Addressable and targeted television advertising is on the rise, with all three of the UK’s largest commercial broadcasters either delivering, or planning to deliver, addressable solutions. However, whilst it’s clear how the technology can assist planners in reaching their target audiences, can it help to boost creativity too?
Speaking on a panel at Mediatel’s Future of TV Advertising Forum last week, Ben Tollett, group executive creative director at adam&eveDDB, said that as of yet, the evolution of delivery in TV advertising has had very little impact on the role of the creative.
“I don’t think my role has changed very much in the last 20 years,” he said. “The canvas we work to is the same. It’s still trying to put a great idea into an audio-visual piece of film – technology isn’t really affecting that side.”
However, CEO and founder of TV adtech firm Honeycomb, James Carpenter, argued that advertising needs to bring technology and messaging closer together, as “there has to be a way of embracing technology as opposed to force feeding people with information or messaging they don’t want to receive.”
Addressable technologies are increasingly in-demand, led by Sky with its AdSmart proposition – which has grown its revenues by 30% this year, according to UK CEO Stephen van Rooyen – and by Channel 4, which can target ads at different users on its VOD platform.
[advert position=”left”]
Channel 4 will also launch an AI-driven, contextual advertising product next year which can target ads based on what appears in its TV shows.
Although ITV, which is keen to play to the strength of TV and its mass reach appeal for broadcasters, has not yet invested in the available tech, the business’s strategic review is still looking at how addressable can be deployed to help boost creative.
In agreement with Carpenter, Nils Leonard, founder of the Uncommon Creative Studio, said that technology is currently “serving an old value”, feeding consumers messaging they don’t want to receive. Addressability and targeting gives brands an opportunity to look at TV in a completely different light.
“[At the moment brands are] looking at television advertising asking how they can innovate to force feed people more stuff. I’m asking how we enrich a viewer’s experience, and how brands can play a part in that.
“With all the technology that we’re hearing about – targeting, personalisation etc – how do you take what people are actively hunting and love, and supercharge that – instead of focusing on what they don’t love.”
However, elsewhere Dame Carolyn McCall, ITV’s CEO, said targeted advertising has been “hyped”. It works well for some advertisers, she said, noting that TV’s mass reach makes it the ultimate brand building medium, “but for others it is just not going to be very effective at all.”
