Ad strategists and media buyers still have plenty to figure out when it comes to effectively measuring the impact of ad campaigns next year, but GOP strategist Nick Everhart said creatives should be careful to not lose sight of the fundamentals.
Whatever the mix between linear TV, digital video, or OTT/CTV, the core focus remains: understand the story that needs to be told over the course of your campaign and ensure that you’re getting the reach and frequency you need to get that message heard across whichever mix of channels you employ.
“I think where that then becomes complicated or there’s a difference of opinion between creative and buying in different shops is how do you build a media plan that integrates [all of those channels] in,” Everhart, president of Content Creative Media, said in an interview with C&E. “How are you making sure that all those mediums you’re using in a given flight or week are kind of in harmony?”
When it comes to ad length, Everhart said he’s found less of a need to utilize really short form or snackable spots, and even a shift away from 15-second spots in many cases.
“This idea that you’re going to trick your way into people sticking around and consuming it because you make it shorter, I don’t necessarily agree with that,” he said. For Everhart, the 6-second spot is “more a function of the digital space suggesting that idea and then selling it.”
But if what you’re searching for is an effective way to drive a video-based narrative, “I’m pretty adamantly against 6-second ads,” he said.
As for the continued shift toward OTT/ CTV, Everhart said his firm is finding that 30-second spots are really the most effective form there, too: “[It’s] kind of the sweet spot between driving a message and not being too long. And I think we’re finding more and more of a shift from 15s to more and more 30s in what used to be sort of a digital video space as we shift to more of the CTV/OTT space.”
In the full video above, Everhart also shares his thoughts on integrating radio into your media mix and working through the challenges around effective ad measurement.
