3 reasons why every healthcare marketer should embrace CTV advertising

Written by: Christina Pelosi, Executive Director, Digital Strategy & Analytics

Advertisers typically use linear TV, or traditional TV, for their brand marketing objectives. However, with the rise in streaming services, consumers have shifted the way they consume content and watch TV. And marketers are adjusting their budgets accordingly to meet target audiences where they are, particularly in a connected TV (CTV) environment. 

CTV refers to premium content streaming through devices like Smart TV or Apple TV, or through an over-the-top (OTT) platform such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, or Peacock. Similar to linear TV, ads can be served before content or during traditional commercial breaks.  A marketer can purchase CTV advertising either directly from a publisher or ad network, or programmatically by bidding on inventory and targeting specific audiences. 

While linear TV continues to be  popular among healthcare advertisers for its broad reach, CTV is gaining popularity for its ability to more efficiently drive brand awareness. By combining the scale and influence of a linear TV buy with the precision and personalization of digital targeting, a smart CTV advertising strategy ensures that your content reaches your target patient audience only— little something we like to call zero-waste branding. 

Here are three main reasons why CTV advertising  is critical for healthcare marketers:

1. Scale and influence

What makes CTV so relevant to advertisers is that it has taken everything that linear TV has to offer and improved it, making it a newer—rather than alternative — model. If you are a healthcare system, health plan, or healthcare provider, your audience is (very likely) using a connected device to access their favorite prime time content. CTV usage in the U.S. has been steadily increasing since 2014, with 88% of American households now owning at least one internet connected TV device.¹ This number is only going to increase in the future, both in the U.S. and internationally.

In addition to scale, CTV also provides a unique engagement experience. Research shows that CTV ad viewers are more likely to make a purchasing decision after engaging with a CTV ad as compared to traditional TV viewers.² Moreover, CTV is not  restricted to particular times or channels. It displays ads to the target audience irrespective of their TV-watching habits, making it an unrivaled promotional platform. 

2. Precision and personalization

A distinguishing feature of CTV that allows for its wide scale and influence is its ability to precisely target audiences and provide them with a personalized experience that caters to their needs and interests. Traditional TV is based on the assumption that people who like watching certain kinds of shows would like to buy corresponding products (i.e., beer commercials on ESPN). However, with CTV, you don’t have to assume. CTV allows you to reach a health-specific audience based on demographics, location, interest, and viewing behaviors. And when you buy CTV with WebMD Ignite, the targeting capabilities are amplified by our proprietary Consumer Risk models that we can apply. It also lets you monitor campaign performance in real-time, providing insight into how ads are performing. Based on your performance analysis, CTV gives you the flexibility to modify your ads to optimize results. 

3. Ubiquity and efficiency

The scale and precision of CTV is amplified by the fact that it is not going anywhere. Many have argued that CTV allows viewers to pay more for an ad-free experience, making it unsuitable for advertisers. However, a 2022 survey found that 64% of CTV viewers would prefer to interact with an ad experience than to pay more for an ad-free subscription.³ CTV is a great investment for both advertisers and viewers since it allows for premium placement to a targeted audience, with zero waste.

The scale, precision, and ubiquity of CTV is the perfect formula for a cost-effective, zero-waste branding strategy. 

While any agency buying CTV can apply audiences, it is the quality of the audience that impacts the efficiency of CTV advertising. WebMD Ignite’s Activation Network CTV has access to a unique database that specifically caters to healthcare organizations. Our national consumer health risk database includes 70+ individual attributes, with the predictive power of 250+ clinical conditions. Models are made up of basic demographics, social data such as lifestyle and education, and clinical data with encounters and family history. A CTV strategy is essential for organizations who want to get their brand video content in front of their target audience in the most efficient and effective way possible.
 

Learn more about WebMD Ignite Marketing Solutions

Sources:

1. Statista. Internet-connected TV penetration rate in the United States from 2014 to 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/294654/connected-tv-penetration-rate-usa/.
2. Magnite. CTV Is for Everyone. https://www.magnite.com/research/ctv-for-everyone/. 
3. Advanced Television. Study: Consumers welcome ads in CTV environments. https://advanced-television.com/2023/03/21/study-consumers-welcome-ads-in-ctv-environments/.