A crowd-sourced list of marketers’ favorite TV ad formats right now
For our New TV for Drummies buyers’ guide, this week’s edition of Agency Advice asks top marketers in the space a very simple question: what ad units, formats and strategies are pushing TV forward right now?Ad spend keeps on shifting from traditional TV to the wide, varied and acronym-heavy world of streaming and its relatives – just last week, Kantar’s Media Reactions 2025 report put a number on that shift: over the next year, 26% of marketers are planning to decrease their spend on linear TV, while 54% plan to increase spend on streaming.Those numbers will come as no surprise to any marketer; in recent years, we’ve seen the ecosystem of ‘the new TV’ evolve into a behemoth that promises all sorts of things that marketers have formerly only dreamed of: in addressable media, there’s the promise of personalization. Through a legion of adtech, there’s the promise of a wealth of data previously only dreamed about. Through a proliferation of formats and ad units, there’s the promise of an ad landscape more fully controllable and customizable to the advertiser than ever before. Read more here
This inquiry, part of a larger guide aimed at helping marketers understand the "New TV" landscape, sought to identify the key elements driving innovation and effectiveness in TV advertising. The shift in ad spend is undeniable. Kantar's Media Reactions 2025 report revealed that 26% of marketers plan to reduce their linear TV investments in the coming year, while a significant 54% intend to boost their spending on streaming platforms.
This change reflects the allure of the "New TV" ecosystem, a space characterized by a multitude of options promising greater control and customization for advertisers. Addressable media allows for personalized messaging, while advanced advertising technology offers access to unprecedented levels of data. The proliferation of various ad formats and units creates a landscape where advertisers can tailor their campaigns to specific audiences and achieve previously unattainable levels of precision.
The survey aimed to pinpoint which specific ad units and strategies are proving most successful in this new environment. By gathering insights from marketers at the forefront of this shift, the study provides valuable guidance for those seeking to optimize their TV advertising efforts and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the evolving media landscape. The results offer a glimpse into the future of TV advertising, highlighting the formats and approaches that are driving engagement and delivering results for brands in the age of streaming.