“On TV & Video” is a column exploring opportunities and challenges in advanced TV and video.
TV advertising is complicated enough without also having to worry about child-focused privacy regulations.
But buyers and sellers need to consider the nuances when it comes to reaching and engaging children.
Kids are not just shorter adults, said Sharon Kroll Cohen, CMO of Sensical, an ad-supported streaming service for kids backed by Common Sense Networks, a company that focuses on creating and distributing safe media experiences for young people.
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) restricts the amount and types of data that can be used to target advertising to children under the age of 13. Compliance is critical (if you don’t want to get a letter from the FTC). But there are other concerns when it comes to child-targeted advertising.
For example, kids are not a homogenous audience. Content that resonates with a 12-year-old is typically quite different than a media environment that’s suited for a 2-year-old, Cohen said.
“Kids embody fandom,” said Cohen, who joined Sensical last year after stints at Viacom (now Paramount) and Nickelodeon. When a kid gets interested in something such as, say, sports or dinosaurs, “it permeates every aspect of their lives,” she said.
Which is why it’s critical for brands and media sellers to curate meaningful content experiences.
Although Sensical sells ad inventory at the series level, it distributes programming based on category. Children can choose a genre from a drop-down menu, and Sensical streams channels to match that genre. That way, Cohen said, marketers can be confident they’re running against content that’s not just brand safe but also relevant enough to make an impact.
Cohen spoke with AdExchanger.
AdExchanger: Most children today have almost no exposure to traditional cable TV. How are they consuming content?
SHARON KROLL COHEN: Kids now consume content in so many different ways.
We have an on-demand video offering and a function that plays linear networks and FAST channels based on a topic or genre and we program content by the episode rather than by the series. We tag episodes based on category so we can integrate specific episodes into different channels that align with whatever categories of content a child has chosen.
What is Sensical’s advertising strategy?
Our content is ad-supported so we can keep it free. But we want to keep advertising as safe and appropriate for kids as possible.
Sensical vets advertisers and creative in a similar way to how we vet our programming content. We also don’t allow ads to link off of the platform, nor do we track user activity on the platform for advertising or measurement on other channels.
We also make sure kids have the ability to discern the difference between programming and paid advertising. For example, content has what we call bumpers between ad breaks, which are basically slates that say things like, “Now you’re hearing a message from our sponsor,” or, “Now you’re coming back to Sensical.”
The streaming space is highly competitive. How does Sensical attract ad dollars?
Our age-appropriate standards make us distinct. Our platform is certified COPPA compliant, so parents can trust that we apply the same high safety measures to both content and advertising.
Advertisers also want to ensure they’re running against brand-safe content, so COPPA compliance is a value prop for buyers, too.
The challenge is that advertisers are typically looking for performance-based metrics, such as return on ad spend, and that’s harder to offer in kids media because the data tracking is much, much more limited than in other media environments.
Does Sensical offer contextual advertising?
Advertisers can choose to market against content that’s contextually relevant for their brand. We curate inventory for advertisers based on category or theme at the series level. A sportswear company, for example, can choose to advertise on our sports channel.
But how do you measure or determine success for ads served to kids?
Reach and frequency, for the most part. Sensical can frequency cap, but we can’t track who the audience actually is. Many brands working with Sensical are looking to bolster brand lift and brand loyalty.
Tracking kids is restricted. Does Sensical have any way to do performance marketing?
Yes, by bifurcating our targets for marketing. Sensical sees parents as customer acquisition targets, and considers retention metrics for kids.
We’re able to use performance marketing off of our platform when we’re messaging to parents, including on digital, social and in search environments. Our goal is getting parents to bring their kids onto the platform and then keeping kids there with engaging content. For kids, we have distinct content and advertising techniques based on age group.
Can you elaborate?
Content and advertising on Sensical are divided into three different age groups, spanning from two to 10 years old.
On the younger end of the spectrum, we know there’s a lot of co-viewing with parents, so the ad messaging is for the parent. For the older age segments, ad messaging is for the kids because that’s who’s mostly using the platform.
But, either way, we know we’re talking to kids on our platform. That’s why our ads don’t link out, and we’re not tracking user behavior.
How is Sensical working with creators?
Kids also like short-form video, so we source trusted, digital-first creators with age-appropriate content that we can activate across our platform through long-term partnerships. Sometimes these creators make TikToks, and sometimes they produce promotional video content for Sensical.
You were promoted from VP of marketing to CMO in September. What are your priorities now?
Increasing brand awareness of our platform among parents and kids, and FAST channels are a great way to do this.
We can use FAST channels to lean into kids’ passion points by delivering content against a category or theme, which makes the channels highly engaging for kids and more attractive to advertisers.
FAST channels are also a great cross-marketing opportunity to drive more viewership to our on-demand offerings.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
