Thinkbox
When it comes to creative, lots of advertisers use the same ad for BVOD as they do for their linear TV campaign and this works well as, to viewers, there’s not really any difference between the two. If we’re watching our favourite programme, whether it’s on live TV or on-demand is somewhat irrelevant from the viewer’s perspective.
However, one of the great things that the BVOD environment offers advertisers is the opportunity to take advantage of the variety of creative opportunities that exist in this space So, if advertisers want to and if it’s relevant for the campaign, they can make their ad different for the BVOD environment.
As we know, context is crucial, so an ad that feels as though it has been specially made for the on-demand environment is likely to appeal to the BVOD viewer. Hotels.com have done a couple of brilliant ads for BVOD viewing only with their ‘skippable’ ad and their ‘blockable’ ad.
In addition to the variety of creative options, there are a huge range of targeting options available to advertisers as the broadcasters are rich in first party data. For example, ITV have 40 million registered users, Channel 4 have 29 million and My 5 have 9.2 million. This scale of high-quality data provides a huge opportunity for advertisers who wish to make their advertising specifically targeted.
All the broadcasters offer a range of creative formats to choose from. Here is a selection:
Interactive ads
You can build a format that enables viewers to interact with the player they are watching TV on. This could be:
- Click to buy (shoppable ads)
- Click to view different content (extend the video offering)
- Click to select the ad you want to watch (makes it more relevant and more ‘for me’)
Personalised ads
As the broadcasters have such a huge quantity of data on the viewers who are watching, including their names, there is the possibility of personalised ads. This could be done visually eg. Your name on a rugby shirt or suitcase, or it can be done verbally.
A good example of this comes from Warner Bros when they were launching their new movie Tenet in 2020. They wanted to showcase the movie trailer and tap into the film’s time theme and strapline – Time Runs Out. At the beginning of the trailer, viewers heard and saw their own name, which generated stand out and captured their attention.
Dynamic ads
It’s possible to change your ad, or part of your ad depending on things like the weather or the time of day or location.
For a retailer, it might mean adding a different end frame, pointing viewers to their nearest store. For an ice-cream brand, it could be that your ad only plays out when the weather reached a certain temperature. For a hay fever brand, you may want your ad to play out only when the pollen count is high.
Ad Pause
One final option worth mentioning is Ad Pause. If a viewer paused the content they are watching, a static ad appears and remains on screen until the viewer resumes watching or clicks away. This format will only work for some brands and can only deliver a fairly straightforward message but could be just the right option in certain situations.