Influencers have become pivotal assets in digital marketing by shaping trends and consumer behaviour through their genuine and relatable content. Increasingly, we’re seeing influencer content expand beyond the realms of social and across a wider range of channels and media, like TV.
Connected TV (CTV) has provided a new playground for influencers to roam and make their own. The success of this synergy is thanks to many shared attributes between influencers and CTV, including its storytelling prowess, authenticity, interactivity, and data-driven approaches.
This is what makes CTV and influencers an exciting match for marketers looking to capture attention and prompt meaningful actions from viewers.
Whether that’s through CTV ad campaigns featuring prominent influencers, repurposing, and extending the reach of existing influencer content and campaigns across CTV, or even creating bespoke content and programmes for CTV by influencers themselves. CTV can be a powerful channel for influencer marketing to grow.
STORYTELLING
Influencers are valuable partners for brands. Their strength lies in storytelling, as they have a knack for engaging their audience on a personal level, generating content that resonates with their values and experiences.
And now with CTV and modern smart TVs improving in size and quality, influencers can magnify their storytelling impact. Take for example prominent YouTube influencer Mr. Beast who creates high-budget content for his audience of over 244 million, which is often viewed via CTV.
Such videos include some amazing, sponsored content we collaborated with Mr. Beast on, like the Crash Bandicoot: On The Run campaign which generated 56 million views on YouTube and drove incredible results for the client.
Closer to home, the popular celebrity host known for his inspiring voice of the Modern Arab World, Anas Bukhash, streams his YouTube channel #ABtalks – which has more than 223 million views – on Netflix. This kind of content demands to be seen on the biggest screen in the home, and thanks to smart TVs and CTV, we’re seeing more influencer content being viewed this way.
AUTHENTICITY AND CREDIBILITY
Influencer content is also becoming higher quality, contributing to its positive perception and adding to its credibility, especially when it’s distributed on channels outside of social, such as CTV. When the power of TV is paired with authentic influencer content, you have an environment for positive actions to occur.
INTERACTIVITY
Influencers are the connectors between audiences and the brands they love. They’re experts at understanding how to foster a sense of community and interaction with their audience, building trust and loyalty and laying the groundwork for long-term brand advocacy.
Social media is innately interactive, hence why it’s the predominant home of influencers. But that doesn’t mean they can’t fly the nest and bring this interactivity to new places.
Our TVs can do so much more for us now than just show us what programmes are currently being broadcast. Thanks to CTV we can download apps, access the internet, and even purchase things directly from our remotes.
This is a natural place for influencer content to shine. And thanks to CTV’s tech capabilities, campaigns can feature clickable overlays, QR codes, or custom URLs, prompting viewers to take specific actions such as visiting a website or making a purchase.
DATA-LED
One of CTV’s strengths over its predecessor (terrestrial, linear TV) is its data capabilities, making attribution for campaigns easier to trace and measure. Data is CTV’s powerhouse, and we can use it to deliver highly personalised content to viewers based on their demographics, interests, and viewing habits.
Influencer marketing is increasingly data-led in its approach, too. This means that it’s no longer a guessing game of what might resonate with audiences or what influencers to use for certain campaigns, or even how to measure the effectiveness of influencers. Data plays a huge role in advancing and legitimising influencer marketing, helping boost its credibility and earn a place on the media plan.
And against the backdrop of the deprecation of cookies, where first-party data is even more valuable, CTV and influencers are also set up for success, both being cookie-less environments.
Influencers’ unique ability to engage niche audiences acts as an effective substitute for the third-party cookie, especially when coupled with the interactivity of CTV options.
TUNING IN TO INFLUENCERS
By harnessing authentic storytelling, data-driven insights, and strategic collaboration, influencers can unlock CTV’s full potential to captivate audiences, drive meaningful actions, and inspire positive change.
As CTV continues to evolve, influencers are becoming indispensable allies for brands navigating this dynamic platform. With their ability to engage audiences, build trust and target niche segments, influencers can bridge the gap between brands and audiences in the CTV era, unlocking new opportunities for engagement and tangible business results.
By Vivian Subrata, Lead at The Goat Agency MENA, part of GroupM MENA
