alone by an additional reach of 

 Black Friday shoppers and outperforms buying linear alone by an additional 

. In total, our holistic, cross-channel buy lets brands reach 

4. Linear TV Dominates Their Daily Viewing Time

Linear TV is far from over. A look at the chart below shows linear TV accounts for 78% of daily viewing time across ad-supported channels, while streaming only comprises 22%.

Why the discrepancy? A majority of streaming content is still consumed on non-ad-supported channels — think of SVODs like Netflix’s non ad-free tier. In other words, advertisers may have a growing opportunity to reach audiences on streaming, but linear is still the most viable channel.

5. They can be reached using a combination of low-cost and high-viewership networks

What are the networks and streaming apps where marketers can reach Black Friday shoppers? Here’s what our TV+ platform found.

Popular networks and apps are all great candidates for advertisers’ holiday media plans, such as:

But advertisers can also cut costs by leveraging cost-efficient networks and apps that have slightly lower levels of viewership and lower CPMs. For instance, on the linear side, FOXNEWS has 5% viewership and MSNBC has 3% viewership, but relatively low CPMs. Streaming apps with low CPMs but high viewership include Paramount (24%% viewership) and Hulu (6%).

By creating a media plan that leverages a combination of higher reach and cost efficiency, advertisers can maximize reach without splurging on pricier networks and apps.

Viewer Behavior During The Holidays: What Our Data Tells Us

Some holiday trends across the TV landscape are predictable — ad spend will increase, holiday movies will garner attention, and so forth. But there’s a whole lot more to uncover about the viewer behavior during the holiday season.

We dug into the data using our powerful TV+ platform and uncovered the following.

1. Linear Should Be A Part Of Any Advertiser’s Holiday Campaigns

We first analyzed how ad-supported viewing duration evolved from the ‘21 to ‘22 holiday season across linear and ad-supported connected TV.

Across age cohorts, we saw streaming’s share of ad-supported viewing duration increase and linear’s share slightly decrease YoY. But linear still makes up a significantly bigger share of minutes across the board — over 70% of viewing minutes shared across all age cohorts.

While advertisers can tap into a growing potential to connect with viewers through streaming platforms, it's essential to recognize that traditional linear TV remains the most reliable advertising channel.

A closer look at the actual number of minutes shows just how much more linear dominates ad-supported TV viewing time. But it also shows another trend — viewers are watching less and less TV YoY. We saw a decrease in total minutes viewed across both streaming and linear. While streaming decreased 13.1% YoY overall, linear decreased 25.29% YoY.

Advertisers must be selective in where they run their ads to reach their audience in the limited time they’re actually watching TV. Think of targeting viewers where they’re actually watching — not just the most popular networks. An audience-based approach ensures that ad spend is maximized during this critical period.

2. Linear holiday programming is more volatile than streaming

A look at viewing duration on Hallmark, a top network for holiday programming, highlighted a stark contrast in viewing behavior on linear and streaming TV. The graph below compares the linear network Hallmark Movies to Peacock and YouTube TV — two streaming apps where users can watch the Hallmark channel.

Viewing duration increased month over month during the holiday season for both linear and streaming. But while streaming steadily increased from the 2021 to 2022 holiday season, linear shrank. On the linear side, Hallmark’s viewing duration decreased by 42%. Streaming apps, on the other hand, increased by 152% YoY.

But that’s not all we found. From October 2021 to December 2021, viewing duration on streaming apps increased by 17.40%. Similarly, streaming increased by 19.48% in MoM for the holiday season in 2022.

We saw a starker contrast in viewing duration on Hallmark’s linear channel. From October to December of 2021, viewing duration increased by a staggering 54%. The following year, viewing duration increased by 42%.

As audience viewership patterns undergo significant shifts across linear networks, advertisers can adapt by consulting trusted partners for guidance on budget allocation.

We also analyzed the most popular streaming apps during the ‘21 and ‘22 holiday seasons according to unique households reached.

Not surprisingly, YouTube took first place. The increase in the number of households viewing YouTube during the holiday period of 2021 vs. the holiday period of 2022 was 130%.

But other apps are following close behind. FAST apps saw rapid growth in unique households reached YoY. For instance, Tubi TV saw a staggering 337% increase in growth — the highest growth rate among the top apps.

A look at viewing duration across a sample of FAST apps further proves their growth. In 2022, viewers consumed ~2 billion hours of content via FAST apps. As of September 2023, that number doubled — viewers have consumed ~4 billion hours so far.

With this in mind, FAST apps should be on every advertiser’s radar. 

In order to help brand marketers, retailers, and other holiday-period advertisers stay top-of-mind with audiences and execute strategic, rather than reactive, end-of-the-year TV campaigns, we’ve created this guide to ensure you can make the most of your ad budgets. 

Defining the Direct-to-Consumer Growth Playbook

The D2C brand to agency dynamic is changing.

Marco says owning your branding goes hand-in-hand with owning the customer experience.

D2Cs must maintain focus while extracting the most out of their relationships with agencies.

Access to granular data via an in-house data science team gives D2Cs a competitive advantage.

Providing a great customer experience is a key differentiator.

Access to customer insights also enables D2Cs to find their target audience on multiple platforms.

TV wields the power of credibility and creates brand experiences.