From ad platforms and data fragmentation to the guessing game of targeting and analytics, the experience of navigating the ad-buying landscape is a complex matrix. The reality is that the future of digital advertising is now hybrid, collaborative, and agile. It’s an industry shift that requires marketers to deeply understand their customer’s unique journey.

Microsoft and Roku recently collaborated on the white paper “Reimagining Cross-Channel Measurement.” The white paper analyzes how Roku TV streaming ads, Microsoft Audience Ads, and paid and organic search on Bing work together. The research, which centered on the ways in which ads influence consumer behavior, revealed three new opportunities to improve your ad buys:

Opportunity #1: Activate a multichannel ad strategy

The white paper shows that leveraging a multi-channel approach can help elevate campaigns. With data focused on maximizing cross-channel performance, two key insights were uncovered:

• Roku TV streaming ads drive people to click ads to learn more. Exposure to both retail TV streaming and Audience Ads, regardless of order, drove significant lifts: 6% in searches and 11% in clicks on the search engine results page, respectively.
• TV streaming and Audience Ads work better together to drive online action. The impact of TV streaming was greater for retailers when combined with Audience Ads, revealing a 16% increase in searches and a 2% increase in clicks.

Opportunity #2: Understand unique consumer behavior

Microsoft and Roku grouped retail customers into unique personas based on their streaming and search habits. Two personas were identified for retailers to hone-in on their targeting: “everyday viewers” and “impressionable viewers.”

For the retail advertiser, “everyday viewers” make up the most Roku TV streaming viewers. This group engaged with a Microsoft Audience Ad 18 days after seeing a Roku TV streaming ad. “everyday viewers” were exposed to one Roku TV streaming ad on average and used three distinct terms while searching.

“Impressionable viewers” engaged with a Microsoft Audience Ad 36 days after being exposed to a Roku TV streaming ad. They were exposed to one Roku TV streaming ad before interacting with a Microsoft Audience Ad and used three distinct terms while searching.

Opportunity #3: Implement specific targeting methods

The data shows that three key targeting strategies can help you effectively reach your retail customer:

• Dayparting: Following exposure to a retail Roku TV streaming ad, there was a 110% lift in searches on Sundays and a 73% lift in searches on Saturdays.
• Flighting: Retail consumers continue to stay engaged, with 31% of searches and 32% of clicks happening after three weeks after exposure to an Audience Ad and TV streaming ad.
• Frequency: Retail consumers who were exposed to retail Microsoft Audience Ads at some point in their journey saw the strongest post-search lift—240%—after seeing seven to 10 Roku ads.

By transitioning toward a multichannel strategy, leveraging unique consumer behavior insights, and targeting your ads on specific days and times, you can say goodbye to fragmented buying experiences and the challenge of full-funnel measurement. A more streamlined and impactful ad-buying experience is now within reach when you leverage data from Microsoft and Roku’s white paper.

Are you a technology or travel retailer? Great news: In addition to retail, Microsoft and Roku studied your customers’ behaviors, too. For more on how you can integrate these three opportunities into your next strategy planning session, download the full white paper, “Reimagining Cross-Channel Measurement.”