What brands are missing out on Smart TV?
Bruno Pereira, co-founder and director, TV App Agency, asks: does your brand belong in the living room?
The convergence of smart devices is set to revolutionise media consumption – and it is TV apps that are driving the change. That change in media consumption is likely to have a major impact on TV marketing and advertising, just as the TV advertising market returns to strength.
The TV advertising market is undergoing a resurgence. Revenue in 2011 was up 2.2% year on year to a record £4.36 billion in 2011, just as the TV market is set to experience its next technological leap. Smart TV – or TV connected to the internet – is opening up an entirely new opportunity for brands and marketing.
The power of branded entertainment using links to related information, images and other materials, could create far higher levels of engagement than traditional advertising – and it is a growing market. There are already several million smart TVs in the UK. Globally, Informa has projected that consumer use of connected TV sets will jump from 82 million in 2011 to over 890 million by 2016.
Not all smart TVs are connected, but it is a high growth early adopter market – and the right content will drive consumers to get connected. Apps make finding and engaging in content simple, and provide access to increased content where and when the consumer wants it. They can provide direct information and even direct services on a TV, even combining it with a smartphone for ease of use. Where the greatest opportunity lies however, is in the potential to express brand messages as entertainment content.
As things stand, brands who want to launch TV channels must pay gatekeepers, such as Sky, significant sums of money just to get a toehold in the living room. But anyone with a smart TV can access an app. That means a point of entry to the TV experience in a way that completely captures viewer attention, which also means that those brands that really belong in the living room can finally get there, at an affordable price.
Technology now exists, like the TV App Agency engine, which can use a single source code to create apps across multiple platforms, so the challenge is no longer the complexity of the market but how to create the best and most engaging content. A brand can offer content ranging from video programming to games, services, or any other form of content they desire. It’s an obvious fit for most consumer brands, from retail financial services, to retailers, telecoms and entertainment.
RightMove for example, which has over 10 million website visitors per month, launched an TV app offering viewers the chance to review floor plans, browse property photos and search maps for their ideal home. Such easy content discovery, so accessible from the sofa, makes it perfect for house-hunting with the whole family. National Rail Enquiries wanted to increase the ways rail users could access their services, so created an app that lets rail users plan their journey, check arrival and departure times and anticipate service disruptions all from the comfort of their own home.
In a return of holiday planning to the living room, Seychelles Connect launched a TV App that allows users to plan their perfect holiday. To a background of island music the travel guide lets users view island beauty spots, plan excursions and learn more about the islands before they arrive. Importantly they can search and book accommodation from the comfort of their own living room.
Whether in broadcast, video, sports, travel, education, lifestyle, news, property, fashion, retail, automotive or games, anyone with quality images should be thinking now about how to take advantage of the opportunity. It’s time for brands to get smart about TV.