- Disney is attempting to level up its connected TV (CTV) strategy with new ad formats that integrate games and shoppable features, based on a press release.
- The gamified offerings, or “advergaming” formats, are coming exclusively to Hulu and ESPN as a part of a partnership with BrightLine. A trivia game and beat-the-clock challenge can be found at launch, with Topgolf acting as charter advertiser of the latter.
- Disney also worked with artificial intelligence firm Kerv on three formats, called Sync, L-Bar and Impulse, that use a mixture of QR codes, graphics and product carousels to drive transactions via CTV. Target and Nespresso tested Impulse for campaigns running earlier within the spring.
CTV has grow to be a magnet for ad spending but publishers are still working through ways to take higher advantage of the channel’s digital capabilities in comparison with static linear TV. Disney’s new ad formats represent a bid at making brand messaging more interactive, with the hopes of keeping viewers glued to the screen for longer and, in some cases, sending them offsite to finish purchases through tactics like QR codes.
“Brands come to Disney with the intent of delivering new, unique promoting experiences for consumers that each drive engagement and supply a seamless viewing experience,” said Jamie Power, senior vp of addressable sales at Disney, in a press release. “Offering expanded shoppable ads and advergaming formats to marketers will allow them to attach with audiences in a more differentiated and dynamic way.”
The offerings developed with Kerv follow Disney’s rollout of a shoppable product native to streaming called Gateway Shop in January, which has been adopted by marketers like Unilever. The commerce-oriented ad formats can be found on properties including Disney+ and Disney Advertising’s programmatic marketplace.
Nespresso and Target already piloted Impulse ads, which display a product image above a QR code and a callout of “scan to buy” to encourage viewers to make a transaction via their phones. The technology had a task in a spring campaign from Target that starred Kristen Wiig reprising a “Saturday Night Live” character as she promoted the retailer’s revamped loyalty program. Disney didn’t break out any results from the efforts.
Shoppable ads have grow to be popular amongst publishers that wish to reveal that running campaigns on their services might be tied more closely to sales. Amazon recently introduced an identical concept for Prime Video, a streaming platform that began showing commercials earlier this yr.
Gamified ads, or advergaming, is more experimental territory, and Disney and BrightLine claim their new formats are first-to-market for CTV. Quiz Show provides multi-question trivia during ad breaks while Beat the Clock tasks users with completing timed challenges that might be themed around a brand. A version of the format for charter advertiser Topgolf and agency Mediahub that debuted earlier this month involves using buttons on a TV distant to do more powerful golf swings on a virtual course.
“At BrightLine, we imagine in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in promoting, and these interactive advergaming experiences are an ideal example of how we will engage viewers in new and exciting ways,” said Michael Bologna, chief accelerator at BrightLine, in a press release.
Disney has been expanding its CTV strategy because it tries to show streaming right into a more profitable enterprise. Around its upfront presentation, the entertainment giant struck a pact with Walmart that leverages the big-box store’s retail media to higher goal and measure CTV campaigns.
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