With the growth of online shopping and entertainment, consumers are spending more time on connected devices than ever before, and these devices are becoming a key part of their daily lives. Connected TV (CTV) has emerged as a way for advertisers to interact with these customers in a way that allows them to not only reach but connect with audiences through quality content. Increasingly advertisers are considering connected solutions such as streaming TV (STV) to create those interactions, and with the launch of Prime Video ads, brands have access to compelling and creative ways to reach customers on one of the largest premium ad-supported streaming services.
A recent report from Kantar and Amazon Ads titled “Connected Consumers Canada” highlights the growth and engagement of the CTV audience, and emphasizes the importance of connecting with customers with the right message at the right time.
Drawing insights from a survey of 1,000 Canadian adults, the report explores the behaviour of “Connected Consumers” – individuals engaging with smart devices or streaming services at least once monthly. Key findings show that a whopping 91% of general consumers fall within this category. Moreover, within this cohort, 68% are “Amazon Connected Consumers,” actively using Amazon’s streaming and entertainment solutions, including Amazon Music, Fire TV, Fire Tablet, Amazon Echo Show, Twitch or Prime Video. A subset of this group comprising 64% are “Amazon Connected Video Customers,” those who own and use Amazon Fire TV devices like a Fire Stick TV, Fire TV Cube or Smart Fire TV.
The Amazon Connected Consumers are more likely to be younger adults (+13%), have an annual household income of $40K (+4%), or are more likely to be parents (+11%) compared to the general audience.
Amazon Connected Consumers are avid video streamers (96%), with the vast majority of these streamers (98%) engaging weekly.
More than half of the Amazon Connected Consumers expect significant life events or changes within the next 12 months, including pursuing post-high school education (+33%), entrepreneurship (+17%), or home ownership (+17%). This presents advertisers with a great opportunity to tailor their messaging to align with these pivotal life stages.
The Amazon Connected Video Customer prefers ads that are aligned with the content they are watching and ads that are relevant to them. While these customers watch a variety of content, preferences skew toward genres like comedy (68%), drama (60%) and action (57%). With this in mind, it’s important for advertisers to produce video ad content that align with these content preferences. Advertisers should begin thinking of CTV as a complimentary strategy to linear buying, as 45% of the Amazon Connected Video Customers are cord cutters. So, how can advertisers make sure they are still connecting and engaging with their customers as they increasingly move towards streaming? Amazon Ads has an array of connected TV solutions from full-screen, non-skippable ads, to virtual product placement that let advertisers deliver their message on the largest screen in the home and tell your story to a leaned-in audience[1].And of course, Prime Video Ads, where advertisers now have the opportunity to reach Prime Video’s streaming audiences alongside premium content.
Read more on Amazon and Kantar’s Connected Consumers Canada report here (Member Access Only).
[1] Connected Worlds Script, 2023