What Is OTT Advertising?
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OTT stands for “over-the-top,” and refers to access to TV content using an internet connection instead of traditional cable or satellite. In other words, OTT refers to the technology and infrastructure used to deliver content to users over the internet. Therefore, OTT advertising is the act of marketing to this internet-connected audience as they stream content. This content isn’t limited to TV only, but on any device that runs on an internet connection: Mobile, Desktop, Tablet, Laptop
Difference Between OTT - CTV and OTT - VOD
Difference Between OTT and CTV
- CTV (Connected TV) is a device that is connected to the internet and allows users to access OTT content on a television set. While OTT is the method of delivering video content, CTV is the device used to consume the content. CTVs include smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles, among others. For a more in-depth comparison, learn about the difference between OTT vs. CTV advertising.
Difference Between OTT and VOD
- VOD (Video on Demand) is a service that allows viewers to select and watch video content on demand at their convenience. The main difference between VOD and OTT is that OTT is a method of content delivery, while VOD is the type of content delivered. We’ll discuss the various types of VOD in more detail below.
Types of OTT Ads
There are many ways that OTT ads can be delivered through streaming media over the internet. The most common types of OTT ads are:
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Pre-roll ads: These are short ads that appear before the main content begins. They are usually 15-30 seconds long.
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Mid-roll ads: These ads appear in the middle of the content, typically after a certain amount of time has passed. They are usually longer than pre-roll ads and can range from 30 seconds to a few minutes.
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Post-roll ads: These ads appear after the main content has ended. They are often longer than pre-roll ads and can range from a few seconds to several minutes.
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Banner ads: These are small ads that appear at the bottom or top of the screen during the content.
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Overlay ads: These are ads that appear on top of the content, but do not interrupt the viewing experience. They are often clickable and can lead to a landing page.
What Are the Benefits of OTT Advertising?
1. Raises the Bar for Creative and Content Delivery
We acknowledge that OTT isn’t only limited to TV, but across other internet-connected devices as well. However, LRQ serves ads exclusively on TV devices as we know that this device is superior to other devices in terms of ad experience. If you’re working with an ad platform that serves OTT ads across other devices, you’re missing out on the true benefits of this ad channel. Inventory that isn’t served on TV screens isn’t true OTT advertising, and when marketers spend their budget on it they’re not getting their money’s worth. MNTN Living Room Quality serves 15 or 30-second non-skippable ads to deliver a premium ad experience.
2. Brand Safe, Fraud Free, and Top Tier Inventory
Serving any advertisement on low-quality inventory dilutes the impact of even the most compelling of advertisements – and is a huge waste of marketing dollars. A sweeping majority of advertisers agree that this is a huge concern of any brand, too: We’ve selected only premium TV networks that we know are aligned to your brand, and your audience and specifically hand-picked to drive performance. These are 125+ reliable networks that we’ve all grown to know and love, like CNN, CNBC, Food Network, and more.
3. Targeting and Tracking
Where over-the-top advertising shines is in its reporting and targeting capabilities. MNTN Performance TV partners with the leading data provider, the Oracle Data Cloud, giving advertisers access to over 40,000 third-party audience segments. You can also use first-party data from your own website visitors and reach them with retargeting ads on their other devices and OTT. View the reports and analytics for these as they happen in real-time on our reporting dashboard – better yet, see how these perform in relation to your other digital marketing efforts through our integration with Google Analytics to get a holistic view of your campaign. These are some of the (many) metrics OTT advertising platforms like MNTN can track:
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How many people viewed your advertisement?
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How many viewers visited your website after viewing your advertisement?
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Which OTT device is driving more view-through conversions?
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What does a typical user journey look like from the top of the funnel through to the bottom of the funnel – across OTT, other OTT-supported devices, and my other digital marketing channels in this campaign?
