On a crisp afternoon at Hinchcliff House in Sydney, Samsung Ads hosted its “Behind The Screens” industry event, inviting key decision-makers from the media and advertising sectors to discuss how TV plays a role in their screens approach.
The event focused on how the rise of streaming and technology is influencing viewing behaviours. Throughout the afternoon B&T heard from multiple speakers on trends, insights and strategies to drive results in the new world of addressable TV.
Kirsten Riolo’s Presentation on Streaming Reach
The event kicked off with Kirsten Riolo, head of publishers and platforms at Nielsen, presenting a compelling new study that helps marketers strike the right balance of reach and frequency. To help simplify this in today’s complex TV landscape, Riolo showed the optimal budget allocation to maximise efficiencies and reach. This pivotal finding underscored the shift towards more cost-effective and expansive ad-supported streaming solutions.
Brigitte Slattery on the Growth of FAST Channels
Next, Brig, Marketing Director at Samsung Ads, introduced the audience to the opportunities offered by Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST). Slattery highlighted that FAST channels are projected to generate $12 billion in revenue by 2027 in the US. Samsung’s 120 FAST local FAST channels have already seen a 96 per cent year-over-year growth in viewing time, illustrating the rapid adoption and potential of this platform. This growth presents a significant opportunity for advertisers to capitalise on the increasing viewership of ad-supported streaming content.
Kun Zhang and Hannah Partner on Rewriting the Script for Home Entertainment with innovative CTV formats
Kun Zhang, senior marketing manager at Universal Pictures, and Hannah Partner, client managing partner at EssenceMediacom, shared their innovative approach to home entertainment marketing with CTV. They emphasised a “home screen first” strategy, where campaigns begin with CTV and smart screens. For Home Entertainment, we start with smart screen Technology providers first; then, subject to audience and budget, we build out our video strategy from there introducing other formats such as YouTube or BVOD to build incremental reach,” Partner explained.
Zhang also highlighted new opportunities for the category, such as reaching audiences in high-value moments, continually optimising creative for maximum impact, and utilising measurement solutions to understand what drives audience actions or recall.
Ashley Wong on Real-Time Data Utilisation
Ashley Wong, head of digital data and innovation at Foundation, spoke on the effectiveness of using data to deliver ads at the right time. He elaborated on the benefits of ‘real-time triggers,’ a system that automatically adjusts DSP line campaigns based on current data conditions. This approach ensures that ads are more relevant and timely, thereby increasing their effectiveness.
Sam Cooke’s CTV Playbook Presentation
Sam Cooke, head of product marketing APAC at Samsung Ads, presented the CTV Playbook, revealing impressive statistics from an analysis of over 500 Samsung Ads Australia campaigns. Instream video campaigns achieved a 95 per cent video completion rate, significantly higher than the ~70 per cent VCR benchmark for digital video across all devices. This high completion rate highlights the effectiveness of CTV.
Toby Dewar on the Future Videos Collective
Toby Dewar, director of customer engagement at Foxtel Media, discussed the Future Videos Collective, a think tank focused on the fast-growing Australian digital video and streaming landscape. This initiative aims to foster innovation and collaboration within the industry, further propelling the growth and evolution of digital video and streaming.
Debate on the Relevance of Demographics
The event concluded with a robust debate moderated by Richard Wheeler, head of sales at Samsung Ads, featuring Lucy Formosa-Morgan from MAGNA and Thad Kind from OMD. The discussion, centred on whether demographics are still relevant, concluded that demographics continue to play a crucial role in advertising strategies, albeit with evolving methods and insights.
Networking and Industry Insights
“Behind The Screens” was not only a showcase of Samsung’s leadership in CTV but also a valuable opportunity for networking and industry insight. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of the shifting dynamics in streaming and the innovative strategies driving the future of CTV advertising. Samsung Ads’ commitment to leveraging technology and insights to enhance viewing experiences and advertising effectiveness was evident throughout the event, cementing its position at the forefront of the market.
