Upcoming at unBoxed: The rise of the streaming age
September 23, 2021 | By: Matt Miller, Sr. Copywriter
From grocery shopping to entertainment, people are increasingly seeking technology to simplify their daily lives. In February 2021, the number of US households with Internet-enabled TV connected devices reached 77%, representing 4% growth from the previous year.1 As consumer behaviors shift, we move ever further into the age of streaming.
“More people are watching more content in more places than ever before,” said Amazon Head of Measurement Success Maggie Zhang. “Over 82 million households now stream OTT, which is an average of 100 hours of content in a month.”2
As customers increasingly use streaming services for movies, shows, news, sports, gaming, and more, it’s important for brands to understand how to meet audiences wherever they’re enjoying content in this rapidly changing environment. According to a recent Amazon Ads and Ipsos survey of 3,000 Americans ages 18-64, 64% of respondents identified as Connected Consumers, or respondents who self-reported that they use a smart media device (smart TVs, smart speakers, smart displays, and streaming devices) at least once per month.3 These Connected Consumers, according to the survey, have considerable purchasing power with a higher average annual take-home income than those who did not self-identify as Connected Consumers.
Thought leaders from across Amazon will be discussing the state of streaming at unBoxed, Amazon Ads’ annual conference, from October 26-27. These sessions will discuss trends, tips, and tools for brands looking to better connect with the rapidly growing audiences on streaming services.
– Suzanne Ginestro, Chief Marketing Officer, Quest NutritionWith Amazon Ads, we get reach, we get insights, but most importantly, we get measurement tools so that we can actually see that our advertising is working.
How are brands connecting with streaming audiences?
As streaming audiences continue to increase, brands are finding innovative ways to reach these viewers. Quest Nutrition began using Amazon Ads Streaming TV ads to drive awareness for their brand at scale while still reaching relevant audiences, using Amazon’s first-party audience insights and measurement tools.
“With Amazon Ads, we get reach, we get insights, but most importantly, we get measurement tools so that we can actually see that our advertising is working,” said Quest Nutrition Chief Marketing Officer Suzanne Ginestro. During a recent Quest Nutrition Streaming TV ads campaign, branded shopping queries were up 8.5x and product detail page views increased by 49% compared to the previous month.4
Brands are also finding ways to connect with audiences on Twitch, where an average of 30 million viewers tune in daily to see creators livestream games, podcasts, makeup tutorials, sports, concerts, cooking shows, and more.5 And that audience is only getting bigger.
“Worldwide, we have over 7 million streamers creating content each month across genres ... making it easy for you to reach your audience in whatever context you want to reach them in,” said Sarah Iooss, Twitch’s Head of Sales. “And this audience keeps on growing—in fact we’ve [nearly] doubled in the last year alone.“
By collaborating with creators on the service, brands are able to connect with the deeply engaged and tight-knit communities on Twitch. According to recent research from Twitch Research Power Group, 46% of Twitch viewers have bought something after seeing it promoted by their favorite Twitch creator.6 The research also shows that 39% of viewers would consider their favorite creator a friend.7 Twitch influencer Sam “DuckyTheGamer” Hatch, for example, has cultivated brand partnerships with Samsung, GFUEL, and other companies.
IMDb TV has also emerged as a promising place for brands to connect with streaming audiences.
IMDb TV, Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service, enables customers to watch popular TV shows and top Hollywood hits via the IMDb TV app on Fire TV, several third-party devices, and iOS and Android mobile devices as well as within the Prime Video app. 43%, or almost half, of IMDb TV viewers said in a recent survey that they do not subscribe to a pay TV service, which is 25% more than the US general population.8 Among them, 26% are cord-cutters and 17% are cord-nevers.9 With IMDb TV, advertisers can effectively extend their reach beyond linear TV, given its high concentration of non-pay TV audiences.
To learn more about how your brand can better connect with streaming audiences, join us in October at unBoxed.
1 The Nielsen Total Audience Report, March 2021
2 Comscore, State of OTT, 2021
3 Amazon Connected Consumers study, July 2021
4 Advertiser-provided data, US, 2020
5 Twitch Internal Data.
6 Twitch Research Power Group (RPG): Social Media Behavior Survey, 2021
7 Twitch Research Power Group (RPG): Social Media Behavior Survey, 2021
8 GfK Simmons, 2020
9 GfK Simmons, 2020