Connected TV advertising is on the rise, with more brands than ever vying for attention on the largest screen in the home. But for many advertisers, including those without a linear TV budget as well as regional and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), a significant hurdle remains: The lack of high-quality ad creative tailored to CTV.
Producing TV ad creative can be time-consuming, costly, and inaccessible for many marketers working with preset creative strategies, limited budgets, or lean teams. The good news is that solutions to these problems are emerging that remove the barrier to entry for all advertisers in the CTV ecosystem.
Spaceback recently partnered with Roku, the number one TV streaming platform in America, to provide advertisers with free 4k, dynamic ad creative for CTV directly from brands’ social media profiles. Roku’s unprecedented move to cover the cost of CTV ad creative further removes creative friction and cost for advertisers to reach audiences on the TV.
Advertisers can get creative and take advantage of new tools and technologies like Spaceback to deliver high-quality creative on the top CTV streamers like Roku. Getting creative will go a long way to ensure making the most of advertising budgets, especially those that aren’t in the millions. Here are some of those ways advertisers can innovate with their CTV creative.
Use templates and online tools for affordable production
Canva and Promo.com offer templates specifically designed to help brands quickly produce professional-looking video content at a fraction of the traditional production costs. Simply choose a video template on either of these platforms, upload some photos of the product that should be included in the video, customize it with text overlay, and then export the video.
Collaborate with freelancers or small agencies
Advertisers can work with freelancers on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr to create cost-effective ad content. Additionally, small, boutique agencies typically offer customized and budget-friendly packages for businesses with limited resources. Hiring a freelance videographer, for example, to shoot and edit a short video relevant to the brand can cost around $1,500. That’s more cost-effective than a traditional production agency, and it results in a polished CTV-ready ad.
Leverage stock footage and pre-made assets
Stock photos are great for static assets. Platforms like Shutterstock or Pexels also offer stock videos and can help businesses create high-quality ads by combining stock visuals with custom text or voiceovers. Advertisers can edit the stock footage to include their logo, product shots, and a call-to-action. This method significantly helps to cut down on production time and costs.
Create DIY ads with smartphone technology
Some of the latest smartphone models can shoot high-quality video that’s suitable for TV. Paired with editing apps like iMovie or Adobe Premiere Rush, brands can create ads in-house with authenticity and minimal cost.
Partner with influencers
Influencers are known for their authenticity and resonance with consumers. Utilizing content creators, brands can produce engaging, authentic content at a lower cost than traditional production companies. Collaborating with a brand, the creator can record fun and informal videos showcasing the brand and product. The brand can then license the content and lightly edit it to include their logo and a CTA. This content will maintain the influencer’s authenticity while being repurposed for CTV to promote the brand.
Focus on digital video ads first
Brands that are new to video advertising can test content on social media platforms first before scaling that content to the TV screen. Recording a short-form video and testing it on a few platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube is a great place to start. Social platforms are the perfect way to test video content on a budget and gain insights to improve future campaigns.
Repurpose social content for CTV
After testing video content on social, translating those same videos to television can bring audiences a more social and more authentic viewing experience. By far, the most cost-effective way to bring engaging and authentic content to the living room screen is by transforming social media videos into CTV creative. The result will be a high-quality ad creative that’s ready to launch on streaming platforms. Spaceback, the global leader in Social CTV, helps to eradicate those creative production costs by taking that social content that already exists and has already been tested. With just the link to the social media video, CTV ad creative can be built within minutes.
