How Advertisers Can Capitalize on YouTube Shorts Coming to CTV
CTV is a mostly passive viewing experience, whereas on mobile, users are scrolling and are more likely to take immediate action as a result of ads. As YouTube Shorts comes to CTV, advertisers will get the opportunity to combine a logged-in viewing experience with mobile activation possibilities with the big-screen charisma of CTV marketing.
Curt Larson, chief product officer of Sharethrough, checked in with Street Fight to explain the significance of YouTube shorts’ move to CTV. He also shared thoughts on the increasingly intertwined future of CTV and mobile as marketing channels.
Why should advertisers care about YouTube Shorts coming to CTV?
If you think about the CTV experience versus the mobile experience today, there’s a huge gulf. Mobile is feed-based where you get automatic entertainment when you open an app like TikTok or Instagram. By contrast, CTV is search-based, where it takes time and effort to find something to watch.
YouTube Shorts coming to CTV could be the beginning migration of a feed-based experience to CTV, which could be an increasing trend to watch out for on CTV.
How can advertisers use mobile to transform TV-driven awareness into action?
Mobile allows actions and conversion tracking where users can click, buy, and take other actions. You can use mobile and other online ads to turn that TV-driven awareness into conversion.
The easiest way to do that is through QR codes, but with some CTV platforms requiring a login, such as on YouTube, content can be pushed directly to viewers’ phones by way of a notification or an email. Most platforms today aren’t taking advantage of CTV’s unique offerings, leaving solutions that could help drive action on the table.
Frequency capping is a big issue on CTV. How can advertisers make progress on that?
Most platforms have overcome the technical challenges of frequency capping on CTV, and now it’s up to buyers to be more demanding about implementing it. Buyers can further incentivize platforms to improve frequency capping by targeting ad spend away from platforms that don’t offer frequency capping until they are improved.
Where is CTV heading as a marketing channel?
When you think about the current user experience on CTV, it’s in a sit-back show context, and viewers expect professionally produced ads similar to linear TV. In a new, more feed-based/interactive experience, like YouTube Shorts, consumers expect shorter and potentially more social-style ads.
At the same time, you have to remember that most users are pulling out their phone when TV commercials start. So, how can you do something that is more interesting in order to keep their attention? By using products like pause screen ads, QR codes, and other enhancements, advertisers can bring a surprising and captivating element into an ad that’s relevant to the content the user is watching.
Heading into the new year, CTV innovation will only continue to grow and transform the TV space, and we’ll see players in the CTV ecosystem look to adapt their offerings in order to highlight this nascent but meaningful medium.
