The Holiday season has started, and spending forecasts are through the roof. According to eMarketer, over $1.3 trillion projected for 2024 retail sales—a 4.8% year-over-year increase. As the Holidays approach, brands must maximize their local advertising ROI by using the platforms where customers are most engaged—streaming video and local broadcast TV. Daily time spent on streaming platforms has surged by 129%, now averaging 3 hours and 12 minutes, while broadcast viewing remains steady at 3 hours and 46 minutes, according to the GfK TVB Media Comparisons Study from 2021 to 2024. These channels provide unmatched opportunities to connect with Holiday shoppers through dynamic, targeted content. Below are three Holiday video ad strategies designed to maximize your ROI through impactful, locally relevant content:
Strategy #1: Focus on High-Impact Markets
In the competitive Holiday landscape, one-size-fits-all national campaigns can fall short—especially in markets where brands need a stronger presence. To truly maximize ROI, brands should identify and prioritize high-impact markets where tailored, geo-targeted ads can deepen local engagement and capture market share more effectively. For example, a retailer struggling to regain footing in a specific market can move beyond broad national messaging to reach consumers directly where it counts. By focusing on these key regions, brands can achieve the level of visibility and connection that drives holiday sales success.
Tactics:
- Work with a partner who brings together premium inventory from multiple streaming publishers and platforms to ensure maximum reach within your high-priority areas. By targeting specific communities or regions, your ads will resonate more effectively with local audiences, allowing you to connect with consumers in ways that align with their unique Holiday traditions and preferences.
- Leverage data insights to identify specific markets, communities, or regions that may be underserved by broader campaigns. Tools like Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) can help pinpoint these segments, allowing you to adjust targeting for incremental reach. By focusing on these audiences, you’ll connect with more potential customers throughout the Holiday season, expanding your brand’s local impact.
- Incorporate broadcast TV into your strategy to expand reach within your priority markets. By layering broadcast with streaming ads, you ensure your message reaches a broader audience, boosting visibility and reinforcing your presence within communities.
Strategy #2: Drive Urgency with Locally-Targeted Time-Sensitive Offers
Holiday shoppers operate on tight timelines, making time-sensitive, locally-relevant offers an effective way to create urgency and drive action. For instance, a quick-service restaurant (QSR) offering a limited-time peppermint milkshake in select markets can leverage locally-targeted ads to highlight the seasonal treat, creating excitement and exclusivity. By focusing on specific regions where the item is available, brands can reach Holiday shoppers when they’re most likely to act, boosting foot traffic and engagement in local communities.
Tactics:
- Capture attention with streaming video ads featuring flash sales or “limited-time only” offers, using countdown clocks to create urgency. In the QSR example, streaming ads could feature a timer or end date, reinforcing that the peppermint milkshake is “only available in your area this Holiday season!” This tactic ensures the promotion feels both immediate and locally exclusive.
- Build anticipation with sequential messaging. Use AI-driven creative to deliver a sequence of ads tailored to hyper-local areas, adapting throughout the Holiday season to build momentum around time-based promotions.
- Schedule broadcast TV ads during high-viewership programming in targeted markets, such as Holiday movie marathons or popular evening news segments. This ensures your limited-time Holiday offer reaches local audiences when they’re more engaged, boosting visibility and driving traffic during key shopping times.
Strategy #3: Maximize Your Local Relevance with AI-Enhanced Creative and Broadcast Station Integrations
Stand out this Holiday season by delivering hyper-localized content on streaming platforms while building trust through in-show broadcast TV integrations. AI-enhanced streaming ads allow brands to create personalized messages that feel relevant to each viewer’s location, while placements on local broadcast TV featuring familiar community personalities deepen engagement and credibility. This dual approach amplifies your reach across digital and traditional platforms, ensuring your brand resonates with Holiday shoppers in a meaningful way.
Tactics:
- Use AI to personalize streaming ads with local references, seasonal themes, or community-specific visuals. This level of customization helps your brand feel relevant to each viewer’s location, increasing engagement and Holiday resonance.
- Partner with major broadcast stations to place your brand within locally produced shows featuring trusted local talent. This native approach builds familiarity and credibility, helping your brand connect with viewers where they’re already engaged.
- Reinforce your message by combining AI-driven streaming ads with broadcast integrations. This strategy ensures consistent local relevance, expanding your reach and maximizing the impact of your Holiday campaign across both streaming and broadcast channels.
At Locality, we offer unmatched access to 150+ premium streaming channels and 400+ local broadcast stations, providing your brand with the scale and precision needed to reach Holiday shoppers where they’re most engaged. Our new product, Reach+, simplifies local ad buying by uniting the strengths of streaming and broadcast media, allowing brands to achieve greater control, efficiency, and impact across multiple platforms.
With a single point of contact and a robust suite of tools—ranging from access to ACR data insights and AI-powered creative to real-time campaign measurement—Locality is equipped to tailor your Holiday advertising strategy for maximum ROI. Contact us today to discover how Locality can help your brand connect authentically with key local audiences and drive impactful results across high priority markets this Holiday season.