Rediscovering Human-Centered Strategies for Effective Video Advertising in the Post-Digital Era
It's time that marketers, in the Post digital age, blend the time-tested principles of linear & traditional TV planning, with the flexibility and precision of digital. It’s time to stop treating advertising like a numbers game and rediscover the importance of strategic, human-centred media planning.
In the pursuit of maximizing digital performance, the marketing world has long fixated on CPMs, clicks, and impressions—often at the expense of consumer experience. The result? Unchecked video campaigns that bombard audiences, valuing raw numbers over meaningful engagement.
As we step into the Post-Digital era, where Connected TV (CTV) is becoming a cornerstone of video advertising, this approach isn’t just outdated—it’s actively harming brands.
CTV places digital video ads in the heart of the home, on the biggest screen, in shared viewing environments. But this intimate, distraction-free context demands more thoughtful strategies. The principles of effective media planning from the linear TV era, grounded in deep consumer understanding, must be rediscovered and adapted. It’s time to move beyond the obsession with exposure volume and revisit humanistic, research-backed principles that ensure long-term brand success.
The Perils of Excessive Frequency on CTV
CTV is rapidly growing as households “cut the cord” and embrace streaming platforms. Advertisers are seizing this opportunity to reach audiences through the most-viewed screen in the house. However, applying high-frequency tactics from online video campaigns to CTV is proving to be a mistake.
When the same ad appears repeatedly—sometimes multiple times in a single viewing session—viewers become frustrated and disengaged. This frustration is magnified in the living room, where TV watching is often a shared activity. Instead of fostering trust and interest, brands risk alienating entire households.
Picture this: A family sits down to watch a movie, only to be interrupted by the same poorly targeted ad three or four times in one evening. The collective groans and channel-switching that follow are not just moments of irritation—they’re active signals of audience rejection. For brands, this represents a long-term threat: diminished trust, reduced effectiveness, and a potentially damaged reputation.
The Role of Effective Frequency in CTV Campaigns
At its core, advertising success isn’t measured by sheer repetition but by finding the right balance—known in media planning as effective frequency. This is the optimal number of times a viewer needs to see an ad for it to make an impact without causing fatigue.
Historically, research has shown that three to five exposures in a campaign wave are often enough to achieve memorability and influence behavior. Beyond this threshold, the law of diminishing returns kicks in: further repetition does little to improve brand recall and risks frustrating the audience.
On CTV, excessive frequency is especially problematic because ads are inescapable—occupying the entire screen in a distraction-free environment. Unlike ads on mobile or desktop, where consumers might scroll past or ignore them, CTV ads are front and center. This gives them immense potential for impact but also makes missteps, like overexposure, all the more damaging.
Brands must resist the temptation to chase endless impressions and instead cap ad frequency strategically. The focus should shift from how often a message is delivered to how effectively it resonates.
Copy Wearout: A Silent Brand Killer
Another often-overlooked factor in CTV planning is copy wearout—when an ad loses its effectiveness because it’s been overplayed. A once-compelling creative can quickly become stale and irritating, leading viewers to tune it out or, worse, develop negative associations with the brand.
This issue is particularly pronounced on CTV platforms, where the same ad might appear across multiple streaming services, devices, and viewing sessions. Unlike linear TV, where ads are rotated and refreshed frequently, many digital platforms lack robust creative rotation strategies. This makes wearout happen faster and more acutely.
To avoid this, brands need to embrace creative rotation. For example:
A core 30-second ad could introduce the brand’s message.
Shorter six-second variations could then reinforce that message in subsequent exposures.
Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) tools can personalize and sequence ads intelligently, keeping them fresh and relevant to the viewer.
By diversifying creative assets and planning rotations, brands can sustain engagement and prevent fatigue.
Blending Old and New: A Post-Digital Media Planning Framework
In the Post-Digital era, the most effective CTV strategies will combine the rigor of traditional TV planning with the precision of modern digital tools. This hybrid approach respects the audience’s experience while maximizing impact. Here’s how:
Audience Understanding
Effective campaigns start with a deep understanding of the audience. Different households have different viewing behaviors, and advertising should reflect that. For example, parents watching with children may prefer family-friendly messaging, while younger adults might respond better to humor or cause-driven themes.Thoughtful audience segmentation allows brands to deliver personalized messages that resonate in the context of their viewing environment.
Effective Frequency and Frequency Capping
To avoid overexposure, brands must implement cross-platform frequency caps. Three to five exposures per campaign wave is typically the sweet spot. Managing frequency across platforms—whether it’s YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or a smart TV app—is essential to prevent viewer fatigue.Creative Rotation
Diverse creative assets keep campaigns fresh. Rotating messages and experimenting with formats (e.g., 30-second, 15-second, and six-second variations) ensures viewers remain engaged without feeling bombarded.Cross-Platform Integration
CTV is just one touchpoint in a broader ecosystem. A cohesive strategy should align messaging across all channels—TV, social, desktop, and mobile. This holistic approach ensures consistency while preventing oversaturation in any one environment.
A New Mandate for Advertisers in the Post-Digital Era
For decades, advertising has balanced the art of emotional resonance with the science of audience targeting. But in the race to capitalize on digital metrics, many marketers have lost sight of the human beings on the other side of the screen.
At ReMotive Media, we believe it’s time to reclaim these humanistic principles. Advertising isn’t about yelling louder or more often—it’s about creating connections that drive lasting brand growth.
Excessive frequency, copy wearout, and dehumanized strategies risk alienating audiences and undermining brand equity. The solution lies in blending data-driven precision with time-tested media planning wisdom. By focusing on effective frequency, creative rotation, and audience-first strategies, brands can make meaningful connections that inspire action.
As the world’s first Post-Digital Media Agency, ReMotive Media is uniquely positioned to guide brands in navigating this landscape. By making media work smarter—not just louder—we help brands #MakeDifferentHappen.
Because in the end, it’s not about reaching the most people—it’s about reaching them the right way.
