Spread the love

Leading independent digital media agency, Switch Digital, has launched a new advertising buying network, EngageTV, targeting Connected TV and Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD) audiences across all streaming digital channels and YouTube.

The platform delivers significant efficiencies for the travel industry, faced with state and regional travel bans. EngageTV is able to target prospective holiday makers down to a postcode level. For example, Queensland tourist destinations are able to exclusively target holiday makers outside exclusion zones. Adding further cost efficiencies, the platform is able to target specific household compositions such as young families and affluent professionals. Audiences with a general interest in travel are also targetable via Engage TV.

Switch Digital CEO Lee Stephens says “EngageTV is an important innovation for the travel industry. The platform leverages the power of TV and drivs significant cost efficiencies by targeting only those willing and able to plan a trip this Christmas.”

The platform also has the following market-first features:

  • Advertising is delivered to the right audiences, at the right time across networks, programs and devices
  • Advertisers are only charged for completed views – not skipped or incomplete views
  • Delivery and performance is optimized across all major TV networks, including YouTube
  • Campaign performance, including completed views, cost by network and device, is reported daily
  • There are no lock-in contracts
  • Campaigns can be optimized, adjusted or paused at any time.

“Television viewership continues to fragment with more channels and more ways to view TV. EngageTV captures that fragmentation in TV audiences and counters wastage,“ says Switch Digital CEO, Lee Stephens.

In addition to its own clients, Switch is providing the service to other agencies and travel advertisers direct, giving travel operators the ability to better control and optimize their media investment.

More than 50 per cent of Australian homes now own a Smart TV with 85 per cent of Australians watching broadcast TV weekly and already a quarter watching BVOD across all devices. (source: ThinkTV).

BVOD TV advertising revenues grew almost 40 per cent in 2019 while linear TV revenues fell seven per cent. “BVOD TV advertising is already 12 per cent of TV advertising by value and PWC predicts BVOD TV advertising will show compound annual growth of nearly 30 per cent over the next five years while linear TV will fall one per cent a year,” Stephens said.

Advertisers already benefiting from Engage TV are franchise groups and other distributed networks who need a more targeted and faster way to reach audiences across their marketing areas. “We are seeing significant inquiry from the Automotive, Franchise, Tourism and Retail sectors as they seek to deliver all media, not just TV, in a more targeted manner,” Stephens added.

EngageTV also has significant custom audience capabilities. Through the platform advertisers can build segments based on their own first party data, multiple layers of third-party data definable by interest, past purchases or by household type.