A column by Rutger Mackenbach
5.5 million people watched the Orange Lionesses lose to Team USA in the World Cup final. A week before that, over 1 million people knew again that Max Verstappen is the best driver in the world after seeing his race win in Austria. And with Teunissen in yellow for two days, 762,000 Dutch watched the Tour de France at 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
You would almost forget that from just published research by Multiscope, Video On Demand has now surpassed linear TV in time spent. 22% of the average Dutchman's viewing time goes to traditional TV, 27% of viewing time to VOD. Other viewing time (51%) goes to social video and video platforms et cetera.
More and more research is appearing that great reach is one of the most important elements for building a brand. And that (online) conversions are especially achievable with brands that enjoy a certain level of familiarity. Apparently, trust is also a factor to consider in marketing. And that can be built with reaching large groups of people.
For now, that cannot be achieved with online video. The supply is simply too fragmented for that, and you can't advertise on Netflix. Although they are cautiously taking the first steps on the path of branded content (with H&M and Coca Cola in Stranger Things).
So right now, linear TV is still the preferred channel to build a brand. With a few well-placed commercials, you can reach a huge group of people in no time. But viewing time will continue to shift to VOD. Therefore, media planners need to start finding other means of reaching the masses very soon. I'm going to look into sports sponsorship....