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Today, advertisers can target consumers through cable in several ways – through national advertising; by using DMA/Spot Interconnects; and also on a local/retail sub-DMA level (headend).
For national or local advertisers who are looking to reach consumers at the DMA/Spot Cable level, interconnects enable them to reach the right subscribers. Interconnects, which combine two or more local cable systems and distribute a program or commercial signal simultaneously, have simplified buying local cable drastically. Now, with only one buy, one commercial tape and one invoice, an advertiser can reach the entire interconnect.
For local businesses, at the sub-DMA level, advertisers have the ability to choose one or multiple headends which comprise the interconnect. By purchasing individual headends, advertisers can match their own sales zones to the right individual, targeting key neighborhoods and consumers who are their best prospects. The same number of networks which are available at the interconnect level are also available at the headend level. In the top markets, over thirty-five networks on average allow for local ad insertability.
Technology at the local level has made a tremendous leap in the past couple of years and has made local cable even more powerful for marketers. Now, ads can be customized with relative ease allowing advertisers to run different messages at different headends.
One technology, known as Adtag*, allows an advertiser to run an ad with different endings. This is great for a restaurant franchise, for example, as the beginning of the ad for all franchise owners of a particular restaurant would be the same, but at the end of the ad, the franchise can tag their address to it. Adcopy* allows advertisers to run different commercials simultaneously to different headends. If the shopping habits of individuals residing in different headends vary, advertisers can create commercials with products that cater to the needs of the individuals in the various headends. By employing this method of advertising, advertisers do not sacrifice reach.
Overall, advertisers can take advantage of the large increases in the number of interconnects to reach their best customers. Advertisers can reach over 22 million homes in the top 10 interconnects and over 35 million subscribers in the top 25 interconnects. A look at the top 50, top 75 and top 100 interconnects also show increases in the number of subscribers that can be reached by advertisers. Using the top 100 interconnects, advertisers can reach over 50 million homes with one call, one tape and one invoice – more than a seven percent increase from last year.
Source: CAB analysis of Nielsen Focus data as of 4/05
Local cable offers more local market targetability than any other local TV option giving advertisers access to the best media brands and the most attractive audiences available, now easily planned and purchased. Local cable reaches the RIGHT audience.
*Adtag and Adcopy are the registered trademarks of Adlink Cable Advertising, LLC (Los Angeles), and are used with permission.
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