There’s a big shift going on in the media landscape. Broadcast television has been the standard for decades, but now we’re seeing viewers starting to shift to over-the-top (OTT) streaming services.
While this may be the most obvious trend for the future of media, it’s not the only one to watch in 2019. In this article, we share a few things to look out for as we enter the new year.
The New Streaming Standard
The number-one media trend to watch will be the growth of OTT usage among viewers. This is particularly important for marketers, as it will guide strategy for reaching target audiences throughout the year. Currently, Strong Automotive Merchandising focuses the majority of its media strategy on traditional broadcast networks. As far as automotive buyers go, those with purchasing power still lie within the age range that regularly consumes this form of television. We suspect, however, that this won’t always be the case. OTT is embraced by younger generations and has given rise to the trend of cord cutting, and it won’t be long until this trend leaks over into older generations that are of more interest to auto dealers.
If you’d like to take advantage of the advertising available on OTT platforms right now, we recommend that you do this in addition to your standard broadcast media budget. Right now, the tradeoff isn’t good enough to cut from traditional media and replace with OTT. Instead, consider this a time to experiment with OTT advertising while it’s still nascent, and you’ll be more prepared when it becomes the standard.
Battle of the Rating Systems
Near the end of 2017, we did a comparison of Nielsen vs. comScore ratings. At that time, comScore was just gaining traction as a viable provider of media insights. Over the course of the year, comScore added OTT and console gaming to its metrics. Additionally, Sinclair Broadcast Group signed agreements with both comScore and Nielsen in 2018.
Nielsen moved to 100 percent return path data in 2018, increasing the accuracy and reliability of its results. Nielsen is still the choice for Strong Automotive Merchandising when negotiating media buys. As the services evolve and more offerings become available, we will continue monitoring which service paints the most accurate portrait of viewership for our clients’ markets.
More Trends to Watch
As the landscape evolves, watch out for posts on media trends along with in-depth analyses of hot issues. After all, some trends are predicted while others come about in the most unexpected of ways.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
