Exploring Social CTV: A Q&A with Division-D

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, staying ahead of the curve is vital for brands and marketers looking to make a lasting impact. With the emergence of new technologies and platforms, it's essential to explore innovative avenues to reach your target audience effectively.

Social CTV is one such avenue that has been making waves in the advertising world. It brings the power of social media to the largest screen in the home, offering unique opportunities to engage with audiences in a compelling way. To shed light on the potential of Social CTV and how it complements Division-D's existing offerings, like CTV+, we’ve gathered insights from two experts in the field.

Meet Lauren Faulkner, a senior account executive, and Michelle Slinkard, the Chief Business Officer at Division-D. They share their thoughts on what excites them most about Social CTV, their strategies for pitching it to clients, and the impact it can have on various industries.

Can you introduce yourself and describe your role at Division-D?

Lauren: My name is Lauren Faulkner, and I am a senior account executive at Division-D! I've been with the company for almost four years and work closely with our clients to develop strategic campaigns across our wide variety of offerings.

Michelle: Hello! I'm Michelle Slinkard, the Chief Business Officer at Division-D. In my role, I support overall business growth by overseeing new product onboarding and external marketing efforts.

What excites you most about Social CTV's addition to Division-D's offerings?

Michelle: Incorporating Social CTV into Division-D's suite of offerings brings many advantages to our clients. Among these, a few highlights--the ability to develop captivating TV ad creatives without incurring traditional production costs, unique and distinctive CTV creative that truly stands out in the crowded TV marketplace, and lastly, the chance for clients to elevate their most successful social media ads or posts to the grandeur of the big screen is an awesome opportunity!

What's your approach to pitching Social CTV to clients?

Lauren: For clients who have a strong social presence, CTV allows our clients to tap into a format they might not already be running (especially if they have a lack of CTV-ready video creative) or if they are already running CTV, it's a great opportunity for A/B testing.

How does Social CTV complement Division-D's CTV capabilities?

Lauren: Social CTV also allows clients to tap into an unparalleled way to utilize social posts across other formats, making them pioneers in incorporating this type of ad tech in their strategies and campaigns.

Michelle: Social CTV is the perfect addition to our  CTV+ offering, which brings clients unique creative solutions to elevate their CTV advertising efforts.

What challenges have you encountered when pitching Social CTV, and how do you overcome them?

Lauren: Given that Social CTV works best with video-based social posts, an overall lack of video assets can be a hindrance to running a successful Social CTV campaign. To counter this, I recommend that clients tap into Influencer Marketing where we can use the influencer's organic posts, paid posts via paid amplification, or tap into the organic usage rights to cross-post the influencer content as organic or paid ads on the client's social profiles.

If Influencer Marketing isn't a fit, our creative team can always help build out animated assets as a video using static images, similar to what's available with our Customizable Canvas CTV+ offering. Posting these new videos to social and then pulling the URL would allow us to execute Social CTV at a lower-cost alternative to IM.

How does Division-D stay current with the rapidly evolving landscape of CTV and social media to provide the most effective solutions to clients?

Lauren: Our Business Development team keeps a constant pulse on the changing landscape of digital advertising by attending industry conferences on an ongoing basis and meeting with new partners, digging into new tech, etc. Also, due to our strong relationships with vendors like Spaceback, The Trade Desk, Amazon, Meta, TikTok, Hulu, etc., we're able to tap into Beta testing opportunities with willing clients. I always tell my clients that if there's anything that we don't currently offer, let us know and our Business Development team is happy to do our share to learn more!

Michelle: We have a dedicated team whose focus is to keep pace with the latest trends and technologies through research, conferences, and vendor conversations. Additionally, we work closely with current vendor partners like The Trade Desk, Amazon, Yahoo, etc. to ensure our strategies and solutions are aligned with the most advanced and effective practices.

For the broader Division-D team, we prioritize ongoing education and learning, providing access to webinars and industry research. We also actively seek feedback from our clients and partners, as their insights are invaluable in shaping future solutions that are responsive to their needs.

What kind of support and resources do you offer to clients who are new to Social CTV to help them make the most of the technology?

Michelle: At Division-D, our commitment to service is at the core of everything we do, especially when it comes to assisting clients who are new to Social CTV or another digital format. We offer a comprehensive, full-service approach to digital media, ensuring our clients feel comfortable through the process.

Our support begins with the initial proposal, where we provide tailored media strategies, targeting recommendations, and mock-ups of potential Social CTV ads. We also assist in implementing pixels for conversion tracking, handling all the legwork of campaign execution, and offering easy-to-understand reporting for measuring campaign performance. Our goal is to guide clients through every step of launching a successful Social CTV campaign, ensuring they have all the tools and insights needed for impactful results.

What advice do you have for brands or advertisers who are considering integrating Social CTV into their marketing strategy?

Michelle: For brands considering integrating Social CTV into their marketing strategy, my advice is to go for it and test. Personally, I love to embrace the dynamic nature of digital media and believe successful media campaigns thrive on testing, iteration, and continuous improvement.

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In the world of digital advertising, adaptability and innovation are key to staying ahead of the curve. Social CTV represents an appealing intersection of social media and CTV, offering brands and advertisers an exciting new channel to explore. With the insights our experts from Division-D shared, it's clear that Social CTV is a game-changer that can transform the way we engage with audiences.

We hope this Q&A has provided you with valuable knowledge to embark on your journey into this realm of advertising. The future of marketing is constantly evolving, and Social CTV is a format that can lead you to new and exciting possibilities.

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