Linear TV has a long history with so much legacy behind it. On the other hand, digital video and cross-platform TV advertising, specifically as a measurement discipline, do not have that legacy. Nevertheless, more and more advertisers are flocking to streaming video as an effective, efficient way to reach and convert new audiences. But how is measurement evolving with the surge in streaming?

A recent Advertiser Perceptions study of 356 US national advertisers who were 100% involved in video advertising decision-making uncovered significant challenges that stem from OTT’s lack of legacy:

These measurement challenges are exacerbated when it comes to local OTT advertising. While OTT ad campaigns are often perceived at a national level, the more uncharted territory of local OTT advertising within the premium video landscape is ripe for utilization by a broad spectrum of advertisers. However, local campaigns are rather nuanced with many different targeting and measurement variables, which requires local expertise to manage and further compound the already complicated measurement process. 

Local-level OTT Measurement Done Right Requires Accuracy and Precision at Scale

In a recent webinar, SVP of Partnerships at iSpot, Stu Schwartzapfel and VP of Analytics at Gamut, Traci Will, shared an insider perspective on how the two companies have teamed up to offer a better way to measure local OTT ad campaigns at scale. Gamut, the leader in local OTT, partnered with iSpot in late 2020 to help Gamut Total® advertisers uncover the true incremental reach of their OTT campaigns. In the first year, iSpot measured 2.2B+ impressions, 400+ unique advertisers and 3,000+ Gamut Total® campaigns. Among the billions of impressions measured in this time period, roughly 70% of the OTT ads were not also displayed on a TV.  

“We have over 3 thousand campaigns measured with household reach and frequency and now that we’re expanding into in-store visits we have over 500 million impressions that we’re measuring. We are doing this at a massive scale. The first thing that we do when we’re vetting a vendor is ask them how they do local and this is a great example of how local is done well.”

– Traci Will, VP of Analytics at Gamut

Year one snapshot of iSpot and Gamut partnership:

Now, iSpot and Gamut have expanded their partnership to also include foot traffic attribution. This extra layer of complexity makes it all the more critical to correctly match linear and OTT impressions to Gamut Total® ads. Once the impressions are matched, store visits are then precisely mapped to the linear and/or OTT impressions using IP address as the matchkey. This requires store-level conversion tracking for hundreds (or even thousands) of local campaigns. 

“When we’re talking about visits to stores, we take the reach and frequency and match it up against devices that are on the same IP as linear and streaming, on a TV and mobile level. it is really tough to combine both the measurement challenges and the local challenges but we’re making it happen”

– Traci Will, VP of Analytics at Gamut

Driving Real Outcomes & Proving ROI – Case Studies

To further demonstrate how the two companies are delivering outcome-based OTT metrics on a local level, Stu and Traci showcased a few case studies featuring local businesses with physical locations. Both of the highlighted advertisers — a QSR chain and grocery store chain — had the goal of driving incremental foot traffic via Gamut Total® OTT ads. The following is a summary of the two case studies presented. 

Case Study 1 

Objective: A QSR chain wanted to drive an increase in store visitation to locations in key US markets. 

Solution: Gamut developed a campaign strategy, targeting QSR intenders – ages 18-49 – and used Long Form FEP Video to reach the target audience. Through the expanded partnership with iSpot, they were able to create a benchmarking strategy and attribute foot traffic to the physical QSR locations. 

Results: The campaign resulted in an OTT conversion rate which was 20% higher than the client’s peers in the QSR category, and 91% higher than the all-category benchmark. 

Other findings: Additionally, iSpot measurement illuminated an optimal OTT frequency of 14 for the QSR client’s campaign to drive conversions. That is to say, on average, it took about 14 impressions for the campaign to drive a user into the store — a key insight that will help the QSR client with future planning and campaign optimization. 

Case Study 2 

Objective: A Grocery Store chain wanted to drive an increase in store visitation in several key local DMAs. 

Solution: Gamut developed a campaign strategy, targeting women aged 25-54, using Long Form FEP Video to reach the target audience. iSpot measurement was then leveraged in order to attribute foot traffic to the physical grocery store locations. 

Results: The campaign resulted in an OTT conversion rate which was 191.4% higher than the client’s peers in the category, with a cost per conversion that was 65.9% lower than the category norm.

Watch the full webinar for a deeper dive and an additional case study that shows how the two companies are trailblazing a path for the nascent and often under-served area of local OTT ad measurement. 

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