Connected TV, or CTV for short, has revolutionized the way we watch television. With the rise of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, more people are leaving traditional cable and satellite subscriptions to watch TV over the Internet. As a result, marketers strive to adapt to this new era of television advertising, and one of the most effective strategies they use is audience segmentation.

Audience segmentation is the process of dividing a target market into smaller, defined groups based on shared characteristics or behaviors. In the context of CTV advertising, this means identifying groups of viewers who are more likely to respond positively to your ads and tailoring the content and delivery of your ad to fit their preferences.

So, how can we segment CTV audiences? There are several factors we can consider:

Demographics

The most basic way to segment your audience is by demographics, such as age, gender, income, and location. This information can be obtained from user accounts, device settings, or third-party data sources. For example, if you're advertising a luxury car, you can target viewers who are male, over 35 years old, and earn above a certain income threshold.

Interests

Another way to segment the audience is by interests or affinities. This can be done by analyzing viewing data, search history, or social media activity. For example, if you're advertising a new video game, you can target viewers who have shown interest in gaming-related content.

Behavior

Behavior-based segmentation takes into account the actions viewers take while watching TV, such as skipping ads, rewinding content, or changing channels. This can provide valuable insights into what types of ads are more likely to resonate with the target audience. For example, if a particular group of viewers is more likely to skip ads, you can try to make the ads more engaging or entertaining to capture their attention.

Context

Finally, context-based segmentation takes into account the content viewers are consuming at a given time. This can be done by analyzing program data, user preferences, or real-time viewing data. For example, if you're advertising a new kitchen product, you can target viewers watching food-related content.

Once the target audience segments have been identified, you can begin to tailor the content and delivery of the ads to fit their preferences. For example, you can create different versions of an ad with different messages or calls to action or use different ad formats, such as pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ads. You can also use programmatic advertising tools to deliver your ads to specific viewers based on their segment, time of day, or device.