A Step-by-Step Guide to Advertising on Peacock

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, advertisers are increasingly turning to streaming platforms to reach their target audiences. Advertising on Peacock offers a unique opportunity for brands to tap into a growing and highly engaged viewer base. As more consumers move away from traditional cable TV, connected TV (CTV) advertising has become a powerful tool for performance marketing and demand generation. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps involved in advertising on Peacock, exploring the benefits of OTT advertising, how to set up your campaigns, and tips for maximizing your ROI.

Why Advertise on Peacock?

Peacock, owned by NBCUniversal, is one of the major players in the rapidly expanding OTT (over-the-top) streaming space. With a combination of free and premium subscription models, the platform attracts millions of viewers across a wide range of demographics. Whether you’re targeting entertainment enthusiasts, sports fans, or news watchers, Peacock’s diverse content offerings provide advertisers with a plethora of opportunities to engage potential customers.

Key Benefits of Advertising on Peacock

• Large Audience Reach: With millions of subscribers, Peacock provides access to a broad and diverse audience, including both cord-cutters and those who are shifting from traditional cable TV to streaming.
• Targeted Advertising: Leveraging user data, Peacock offers advertisers the ability to target specific audience segments based on factors like age, gender, location, interests, and viewing behavior.
• High Engagement Rates: Streaming platforms like Peacock tend to have higher engagement rates compared to traditional TV, as users are more likely to watch content on-demand and without commercial skipping.
• Programmatic Advertising Opportunities: Peacock’s programmatic advertising capabilities enable real-time bidding, allowing advertisers to optimize ad placements for maximum effectiveness.

Understanding the Basics of CTV and OTT Advertising

Before diving into how to advertise on Peacock specifically, it’s important to understand the core concepts behind connected TV (CTV) and OTT advertising. These terms are often used interchangeably but have subtle differences that affect how ads are delivered.

What is CTV Advertising?

Connected TV (CTV) marketing refers to advertisements shown on a television set that is connected to the internet. This includes smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. CTV advertising allows advertisers to target viewers with digital ads, combining the benefits of television and online advertising.

What is OTT Advertising?

Over-the-top (OTT) advertising refers to ads shown on any device that streams content via the internet, including CTV devices, smartphones, tablets, and desktops. OTT platforms like Peacock provide a valuable space for advertisers to reach audiences who are watching content on-demand, without the interruptions typically found on traditional TV.

OTT advertising encompasses CTV advertising but also extends to digital devices that may not be connected to a TV.

Getting Started with Advertising on Peacock

Now that you have an understanding of CTV and OTT advertising, let’s dive into the steps you need to take to run successful campaigns on Peacock.

Step 1: Determine Your Advertising Goals

As with any advertising campaign, the first step is to define your goals. What do you want to achieve with your advertising on Peacock? Some common objectives for OTT advertising include:

• Brand Awareness: Get your brand in front of a broad audience and increase recognition.
• Lead Generation: Drive potential customers to sign up or learn more about your product.
• Sales Conversions: Use targeted ads to push potential customers toward making a purchase.
• Retargeting: Reach users who have already interacted with your brand but haven’t yet converted.

By clearly defining your goals, you can tailor your campaign to meet your specific objectives.

Step 2: Choose Your Ad Format

Peacock offers a variety of ad formats that can be used in your campaigns. These include:

• Linear Ads: These ads run during scheduled programming, just like traditional TV commercials. They are typically shown in pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll positions.
• On-Demand Ads: These are displayed when users watch on-demand content. The ad is shown before, during, or after the video content, offering an effective way to reach viewers who prefer watching at their convenience.
• Display Ads: These ads appear on the screen during content pauses or breaks, offering an interactive and non-intrusive way to engage viewers.
• Interactive Ads: These enable viewers to interact with the ad, allowing them to learn more about a product or service directly from the ad itself.

