Advertising’s Strategic Advantage

The Sales Director of bTV Media Group, Dessislava Proeva, with a forecast for the advertising industry in an interview for Forbes Bulgaria

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In recent years, brand owners have completely rethought their attitude towards investments in advertising - they no longer see them as a cost, but as a strategic advantage.

The cumulative challenges of the last few years have given us plenty of reasons to be firmly convinced that it is through advertising, visibility and image presence that business sustainability, a broader consumer base and a more stable and defensible price point are secured.

And the context in which 2023 starts is putting intense pressure on businesses around the world and will further change the mindset of all executives, especially those in marketing and communications.

We have general political instability, war in Ukraine, climate anomalies, economic uncertainty driven by rising inflation and energy security risk, social consumers and drives decisions at the point of purchase.

At bTV Media Group, we definitely know how to attract and retain the attention of the audience. Our focus is where the consumers are - compelling TV, radio and digital content that builds a strong connection with people and provokes their emotions with touching stories in a very rich information environment. Technology will continue to change the face of the powerful stories we tell.

THE ADVERTISING MARKET WILL REMAIN ACTIVE IN 2023

Industry-wide expectations are that brands will continue to maintain and expand their media presence to unleash the potential of their capabilities. We will see the introduction of new brands and services, and a range of strategies to gain market share.

Few brands will opt for more passive communication strategies, because in the industry we have long known that when a brand stops advertising, it simultaneously stops being visible, enabling competing brands to stand out. Nothing gives a greater advantage than visibility, and nothing gives better visibility and strategic advantage than advertising.

There are so many topics that excite the consumer and the viewer, and brands know that the effect of evoked emotion remains the most stable. This effect is achieved with the whole range of audio-visual techniques that the advertising and media industry uses, including the creative teams of agencies and companies that keep the wheel of the industry in constant motion.

We're incredibly lucky in our day-to-day work to work with agencies and clients with whom together we inspire campaigns that stay in people's minds for a long time. The public trusts brands that are loyal to them and are always around, especially in times of hardship, and brands know how important it is to get noticed.

I have already mentioned that digital media and television are the main pillars of the advertising market. High quality TV content in all its forms will continue to drive over half of advertising investment in this country.

We see it enjoying a very high resilience, unlike some performance media which for last quarter confirmed an expected slowdown. Radio advertising will also maintain its position in brands' strategies given its unique characteristics.

PEOPLE OF ACTIVE AGE ARE "LINGERING MORE OFTEN" IN FRONT OF THE TV SCREEN

The Bulgarian viewer's appetite for entertainment is at its absolute peak and audiences are looking to recognise themselves in the diverse characters on screen - both in TV shows and reality formats.

The most resonant plots are those that tell human stories and make us feel emotions that linger in our minds long after - laughter, love, comedy and drama. There is a huge interest in the very formats and causes that bring us closer to what makes us human - health, the art of good food, love, family, the thirst for adventure and the exotic.

The socially responsible mission of PPF Group (of which bTV Media Group is part of) is to support and initiate projects that develop civil society and are based on shared ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) standards as part of sustainable and responsible investing. Our flagship primetime titles are the first TV programmes in our country to be certified by albert, the organisation that has been supporting environmental sustainability in the TV and film industry for over 10 years, in collaboration with BAFTA.

Alongside this, our daily lives are saturated with events whose timely and reliable coverage is of definite importance to the viewer who insists on being as informed as possible from sources they trust.

We will continue to support a range of causes and, as we have repeatedly demonstrated, we are prepared to reorganise our resources in the short term to benefit public interest initiatives where necessary. A huge focus is also being placed on content in news broadcasts, current affairs and access to information on any device and at any time.

In Bulgaria, television is present in the homes of over 95% of people and there is hardly a family member who does not choose to watch the classic form of television broadcasting at least once a day - live, in real time.

Even among younger viewers, average daily viewing is increasing on an audience share basis*. The occasions are varied, as are the audience segments. Still, we're talking about the most mainstream of mainstream media. We see that, globally too, interaction with the big screen in people's homes is a new strategic focus. Depending on age groups, there will continue to be a variety of upgrades to the experience using a second or third mobile screen.

People of active age and in urban environments keep up to date with the news and topics of the day, almost all have a need for entertainment and follow the discussions with the diverse guests in the publicity shows.

This is complemented by the more classic family type of viewing. Topics in political and social life that generate real-time conversations and require topicality and timely response from journalists have created a habit within the general population to follow the voices from the screen, while the prime-time shows as well as the charge of the established formats generate excitement in doses that suit the diversity of age groups.