This week we're breaking down:

• The Highlights:
  • Unpacking the Q1 2022 ad spend of the top three streaming platforms 
• Time to Get Listening:
  • Discussing the rise of Snapchat for marketers with Matt McGowan of Snap Canada

• #MarketingTwitter:
  
  • Diving into threads that cover the top tech stacks in e-comm, storytelling vs. product benefit-focused TikTok ads, and understanding five levels of customer awareness in marketing

THE BATTLE OF THE STREAMING SERVICES

As the streaming industry continues to become even more saturated and cutthroat, here's a look at how the top platforms are battling it out to catch prospective users' attention.

First things first, let's look at the top three spenders in Q1 2022 in the United States. The contenders include:

1. HBO Max ($133M advertising spend)
2. Paramount Plus ($98M advertising spend)
3. Disney+ ($73M advertising spend)

What is interesting to note is that each streaming service has a different approach to its top-funnel ad content strategy. 

REDUCED PRICING

HBO Max's top ad for Q1 '22 was published on Facebook with a $1.8M spend and an $8.70 CPM. The ad celebrates the opportunity to experience Euphoria (HBO's second top-performing tv show after Game of Thrones at 16.3M average viewers) for a discounted rate of $7.99 as opposed to $9.99 for one year. 

FREE TRIAL PERIOD

Paramount Plus' top ad for Q1 '22 was a Display ad that promotes three new tv shows with the subheading "Try it for free". The landing page for the ad highlights the different programs available and offers a 7-day free trial. The ad ran for $1.1M with a CPM of $7.84.

STREAMING SERVICE BUNDLE

Disney+'s top promotion ad of Q1 '22 is a bundle offer for Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ for $13.99 a month. By tapping into its ownership of the ABC broadcast network, Disney was able to leverage the other streaming platforms in their network as compliments for each other as opposed to competitors. Disney spent $1.3M on the ad with a CPM of $8.66.

SNAPCHAT FOR THE WIN?

Believe it or not, #Snapchat is growing faster than #Facebook and #Twitter. 📈

As someone skeptical of Snap Inc. since it first went public in 2017, it's been a pleasant surprise to see the platform stabilize, innovate and grow.

👨‍👩‍👦 Daily Active Users grew 18% year-over-year reaching 332 million

🤑 Revenue grew 38% year-over-year to $1.06B – its third consecutive quarter of $1B+

🕶️ Over 250 million Snapchatters engaged with augmented reality on a daily basis which is over 75% of its daily active users and more than all of the daily active users on Twitter

For marketers, this platform has always been a bit of a mystery but there's no denying that as the platform grows (especially with younger audiences), it should be considered as part of a marketing mix.

On this episode of What's Working in Marketing, I spoke with Snap's Matt McGowan about:

🚪 How Snap is opening up new doors to marketers through innovative technology like AR and more.

👪 The power of Snapchat's audience, including their unrivaled engagement amongst individuals aged 13-34.

😢 What marketers are missing when it comes to including Snapchat in their marketing channel mix.

📢 How Snap is continuing to dive into content production and distribution agreements and what that means for marketers.

Listen to the full episode on your platform of choice via the link below. 👇

THREE TWEETS

Here are three Tweets you should check out this week:

1. The best e-comm tech stack

2. Split testing storytelling vs. product benefit-focused TikTok ads

3. Understanding customer awareness in marketing

In case you missed any previous versions, check them out via the links below.

1. What's Working in Marketing - How do users see Snapchat?
2. What's Working in Marketing - Into the metaverse
3. What's Working in Marketing - Jameson's 'Orange' Pinterest Takeover