Linear TV continues to be a 'powerhouse platform' for D2C brands

In the kaleidoscopic landscape of media and marketing, TV’s presence remains paramount particularly for new and emerging Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands looking to scale up. Television in India possesses an exclusive advantage with 88% of its audiences watching together having shared experiences and presenting an unrivalled opportunity for D2C brands to reach, engage, and retain a diverse, yet targeted audience.

The professionally generated content on TV makes it a powerhouse platform for brands by delivering sticky & high attention viewing in contrast to fragmented and distracted consumption across user generated platforms. This elevates the discovery of new and emerging D2C brands by consumers and makes them a household name very quickly. A well-executed TV ad builds sustained impact and leaves an imprint of the brand message long after the ad was seen. Linear TV establishes a bridge between the offline and online worlds, encouraging potential customers to explore more about the brand, its offerings, and its values.

 “Linear TV’s ‘big screen’ advantage builds long-term memory structures for brands, which is far more important for new brands," said Aditi Mishra, CEO, Lodestar UM, during a panel discussion at the recently concluded exchange4media’s D2C Revolution Summit 2023.

The sheer scale of linear TV is simply unparalleled with a universe of nearly 900 million, it can introduce a brand to a massive audience that is inaccessible via other platforms. The presence of HD channels offers affluent audiences at scale willing to experiment with new brands & experiences even at a significant premium to the market average. Over 1 of 4 Indian homes watch HD channels giving D2C brands a compelling opportunity to not only expand their reach among a relevant audience but also achieve greater efficiency and reduce the cost of acquiring customers (CAC). 

The linguistic diversity of India visible in the varied content consumption and preference for regional channels has enabled new & emerging D2C brands to leverage TV and address audiences exclusive to specific geographies. While endorsing the power of regional TV channels, Ravi Kabra, Co-founder, Skippi Ice Pops said that they decided to tap the regional markets of AP/Telangana and Gujarat. "The results were amazing. We connected with the audience very fast. We got incoming leads for people who wanted to become stockists. Call flows increased to nearly 3X to 4X times in a day. Our product was being picked up immediately. It was a great move for us, and we will be doing it more often". Presence of regional TV channels have lowered entry costs for D2C brands who can now start small on TV, test & learn before building up to a pan-India campaign.

Nothing comes close to the power of TV’s great characters that lifts brands create a sense of aspiration as well as credibility about the quality of their offerings. According to 4700BC’s Chirag Gupta, when a brand comes to the stage of reaching out to audiences via TV, they need popular faces who have a sense of connection with the viewers. "The influencers in the digital medium only talk to their segment of audience. TV influencers have a wider reach," said Gupta.

Finally, Linear TV is also fully brand safe and de-risks brands from any missteps online. It remains a potent asset for new and emerging D2C brands. Its ability to capture high viewer attention, high reach, leverage regional channels for specific market outreach and powerful yet authentic characters reinforce its standing as an indispensable platform in the marketing plans. The adage of "TV advertising might not be the newest kid on the block, but it sure is the most impactful one!" continues to ring loud & clear.

(This is advertorial content curated by partner team)