How Marketers Can Use the Best Features of Both Digital and Traditional TV

The constant advance of digital technology has caused a huge change in the way people watch TV in the past few years. As we move through the digital age, it’s important for marketing to know what problems and chances are ahead.

In 2024, when people talk about “TV in the digital age,” they expect certain things. A lot of people think I’ll support streaming and connected TV (CTV) and say that standard TV is dead because smart marketers have moved on without looking back.

It’s not that easy, though. I’m not loyal to the newest or “best” technology. I’m loyal to the technology that helps our agency clients in their specific situations the most for the least amount of money.

Traditional fixed TV and streaming/CTV are both important parts of a complete marketing plan, and it’s important to stay flexible as things change.

How watching habits have changed over time

First, let me say something that is painfully obvious: the way people watch TV has changed fundamentally. Traditional broadcast TV isn’t as popular as it used to be because more and more people are using on-demand streaming services.

This change in how people use technology is not a new thing; it’s one of many that have happened in the last hundred years or more. When you go back in time, newspapers took the place of handwritten letters and oral histories as the main forms of “media consumption.” Then radio changed how people read newspapers, TV changed how people listened to radio, and now cell phones are changing how people watch TV.

Phones, tablets, and computers can now be used as portable TVs, so people can watch shows and movies while they’re out and about. This trend shows how important it is to change our marketing plans to meet people where they are. A Nielson study from 2023 says that linear TV still has 61.5% of viewers, especially older people. However, the rise of streaming cannot be ignored.

There is a rising belief that TV is dead, but here’s the simple truth: it’s not true. Is standard TV less popular and less important as a whole? Yes, of course. But a lion that is hurt can still be dangerous. In the same way that TV didn’t completely replace radio, linear TV is still around in some form.

What streaming services mean for

The standard TV business has been shaken up by streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, FreeVee, and more. As more people cut the cord, more and more homes have switched to streaming services. Because of this change, advertising models have had to adapt, putting more stress on targeted and measurable ad placements.

Nielsen reports from 2022 and 2023 show that streaming usage went from about 30% of all TV usage to almost 38% of all TV usage. This growth is expected to continue at a very fast rate in the years to come. This trend shows how important it is to change our marketing to meet customers where they are.

One example that stands out is the rise of programmed TV advertising, which sends ads to specific groups of people based on data-driven insights. With this method, accuracy and speed are improved, making sure that marketing dollars are spent more wisely.

Data and making things unique

Digital platforms are great at using information about users to make personalized content suggestions. We use data to make sure that our ads reach the right people at the right time by tailoring them to specific groups of people. We can get the most out of our advertising with this data-driven method while still keeping customers’ trust.

People had high hopes for tracking and analysis in digital advertising, which put pressure on TV ads, both on streaming and linear TV, to step up. To meet these needs, we’ve put in place tracking technologies like pixels given by stations, dedicated phone numbers and website URLs, QR codes, and ways for our analytics platforms to track changes in both direct and organic traffic. This level of tracking is very important for showing the return on investment (ROI) of TV ads in a world that is mostly digital.

Fragmentation of audiences

As more streaming services come out, viewers become more spread out. This makes it hard for advertisers to reach the people they want to reach across multiple channels. Advertisers and traditional broadcasters now have to deal with a complicated media environment where audiences are spread out across many services.

To deal with this problem, you need to use full-funnel marketing. Using both linear TV and digital strategies together helps get the attention of potential customers at the beginning of the sales funnel and then uses targeted digital ads to turn those people into customers.

Why regular TV will always be useful

The number of digital channels has grown, but linear TV is still used for advertising. Linear TV still has the best reach and efficiency for making a lot of people aware of a brand and trusting it. Linear TV is still an important part of advertising for many local companies.

Local morning and evening news, sports, and classic shows like “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” are still important parts of broadcast TV. These shows are cheap ways to reach a big audience that is mostly older.

As an example, a well-known personal injury law company in New York City still relies on linear TV as the main part of its multichannel advertising. Even though CTV is easier to target, it hasn’t been able to match the success of its predecessor. However, linear TV has gone from making up about 80% of their total spending to about 50%. To get the most out of linear TV, keep an eye on trends and use new technology.

Digital tactics and linear TV should be seen as outlets that work together, not against each other. TV is a great way to get people interested and raise notice at the top of the funnel, while digital strategies are great for retargeting and turning leads into customers. With this omnichannel method, all of your marketing efforts will work together to get the best results.

Striking a balance between present and future plans

As managers, it’s our job to think about what will work best in the future and use what works best now. Due to its wide reach and long history of viewers, broadcast/linear TV is still one of the best tools we have access to today. However, streaming and cable TV are without a question the tools of the future because they allow for better targeting and measurement. We can use the best parts of both tools well because we are focusing on two things at once.

You can’t use the same method for all of your clients because they are all different. Though they may be in the same business, what works for one brand might not work for another. To meet the goals of each client, you need to find the right mix of traditional and digital strategies. We can use the best features of both linear TV and streaming services to make smart marketing plans if we take a balanced, data-driven approach.