Dealing with Distraction: Best Practices for TV-to-Social Media Activation

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social media

by Michael Mercede, vice president, Alphonso

It’s long been commonplace for people to simultaneously use multiple screens to browse the web, play games, scroll through social media feeds and watch TV. Especially with few places to go during the pandemic, our devices are always on. In fact, emarketer projected that in 2020, almost 72% of adults in the US will be two screen viewers, with nearly half of American adults already using another device while watching TV.

This is why we hear brands advertising on TV fret the problem of diminishing attention to their ads.

This has driven them to reconsider how they can reach their target audience when consumers’ eyes might be elsewhere – which is likely on social media.

With this challenge in mind, Alphonso is continuously delivering ways for brands to find their TV audience wherever they may be. This is why “TV-to-Social” activation has become a new norm for many of the agencies and brands we work with. .

We provide brands with data segments composed of viewers who have been exposed to any specific TV ad and/or any program, for targeting across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat.  These verified Alphonso segments enable your buyers to activate against specific TV audiences across the social universe.

We talked with some of the brands and agencies using Alphonso TV-to-Social in their mix, and here are some best practices for utilizing TV targeting within the social media ecosystem:

Retarget viewers of your TV ads to combat distraction

With more consumers multitasking on many devices, it’s no surprise that social media is one of the top mediums used during TV ad breaks. Therefore, brands are shifting their strategies to include targeting TV ads via social media in order to battle inevitable distraction on a key media channel.

Utilize TV viewing habits to better reach your target audience

Consumer TV viewing habits provide deep insights into interest and behavior. While social platforms offer extensive interest-based targeting, TV viewership is an alternative way to reach your defined target audience. One way to do this is by building custom segments of shows across linear, paid, and streaming TV that match the behaviors of your target consumer.

Leverage your competition to stand out

The TV ad marketplace is heavily saturated, leaving even the largest advertisers with substantive budgets faced with share-of-voice battles on linear TV. To avoid the clutter, you can conquest viewers of your competitors’ TV ads on social, thus utilizing your competitors’ TV spend to your advantage.

Expand the impact of TV tentpole events

Television tentpole events, such as awards shows and major sporting events, are often isolated from the social space. When your brand runs a sponsorship, it can be challenging to utilize its impact within the social ecosystem. But, by creating segments of the exact viewers of your tentpole event sponsorship, you find additional frequency for important brand moments, as well as the opportunity to conquest your competitors’ tentpole event sponsorships.

From navigating the pandemic to enduring a tumultuous election season, this year has undeniably shifted the way consumers watch TV and has further accelerated the simultaneous use of multiple screens as consumers work from and spend more time at home. With comprehensive data segments from Alphonso, brands can effectively activate against their target TV audience with social media to ensure they reach consumers on one of their screens.

Contact Alphonso today to learn more about TV-to-Social media activation.