There’s something pretty satisfying about hearing a client say, “I saw my commercial!”
For years, one of the most common questions we’ve heard from advertisers running digital campaigns is: “Why don’t I ever see my own ads?”
There’s a good reason for that. Digital advertising is designed to reach a specific target audience – not necessarily the business owner paying for the campaign.
But lately, we’ve been hearing something different from clients: “I saw my commercial on Prime!” And we have to admit, it’s pretty cool.
Prime Video Has Changed the Streaming TV Equation
Streaming TV has been an important part of the media mix at Blodgett Marketing for years. Now Amazon Prime Video gives us another premium option – and it has become particularly interesting for advertisers in smaller and rural markets.
Prime Video ads are full-screen, non-skippable commercials that appear within the programming people are already watching. In other words, they don’t feel like traditional digital ads. They feel like television – but with the targeting capabilities we’ve come to expect from digital advertising.
The Rural Montana Challenge
Until recently, there was one problem with buying Amazon Prime Video in some of Montana’s smaller communities: there simply wasn’t always enough inventory.
In a larger market, that isn’t much of an issue. But when we’re targeting a smaller rural geography, relying solely on Prime Video could make it difficult to deliver enough impressions and pace a campaign consistently throughout the month.
That has changed.
Today, our campaigns can extend beyond Prime Video into additional premium streaming inventory, including publishers such as Netflix and, when available through our vendor’s inventory, Paramount+.
That expanded inventory makes a tremendous difference. We’re now able to deliver and pace campaigns consistently even in some of Montana’s smallest rural communities.
St. Luke Community Healthcare in the Mission Valley is a great example. Not very long ago, the available inventory made it difficult for us to recommend an Amazon-focused streaming campaign in a market that size. Today, it’s a viable option.
That’s a meaningful development for rural advertisers.
There’s Still a Little “Shock and Awe”
There’s another reason we like these campaigns: people notice them.
For a national advertiser, showing up on Prime Video may not seem particularly remarkable. But there’s something different about sitting down to watch a favorite program and suddenly seeing a commercial for your local hospital, bank, auto dealership or another business you recognize.
There’s still a little “shock-and-awe” value to seeing a local business show up in the same premium streaming environment as some of the biggest brands in the country.
Our advertisers tell us about it all the time. And while seeing your own commercial certainly isn’t a performance metric, that reaction tells us something: these ads get noticed.
It also gives local businesses a level of visibility and presence that was once much harder to achieve.
The Platform Is Only Part of the Strategy
Of course, we’re not going to recommend Prime Video simply because Amazon is a recognizable name.
The question is always the same: Who are we trying to reach, and where can we reach them most effectively?
Sometimes Prime Video is part of that answer. Sometimes it’s another streaming platform. Often it’s a combination of streaming TV, pre-roll, display, search, streaming audio and other tactics working together.
What’s exciting is that we now have another very good option – and it’s an option we can use effectively in places where we couldn’t necessarily use it before.
For rural and regional advertisers, premium streaming is no longer just a big-market advertising opportunity.
And every once in a while, you might even be sitting on the couch when your own commercial comes on. We think that’s pretty cool, too.