Selecting the right ad format is crucial to meeting your campaign goals. For example, if you’re focused on brand awareness, linear ads may be the way to go. For more targeted actions, such as lead generation or sales conversions, on-demand ads with interactive features might be a better fit.

Step 3: Set Your Budget and Bidding Strategy

Peacock’s advertising platform allows you to set a budget and select your bidding strategy. You can opt for a fixed-rate model or a programmatic approach, where you bid on ad inventory in real-time.

• Fixed-Rate Model: You pay a set price for a specific ad placement, typically for a guaranteed amount of impressions.
• Programmatic Advertising: This approach involves real-time bidding, where you can set your bid amount based on audience segments, time of day, and other factors. Programmatic advertising offers flexibility and precision in optimizing your campaign’s effectiveness.

When setting your budget, ensure that you account for the duration of your campaign, the ad format, and the audience you want to target. Additionally, consider testing your campaigns with a smaller budget to optimize performance before scaling up.

Step 4: Define Your Target Audience

One of the biggest advantages of advertising on Peacock is the platform’s robust targeting capabilities. Peacock’s targeting options allow you to reach specific demographics, interests, behaviors, and even geographic locations. Key targeting categories include:

• Demographic Targeting: Reach users based on their age, gender, household income, and other demographic factors.
• Behavioral Targeting: Target users based on their past viewing behavior, such as the types of shows or movies they watch.
• Geographic Targeting: Advertisers can target users in specific regions or cities, making it ideal for location-based promotions.
• Interest-Based Targeting: Reach users who have shown an interest in topics related to your product or service, such as sports, lifestyle, or tech.

Tailoring your ads to the right audience ensures that you’re maximizing the effectiveness of your campaigns. Use data-driven insights to refine your targeting and improve the relevance of your ads.

Step 5: Monitor and Optimize Your Campaigns

Once your ads are live, it’s essential to track their performance and make adjustments as needed. Peacock provides a range of analytics tools that allow you to monitor key metrics like:

• Impressions: The total number of times your ad is shown to users.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of viewers who clicked on your ad after seeing it.
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who completed your desired action (e.g., signing up or making a purchase).
• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): The amount you spend to acquire a customer or lead.

Regularly review these metrics and adjust your targeting, budget, and bidding strategy to optimize performance. A/B testing different ad creatives and formats can also help you identify which combinations yield the best results.

Step 6: Retargeting and Advanced Strategies

Retargeting is an advanced strategy that can significantly improve your campaign performance. This technique allows you to reach viewers who have previously interacted with your ads or website but have not yet converted.

Peacock supports retargeting through its advertising platform, allowing you to serve tailored ads to users based on their past interactions with your brand. By reinforcing your message to these warm leads, you increase the likelihood of conversions.

Additionally, advanced strategies such as dynamic creative optimization (DCO) and programmatic buying enable you to deliver personalized ads at scale, adjusting the creative in real-time based on user behavior.

Tips for Maximizing Your Advertising Success on Peacock

• Leverage Peacock’s Content: Make sure your ads are relevant to the content being viewed. For instance, if you’re advertising a product related to fitness, place your ad during health and wellness programming.
• Optimize for Mobile Devices: Many Peacock users access the platform via mobile, so ensure your ads are optimized for mobile screens.
• Keep Ads Short and Engaging: Attention spans on digital platforms can be shorter, so make sure your ads are concise, creative, and attention-grabbing within the first few seconds.
• Test and Iterate: Constantly test new strategies, formats, and targeting methods. The beauty of programmatic advertising is the ability to iterate quickly and optimize for better results.

Conclusion

Advertising on Peacock offers an exciting opportunity for brands to reach a highly engaged, tech-savvy audience through connected TV and OTT platforms. By carefully planning your campaign, selecting the right ad formats, and leveraging Peacock’s targeting capabilities through tools like the Peacock Ad Manager, you can maximize your ROI and achieve your marketing goals. Whether you’re focused on brand awareness, lead generation, or sales conversions, Peacock provides a versatile and powerful platform to connect with your audience.