#division-d

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The Rise, and Continued Rise, of Connected TV

by Reid Stein

   In our ever-growing world of connectedness, there’s only one guarantee: New technologies are always coming, and you can either get with the times, or stay stuck in the past.

   For a long time, the only way to stream online content in the living room was to hook up a laptop with an HDMI cord and make your TV an external monitor. Broadcast companies started to notice how lucrative it was to put their television content online. I had watched hours and hours of shows on CartoonNetwork.com, Nick.com, and even my local news station, but I had to do all of this at the family computer which sat oddly near our dining room. Then, laptops became more and more viable as legitimate machines, losing pound after pound to become as portable as they’d promised. I moved to watching those shows on my bed, but there was still something missing.

   I remember trying to access YouTube from my Nintendo Wii’s internet browser, and while it somewhat worked, it was far from ideal. Netflix took the next step. As instant streaming became a larger part of their offering, they sent video game console owners a disc with a Netflix app on it in order to stream content. This never worked well in my experience, and I don’t think I was the only one.

   Around the early 2010s, Smart TVs continued to show up and impress at trade shows like CES. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 opened their store to apps, and both Netflix and the new player in the game, Hulu, had started the race. Before long, the living room finally became a viable option for streaming online content. Netflix blew up and paved the way for broadcast companies to recognize that there was a new way for viewers to consume their content. The online streaming space grew and grew and is somehow still growing today. But there’s only one good way to give consumers free content: advertising.

   Companies moved their advertising tags over to the connected TV space, and the advertising industry moved with the times, just as it always will. Nielsen continues to produce staggering statistics for the space. A report from November showed that consumers age 13 to 34 spend an average of more than an hour daily on their connected devices. Compared to 36 minutes on the computer, and 24 minutes on mobile devices, this is the new place to reach a younger audience. Americans stream over 8 billion hours per month on connected TV devices, and this spans all of the available apps.

   The connected living room is a space brimming with possibility as technology improves. Companies are putting QR codes and specific coupons in their connected device advertisements to get around the lack of interactivity in a TV ad. As the world continues to try to find ways for people to get together rather than grow apart with technology, shared areas of households are becoming important to families and consumers, making the space perfect for advertisers as well. I personally have moved almost all of my online video watching over to my living room when I got a Roku earlier this year. It’s easier, more comfortable, and more inviting to spend time with friends and roommates.

   Connected TVs are only going to continue growing as they get better and cheaper. The only questions is: which advertisers will get with the times, and which ones will stay stuck in the past?

[division-d]

By Virginia Townsend

The midterm election of 2018 was one for the record books. Democrats were able to clinch the majority in the House of Representatives. An estimated 113 million people went to the polls and cast their ballot, making this the first midterm election in history to exceed more than 100 million voters. Barriers were broken as several minority candidates won seats in the House, Senate, and several other federal and state government positions. One medium in particular that was an asset to campaigns at all levels of government was the use of digital advertising.

Here at Division-D, we saw abundant success with several of our political partners in the months leading up to the election. By providing a variety of different environments for advertisers to choose from, we were able to spread the messages of these campaigns to large and varying audiences. Our in-house media buying team lent a hand in securing contextually relevant publisher partners to reach the target audiences of these political campaigns. There are a couple of tactics that proved to be especially effective.

First, Connected TV (CTV) was a top performer this election season. Trends in the digital advertising world have recently shown that audiences are more attentive and motivated by more captivating ads, like CTV, than with previous, more traditional methods - and that was something that held true for many political campaigns. CTV placements allow advertisers to effectively reach their target audience in a new platform.

Another way Division-D stood out amongst the rest was our ability to focus on hyper-local markets. Due to the nature of midterm-election issues, political parties and candidates focused on reaching their audience through local newspaper and broadcast sites. Our team has long-standing relationships with news and broadcast groups across the country, which provided scalable reach in all markets. Combining this specific targeting method with newer, more captivating ad units proved to be an effective tactic for all campaigns.

