Video Report All Eyes on Digital Video All Eyes on Digital Video From streaming wars to 10-minute Quibis, digital video is on everyone’s minds, especially as much of the country enters another month of working (and eating, and exercising, and schooling…) from home. With more streaming services than ever, and an abundance of time to watch short and long videos alike, digital advertisers are increasingly turning to video to help reach their audience. But which advertisers are owning the digital video space? In our newest report, we look at top players YouTube and Hulu to see how advertisers are utilizing these platforms to reach their audience. We’re also flipping the script to take a look at the advertising strategies of newcomers Quibi and Pluto TV as they work to gain subscribers. Finally, we’re digging into the ubiquitous TikTok to see how they are building their platform to compete with the likes of Instagram and YouTube. Read on to see our findings. 2 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology. They may not accurately estimate the spend for any advertiser, and should be used for directional trend analysis. ny/path- Ctwcamp%5Es matics-inc/erp%7Ctwgr%5E author Section 1 Digital Ad Strategies of Emerging Players in Video Quibi - Pluto TV - Tik Tok QUIBI The short-form streaming platform Quibi made headlines leading up to it’s much anticipated launch in April of 2020. But things quickly went south after the launch as the platform struggled to reach subscriber goals, and began rapidly losing money. A look at Quibi’s digital advertising patterns exemplifies their pre-launch hype and quick fall from grace. Monthly Spend for Quibi $7 M 19% $5 M 28% 2% 2% $3 M 1% $1 M 3% 45% Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Desktop Display Mobile Display Mobile Video Desktop Video Facebook Twitter Instagram $8.1 M $1 M $968 K $19.5 M $1.3 M $364 K $12 M In Q1 of 2020, Quibi’s pre-launch strategy included a laser focus on desktop video, allocating around 85% of spend to the platform, over 90% of which was focused on YouTube. Popular ads including the phrase “I’ll be there in a Quibi” introduced the new platform in somewhat vague terms, promoting brand awareness and a trial of the platform. 3 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology. They may not accurately estimate the spend for any advertiser, and should be used for directional trend analysis. ny/path- Ctwcamp%5Es matics-inc/erp%7Ctwgr%5E author Since launch, spending has been less predictable. In Q2, desktop video spend drops down to zero, along with desktop display spend. Instagram is the only platform where significant spend continues, and even on this platform, spend is nearly half of what it was on YouTube during Q1. Now, in the midst of Q3, digital spend is slowly climbing again, this time with a focus on promoting specific TV shows. According to Deadline and data from Tubular Labs, this strategy spans across both digital and TV, where Quibi has also increased spend beginning in July. Will their new strategy help Quibi weather the second half of 2020? We’ll be watching. 4 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology. They may not accurately estimate the spend for any advertiser, and should be used for directional trend analysis. ny/path- Ctwcamp%5Es matics-inc/erp%7Ctwgr%5E author PLUTO TV Pluto TV, the free, live and on-demand streaming service, has actually been around since 2014--though from their ad strategy, you may not know it. Purchased by Viacom in March 2019, the company had little to no digital advertising presence until February of this year, when it placed itself in the center of the streaming wars, launching a new user interface and a distribution deal with Verizon. Monthly Spend for Pluto TV 20% 43% $500 K 4% $300 K 13% $100 K 19% Jan’19 Apr ‘19 Jul ‘19 Oct ‘19 Jan ‘20 Apr ‘20 Jul ‘20 Desktop Display Mobile Display Mobile Video Desktop Video Facebook Twitter Instagram $2 M $921 K $18 K $629 K $186 K $1 K $961 K Unlike Quibi, Pluto TV isn’t creating original content, so their focus is solely on brand awareness and gaining new subscribers. But, with almost half of their digital budget allocated to desktop display, and creatives that don’t entirely stand out, it’s not completely clear what audience they’re trying to reach with their newly revamped free service. And, while 20% of their budget went to Instagram, Pathmatics Explorer shows only 7 unique creatives on the channel so far this year, suggesting that the channel isn’t yet a major focus for the streaming service. 5 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology. They may not accurately estimate the spend for any advertiser, and should be used for directional trend analysis. ny/path- Ctwcamp%5Es matics-inc/erp%7Ctwgr%5E author Top sites for Pluto TV instagram.com cnet.com (CBS Interactive) 16% youtube.com 3% 21% reddit.com 4% adweek.com 4% scout.com 4% last.fm (CBS Interactive) 5% 20% tvguide.com (CBS Interactive) 6% facebook.com 7% 9% tv.com (CBS Interactive) Rest of Sites We’ll be watching how this free streaming service stacks up against the growing number of competitors as 2020 continues. Will they work to separate themselves from the pack, or take up a more video-focused strategy in the future? Only time will tell. 6 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology. They may not accurately estimate the spend for any advertiser, and should be used for directional trend analysis. ny/path- Ctwcamp%5Es matics-inc/erp%7Ctwgr%5E author TIK TOK Between talks of a Microsoft acquisition and a US ban by President Trump, the short-form video platform and social network Tik Tok has continued to make headlines in the second half of 2020. But even before the recent buzz, the platform has grown steadily over the past four years, amassing over a billion users globally, according to Seeking Alpha. While we don’t track ads on the Tik Tok platform (yet), we wanted to know how Tik Tok is getting in front of future app users, and if any of the recent buzz had changed their strategy. Year to date, the platform has spent over $5 Million on digital advertising, utilizing a diverse media mix that strongly favors display, especially beginning in early May when spending on mobile display jumped by 58% from June to July, and still rising in August. Monthly Spend for TIK TOK $900 K $700 K 19% 16% 1% $500 K 11% $300 K 35% 18% $100 K Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul 1% Desktop Display Mobile Display Mobile Video Desktop Video Facebook Twitter Instagram $841 K $1.8 M $34 K $939 K $568 K $30 K $963 K The reasoning behind the uptick in mobile display isn’t directly clear by their strategy, which features a diverse list of websites with broad audiences, including news, weather, and recipe sites. Five of the 10 most popular creatives on mobile display are basic banners, similar to the one pictured below. 7 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology. They may not accurately estimate the spend for any advertiser, and should be used for directional trend analysis. ny/path- Ctwcamp%5Es matics-inc/erp%7Ctwgr%5E author Top sites for TikTok 3% 3% 3% hometalk.com 2% 2% weather.com (The Weather Channel) 2% 2% yahoo.com 1% lotterypost.com 1% meaww.com forbes.com allrecipies.com (Meredith) 76% accuweather.com cargurus.com people.com (Time, Inc.) Rest of Sites 8 | Video Report https://twit- https://ww-ter.com/Path- w.linke- matics?ref_s- All data from Pathmatics Explorer as of 8-19-2020. Historical data for Instagram begins on 4-15-2020. Pathmatics spend estimates are based on our din.com/- rc=tws- compa- rc%5Egoogle%7 proprietary panel and spend methodology.