Linear TV advertising remains one of the most traditional — and most powerful — advertising platforms around. It has been a staple of marketing plans for decades, and despite the emergence of new digital channels, still garners a significant portion of ad spending.
That said, it’s not always easy. Among the challenges facing marketers who use linear TV advertising is finding a reliable way to measure their performance. To be effective, marketers and brands need to understand how their ads are resonating with audiences, but it can often be overwhelming to go about this process.
That’s why in this post, we’re going to take a deep dive into how you can navigate linear TV measurement to analyze performance for better results.
Table of Contents
Defining Linear TV Measurement
First things first, what exactly do we mean when we talk about linear TV measurement?
Linear TV refers to the standard traditional television broadcasting that delivers programs to viewers through cable or satellite. Linear TV measurement, on the other hand, refers to the process of tracking how many people are watching a particular show or advertisement at a given time.
Advertisers want to know who their ads are reaching, whether viewers are engaged, and whether their campaign is delivering results. With linear TV measurement, you can evaluate the success of their campaigns and make informed decisions based on the data with relative ease.
What Are the Most Important Metrics to Consider When Analyzing Linear TV Performance?
Linear TV measurement is not a one-size-fits-all approach—the metrics that one business might need to track won’t necessarily be the same for another one. However, there are a few commonalities. When you are evaluating the performance of linear TV advertising campaigns, you will want to consider the following metrics:
- Reach. The number of unique individuals that have been exposed to an ad.
- Frequency. The number of times an ad appears or is aired on TV.
- GRPs. This is the sum of the Reach and Frequency of an ad.
- Conversion. The number of viewers who take action after watching an ad.
- Engagement. The length of time viewers spend watching an ad.
Strategies for Capturing Detailed Audience Insights
Now that you know what kind of metrics you should pay attention to, here’s how to capture those insights for accurate reporting (so you can take action later on):
- Use set-top box data. Companies measure TV viewership behavior using set-top boxes. This provides essential data on what people are watching, when they are watching, and fundamental demographic data.
- Use ACR measurement. Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology has proven to be an effective means of tracking the audiences that watch specific TV content. By analyzing audio tracks and metadata, marketers can have a better understanding of viewers’ behavior.
- Integrating with other measurement methods. Combining traditional user surveys with other measurement modes, such as social media data and online behavior tracking, can provide more profound insights into how viewers engage with ads.
- Partnering with technology providers. Partnering with TV data technology providers can help make detailed analysis of TV viewership data easier.
How To Optimize Linear TV Measurement for Future Campaigns
Now that we’ve talked about the importance of leveraging data, let’s discuss how to optimize linear TV measurement for future campaigns. There are a few key steps to this process.
First, be sure to track all relevant data regarding your campaigns, including TV ratings, ad spend, audience demographics, and more. This will help you to identify patterns in your advertising efforts and determine what factors contributed most to your success.
Next, use this data to adjust your strategy for future campaigns. For example, if you find that certain markets or time slots perform better than others, adjust your media buying strategy accordingly.
Finally, continue to track your KPIs and refine your strategy over time as your advertising efforts evolve and the landscape changes.
Final Thoughts
In addition to these steps, there are a few things you can do to ensure that you’re maximizing your linear TV measurement efforts. For example, you’ll want to be sure to work closely with your TV partners to ensure you’re leveraging the right data and targeting options. It’s also important to stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices so you can continue to refine your approach and stay ahead of the competition.
Ultimately, navigating linear TV measurement can be a daunting task, but with the right strategy and tools in place, you can achieve better results and ensure the success of your advertising efforts. So what are you waiting for? Start today and take your advertising efforts to the next level!