As a recent graduate, with a dual degree in Strategic Communications and Political Science, I was astonished at the impact that digital advertising had for our advertisers, our publishers, and the audiences we reached. People from all different areas of the country, different sectors of the economy, different ages, races, religions, and ethnicities saw these ads, and some of them were impacted enough to get out and vote. Division-D has seen political advertising trends change throughout the years, and likely will change again by the time the next big election comes around. By keeping in tune with the changes and being ready to best adapt and bring the best results for our partners, we can surely generate even better success for election campaigns in the years to come.

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#OMG - Something Scary Is Already Here

By Abbie Parker

#OMG - Something Scary Is Already Here

 It’s 2018, mere months from 2019, and some brands are still struggling to advertise to the fastest growing adult generation - Gen Y, or more commonly known as Millennials.  Research suggests that in 2019, Millennials are projected to surpass Baby Boomers as the largest adult generation. With the youngest Millennials turning 18 in 2018, these impulsive adults will soon have the will, freedom and means to have a heavy hand in the way products are bought and sold.

 Raised in a digital, media-saturated world, Millennials are - without a doubt - the most digitally savvy generation yet and are not afraid to point out if you are lacking. Brands that are lacking the digital footprint to impact this important generation will very quickly find that they can no longer tread water leaving themselves wondering why. Here are some thoughts on Millennials, their digital experience, and why your digital advertising strategy is more important than ever.

 1. Authenticity Sells

 Some believe that growing up in an oversaturated world would dull many Millennials to advertising, but in fact, many Millennials report that they have a heightened sense of authenticity where their parents do not. A study done by Elite Daily interviewed 1,300 Millennials and found that 43% rank authenticity over content when consuming online information. This means that Millennials don’t care what you say to them, as long as what you’re saying is true and you don’t shove it down their throats.

 2. Master the Art of Digital Advertising

 Some brands have come to the hard terms with this ever-looming fact: Millennials are not influenced by the traditional advertising tactics of the past.  Research shows that traditional advertising doesn’t work anymore because 84% of Millennials just don’t trust it.  Millennials are buying, but they aren’t buying this. Advertising networks and agencies, like Division-D, help launch advertising in a brand new, creative light that helps target toward the growing number of digitally influenced generations.

 3. Meet Them Where They Are

 For Millennials, multitasking is the new relaxing.  The culture of multitasking has people constantly switching attention from TVs, to phones, to laptops, and more.  Because this critical demographic is plugged in at all times, your digital advertising is no longer a question, but a necessity. Growing advertising networks, like Division-D, use specific targeting to reach those Millennials across all of their platforms every time they open a device, allowing more viewability for your product, while meeting them in their busy world.

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My Transition from College to the Workplace

by Stephanie Lechman

The transition from college to the workplace can be tough, but not with Division-D!

I recently joined the team, and I can confidently say that the training process and support from my coworkers has prepared me for this role. They don’t sit around or leave you hanging—they give you a comprehensive, step-by-step guide as well as hands-on practice. And when you’re ready, you truly hit the ground running!

I graduated college in May, but here I am finding myself learning and growing in the workplace after a few short months. I credit my smooth transition to each and every person at this company. Not only do I have a dedicated mentor to turn to with every question, but I also have an incredible team willing to step in and help me. What I love most about Division-D is the perfect balance of a committed work environment and allocated time to relax and hang out with coworkers. Whether we are playing games in the office, or hitting up a local rooftop to let loose, we are constantly presented with opportunities to bond and get to know each other on both a personal and professional level.

A positive atmosphere, combined with great people, is the marriage of an excellent learning experience—what else could a new hire ask for? Division-D exceeds my expectations. We are constantly growing as a company and I am constantly expanding my knowledge as an individual. When you begin your relationship with Division-D, I guarantee you will have the same connection. If this incredible company can go out of their way to make some recent college grad feel this comfortable, imagine how far they can go for you!

[bsummthn]

Work or play ????? 🙌🏽🍻🥂🍹