How OTT Marketing is Changing the Way We Watch and Advertise

Think back to the last time you settled in to watch your favourite show. Chances are, you found yourself not reaching for the TV remote to flip through cable channels, but instead, you grabbed your device and opened Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, or possibly YouTube TV. You entered the world of OTT – “Over The Top” – which delivers entertainment directly over the internet to your phone, laptop, or smart TV, where additional options come up to watch.

With OTT comes a new world of OTT marketing, giving brands new and creative ways to touch people. That is where companies like Apptrove, a trusted mobile measurement partner, come in to help make sense of it all by reflecting back on which ads have a performance, have worked, and where.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Why is OTT marketing all the rage today? And how can brands utilize it without this boring, strict rule of engagement? Let’s unpack it.

Why OTT Marketing Matters

In some fun stats, more than 85% of U.S. households have at least one subscription to a streaming service. That means that millions of people spend more time on platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Peacock than they do on traditional TV. For advertisers, that’s a dream. There is no more putting lots of ads into the ether on cable and hoping someone is watching your ad. You have options with OTT marketing. Brands have a chance to be…

For example, if you are promoting running shoes, you can air your ad in a sporting documentary, rather than in a random cooking show. Not only is this more intelligent, it’s also cheaper and more efficient. No wonder OTT marketing is one of the fastest-growing areas of digital marketing on the market today.

OTT Best Practices All Brands Should Embrace

So how can Brands avoid annoying people with ads, and instead, create an ad they remember? Here are some OTT best practices. 

• Understand Your Audience – With streaming, you know someone’s age or gender, but you can also see what type of shows they watch, and when, on what device, etc. With this data, you can create an OTT marketing campaign that feels personal. 
• Make It Short and Engaging – Nobody wants to watch a boring 60-second ad while binge-watching their favourite show! Shorter ads (15 to 30 seconds) work better with OTT marketing because they are less intrusive. 
• Combine Entertainment and Ads – The best ads feel like mini-stories. Think of the hilarious Super Bowl ads! The ads that push the envelope in creativity are similar efforts that work within OTT marketing.

If Brands adhere to OTT best practices, the Brands will ensure they have made an impression without annoying their viewers.

How OTT Advertising Works

Now let’s get to the guts of the platform: OTT advertising. When you are streaming, it is not a random collection of ads; the streaming platform is using multiple layers of targeting capabilities. The platform decides which ad is played, based tailored to a profile. 

For example: 

• A high school kid streaming an anime movie will get ads tailored to him for video games.  
• A parent streaming a family movie will get ads for a family SUV.  

This is the magic of OTT advertising; ads become less like an ad and more like suggestions tailored to you. Guess what? Viewers are more likely to click or buy when ads are relevant. 

OTT Advertising Strategy: Smarter, Not Louder 

Now we are getting interesting!! Instead of executing ads on random streaming platforms, brands should have a smart OTT ad strategy. This is just like planning a road trip; you don’t just go without a plan, you need a map. 

A smart OTT advertising strategy will include: 

• Targeting – having a clear indication of who you want to target. 
• Creative Design – having engaging ads that can be grasped quickly.
• Measurement – knowing what works and what doesn’t.

For example, a pizza delivery brand might run an ad on Hulu around dinner time. Not by accident. 

The Future of OTT Marketing

The future of OTT marketing is looking bright! OTT streaming is still on the rise in many regions around the world, and more brands are taking advantage of this. If businesses can follow OTT best practices, understand how OTT advertising works, and come up with a clever OTT ad strategy, there are endless opportunities to reach audiences in new ways that traditional TV commercials can’t touch.

And the best part is, viewers don’t hate these ads as much as traditional commercials. When done right, OTT marketing can feel personal, fun, and somewhat integrated into the show.

So the next time you’re binge-watching your favourite series on Netflix, and you get an ad that makes you smile, keep in mind that this is a form of OTT marketing!