Bullseye Strategy Special Correspondent

Once upon a time, people watched broadcast TV, and UpFronts, the seasonal gathering of advertisers and TV network execs to divvy up commercial air time, was an incredibly important event. (Isn’t that quaint, almost like a tea party or a rotary-dial phone?) Today, of course, viewers take a choose-their-own-adventure approach to entertainment and stream whatever they want, whenever they want, on any device they choose, and the big advertising deals for OTT were wrangled during last week’s NewFronts–an event which ushered in some exciting digital marketing news. Other big updates from Google and Target suggest that everything about advertising as we currently know it is about to change. (We’re buzzed at Team Bullseye for sure…and not just because of our Cinco de Mayo celebration.)

The Mindset of the Modern Viewer

One of the biggest pieces of news to come out of NewFronts was a study that found the following juicy tidbits about the mindset of today’s viewer: 80% of viewers are perfectly content to watch ads in exchange for free content; 37% surveyed are more receptive to ads that are targeted to their interests; 90% of viewers stream at night as a relaxation method. Our big takeaway? Get the right ads to the right people before they drift off to sleep, and you’re going to see some great conversions.

Attention, Walmart & Target Shoppers…

In other news indicating that advertising as we know it has entered an alternate universe, Walmart’s business of advertising to online shoppers using customer data is now rivaling Amazon’s thanks to the recent acquisition of Polymorph Labs. Days after this announcement, Target announced it has expanded and rebranded its digital media network under the name Roundel (you know, because the bullseye in Target’s logo is round…el.) It’s a good thing that NewFronts found that customers prefer targeted advertising, because a whole lot of targeting is going on for shoppers visiting these ecommerce behemoths.

Shoppable Ads Hit the ‘Tube

With 500 hours of content being uploaded to YouTube every minute, there’s no time like the present for Google to test out shoppable ads, which run underneath YouTube videos. These ad units, which offer prices and product recommendations, direct users to Google Express, where they can quickly purchase and then go back to their favorite crazy cat videos.

So between streaming video ads, ads on our favorite shopping websites and now shoppable YouTube ads, we’re drowning in ads. And we wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s raining ads, hallelujah.

“Mark Eting” is the pen name of the Bullseye Strategy team. Check back with us next week for more news on what’s buzzing in the digital marketing industry.