Co-viewing is a term with many meanings and there is no set standard when engaging with this very valuable audience.

The interpretations of what co-viewing means can vary. To some, co-viewing means kids, and to others, it defines a couple consuming content together. There’s another group who thinks about a family watching a movie together or friends gathering to watch the latest episode of a favorite program or sporting event.

One thing is true, this audience is key to achieving campaign goals and creating an engaged, interactive environment.

When people co-view, a lot of chatter is happening throughout the content, as well as the commercial breaks. This creates a space to ask questions, laugh at creatives and discuss topics together. It’s become an experience of togetherness and minimizes the opportunity to shift focus to secondary devices, leave the room or become distracted. What is happening is conversations surrounding the ads are brought to the forefront and that increases potential for product purchasing – visiting an amusement park, being influenced on vacation destinations and being directed towards what movies to see and/or where to eat dinner.

Young, diverse consumers have made the shift from linear to streaming, and it’s important for brands to follow suit. There are so many options and ways to consume content that there’s fatigue across the landscape. The current model is very expensive, and this is where ad supported channels/apps come into play.

Take it a step further, free- to- consumer ad-supported channels/apps help brands reach an untapped audience. Working publisher direct allows brands to customize campaigns to meet initiatives and goals within a controlled environment. Utilizing contextual targeting helps brands align with relevant content which in return keeps the viewer’s attention. If there’s an emotional connection with a brand’s creative, use emotional alignment to have continuity. Resonance equals relevance.

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Going above and beyond the commercial breaks is a great way for the consumers to learn more about brands and content. Add exciting advertising products that will increase engagement and it’s the perfect scenario.

Interactive ad placements, like carousels embedded in the home page with beautiful graphics, have the ability to house additional content, behind the scenes features, new capabilities and enable the co-viewers to take deeper dives down the purchasing funnel. Another interactive ad format that resonates is pause ads where a trivia question activates while content is stopped, gets the audience talking, and the exciting world of gaming extends the attention further. This is a pivotal time for brands to weave messaging into the narratives of publishers by taking advantage of these immersive opportunities.

This is a great chance for brands to reach this audience. We are living in a time where consumers’ purchasing decisions are heavily influenced, especially by children. Families make decisions together. Well done ad creatives get families invested in upcoming events or new products to try.

Nearly every category can excel by including the family genre.

Insurance is a category that follows the family through life moments; marriage, buying a house, having a baby, buying a new car and becoming empty nesters. The same can be said for the auto industry. Whether it’s Travel, CPG, QSR or Retail, this is your opportunity to begin the journey of brand loyalty that will continue for years to come.

Add all these concepts together, and you have the perfect place to reach new audiences and create buzz around your brands amongst the people in the room consuming content on the big screen in a controlled environment. Streaming is more conducive for co-viewers to gather, having the ability to choose a channel or program when it works for the family and not be tied to a schedule is important when looking at how busy lifestyles are today.

Another benefit of working within the ad-supported streaming landscape is the inability to skip ads in exchange for access to free content. This is valuable real estate for advertisers as they are capturing full audience attention and becoming the topic of conversations.

If you are not leaning into the co-viewing audience, you are missing out on major purchasing windows and opportunities.

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Also catch: Episode 200 of The SalesStar Podcast: B2B buying and selling habits with Raul Murguia, Sr Dir of Integrated Marketing for LinkedIn Sales Solutions