As streaming video, or Over-the-Top (OTT) advertising, becomes increasingly popular, brands in the Outdoor & Active Lifestyle sector are finding OTT to be a powerful medium for reaching target audiences with dynamic, engaging content. By leveraging OTT through Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) like The Trade Desk or Google’s DV360, or by creating custom Private Marketplaces (PMPs) with networks, brands can maximize their reach and ensure that their messaging reaches the right audience in premium digital environments.
Why OTT is Ideal for Outdoor Audiences
Outdoor & Active Lifestyle audiences are naturally drawn to dynamic and immersive experiences, which OTT effectively delivers. OTT content reaches viewers on their preferred devices—whether at home on smart TVs or on-the-go via mobile and tablet screens. This flexibility is ideal for active lifestyle brands aiming to engage audiences during their downtime, where the consumer is most receptive to targeted and relevant brand messages.
Integrating OTT with Other Digital Marketing Channels
OTT advertising is even more effective when integrated with other digital marketing channels like social media, search, and display. By using programmatic advertising through DSPs, brands can align OTT campaigns with other digital touchpoints, creating a cohesive message across multiple platforms. This cross-channel approach enables more comprehensive tracking of audience behavior, allowing marketers to optimize ad spend, reinforce brand messages, and drive more meaningful interactions with audiences who engage across devices and channels.
Best Ad Formats for Outdoor Audiences on OTT
Selecting the right ad format is essential for reaching outdoor audiences effectively. Some recommended formats include:
- Pre-roll Ads: Short, attention-grabbing ads at the start of video content to build brand awareness quickly.
- Mid-roll Ads: Well-placed ads during content for longer audience engagement, effective for storytelling or highlighting specific product features.
- Interactive Ads: Dynamic formats that encourage viewer interaction, allowing for deeper brand engagement.
These ad formats help Outdoor & Active Lifestyle brands achieve high engagement by delivering impactful messages during relevant content experiences.
Measuring the Success of OTT Campaigns
Measuring OTT success goes beyond tracking impressions. Key performance indicators (KPIs) for OTT advertising include:
- View-through Rates (VTRs): Measures the percentage of viewers who watch ads in full, indicating engagement.
- Completion Rates: Tracks how often viewers complete the entire ad, which is essential for understanding content resonance.
- Audience Demographics and Reach: Provides insights into the type and breadth of the audience reached, valuable for evaluating targeting accuracy.
- Brand Lift Studies: Measures changes in brand awareness, consideration, or purchase intent due to the OTT campaign, providing a comprehensive understanding of brand impact.
These metrics allow brands to gauge the effectiveness of OTT campaigns and make data-driven adjustments to future media strategies.
The Power of Private Marketplaces
For brands seeking greater control over inventory and targeting, partnering directly with networks through PMPs is a viable option. PMPs allow brands to access premium inventory with the advantages of programmatic targeting. By partnering with networks like Paramount+ for custom PMPs, brands can ensure their ads appear in specific shows or times, blending traditional TV reliability with advanced digital targeting. This strategy allows for competitive pricing and guaranteed ad delivery, which can lead to more effective audience engagement and improved campaign results.
A PMP Success Story
Watauga recently worked on the launch of a new beer and seltzer brand targeting active lifestyle audiences. Watauga’s strategic media plan called for OTT placements on the popular TV show Yellowstone. To buy inventory programmatically Watauga partnered with Yellowstone’s network, Paramount+, and leveraged a custom PMP deal for inventory that could include the show. To further maximize audience reach and campaign effectiveness, Watauga incorporated a custom 3rd party data set to specifically target craft beer buyers and beer enthusiasts via the DSP platform.
While a PMP does not guarantee the purchase of specific programming, Watauga deployed a programmatic bidding strategy to increase bid amounts specifically during Yellowstone’s airtime to maximize the brand’s advertising exposures during the show. By the end of the campaign, we had successfully generated a 34% increase in impression share on Yellowstone and its prequel, 1883. Furthermore, Watauga used audience-level data analytics to identify deeper insights on campaign performance resulting in additional improvements and results.
OTT Quality Assurance
Many Outdoor & Active Lifestyle brands are concerned
about OTT due to the lack of control over where your advertising spot runs. But
this can be minimized by using many of the quality control options available to
guarantee brand safety and the right programming alignment for your marketing
strategy. Watauga can help you navigate these choices to find the best solution
for the unique needs of your brand and company.
Conclusion
The use of OTT advertising and PMPs has proven to be a successful strategy for reaching Outdoor & Active Lifestyle audiences. Our work with a beer and seltzer brand targeting active lifestyle audiences showcases the potential for PMPs to generate significant increases in impression share and overall campaign performance. We are also seeing an explosion in new OTT and streaming opportunities with HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, Warner Bros Discovery, and Netflix all offering advertising supported solutions.
At Watauga, we have the expertise to help brands navigate the streaming video landscape as well as the quality control options available to achieve the optimum programming alignment for their marketing strategy. With the continued growth of OTT and streaming opportunities, now is the time for Outdoor & Lifestyle brands to maximize their reach and advertising results.
