What is remnant advertising?

Remnant advertising, or interchangeably known as remainder advertising, refers to the advertising time slots or spaces that have not been sold in advance. In advertising, time is of the essence, and where a time slot or space isn’t sold is a missed opportunity for revenue to be made.

Without remnant advertising, the biggest losers are the networks who miss a revenue opportunity, and the brands who could have advertised at a reduced price and generated lucrative sales. This brings us to our next point, which is the opportunity for a brand to snag an ad slot on sale. As with any commodity, when time is running out for the product to be sold, the rate card is discounted in order to sell off inventory.

In order for this sale to happen on short notice, brands must partner with an ad technology provider (a buying platform) who can facilitate the transaction and execute smoothly in a timely manner. They must be the gatekeepers, with access to a large inventory of remnant advertising that gives the brand the most varied opportunity to place last-minute ads.

One risk with remnant advertising is its growing popularity. As more brands see the benefit of a last-minute ad slot placement, bidding has become more competitive for these opportunities. The solution to this competition is for the advertiser to effectively plan ad-buying timelines within their budget, and also to work with a trusted ad-buying platform whose breadth of network relationships and ability to negotiate on behalf of the client gives the brand the best bang for their buck and ensured placement.

Of course, if ultimately an advertisement isn’t placed in a time slot, the time must be filled. Often a self-promotional ad (or “promo”), on behalf of the hosting network or larger corporate entity, will air instead.

Remnant advertising can make or break the success of your campaign, if done right. Taking a 360-degree, holistic view of the entire landscape of offerings is critical to weigh your options and ensure your ad is effective and resonates results.

With our TV+® cross-channel TV planning and buying platform, Simulmedia’s approach is unique in its ability to make the most of your ad dollars, even on short notice. With as little as a week of leeway, Simulmedia’s proprietary, data-driven technology can choose the most cost-efficient ad slot, program, network or platform, and audience target for your ad, so no dollars are left unwasted or mindlessly spent on underperforming, underdeveloped plans.

The benefits are multiple: If your CTV or linear TV ads strategy didn’t align with Upfront offerings and you’d rather take a more timely approach to placing your ad; if your ad is time-sensitive, such as based in a holiday sale, for example, and finding your target audience’s parameters and viewing habits depends on highly recent data; or if you need to pivot and re-strategize to make the most of your ad budget before the campaign ends, those ad dollars don’t have to go to waste.