TV Ads Finally Put Viewers In The Spotlight

People in advertising and media have finally woken up in unison to the reality that less is more when it comes to television advertising. It’s about time.

Just a couple of years ago, the TV Upfront negotiating season—in full swing as this was written—was mostly about new programs and celebrities. In their decades-long obsession with audience reach, many advertisers took for granted that they would be sharing pods with several other back-to-back messages while viewers did whatever. 

Now you hear almost as many references during the Upfront to the “viewer experience” as you do “premium video” and whatever hit series just won another season.

I guess it was inevitable that advertising people, themselves viewers of what I will call TVideo content—a nod to the blurring lines between traditional TV and digital video—would finally succumb to the inevitable. While not all people despise ads, we all have plenty of ways to avoid them these days given the continued rise of streaming subscription options.

So we’re definitely making progress in one area of marketing that I have long believed was in need of major realignment. It is very encouraging to see the emergence of new research that can guide us along the tightrope act that is balancing media owners’ revenue needs and consumers’ patience for ads they consider to be intrusive and/or irrelevant. In the middle are marketers aware of TV’s power but casting about in a sea of change.

So just how complicated is the road ahead for brands and their agencies? Judging from the latest report from the IAB, lunar landings might seem simpler to achieve. The IAB’s goal is to help figure out how is TVideo can best be used to reach, engage, and drive attention and action. But first one has to comprehend what the organization terms a “complex and evolving ecosystem,” which seems an understatement.

To be specific, the landscape consists of:

• Programmatic video
• Addressable TV
• Connected/OTT TV
• Augmented reality
• Vertical video
• Live streaming video
• eSports
• Original digital video
• Six-second ads
• Interactive video
• Branded video

In the interest of time (and attention), let’s focus on six-second ads and interactive ads.

Comcast unit FreeWheel’s Council for Premium Video recently collaborated with research provider Realeyes in a study of 4,885 people ages 18-65 using facial tracking technology. The participants were exposed to a mix of six-, 15- and 30-second ads from three well-known, general interest brands including Hershey, in different combinations and sequences. Emotional and engagement levels were captured and viewers were surveyed about their experience and their attitudes towards the ads and brands.

Among the key findings: Six-second ads had a more positive impact when used to reinforce a message already delivered by a longer ad by the same brand. Moreover, six-second ads that aired in the last spot generated the highest purchase intent. Not surprisingly, thirty-second ads were seen as less enjoyable and less appropriate in short-form video environments. 

As for 15-second ads, when used exclusively they were seen as twice as effective as six-second ads and 30-second ads. Interestingly, FreeWheel found “no significant correlation between younger audiences engaging with or favoring six-second ads.”

As for interactive ads, true[X] has been leading the charge on reducing ad loads by focusing on consumer choice since its founding in 2007. Now owned by Fox, true[X] has been ramping up its efforts to get a better handle on the opportunities for interactive ad units—particularly in the big-screen, living room viewing environment. It’s an increasingly popular space for co-viewing amid such enhancements as 4K screens and surround sound.

True[X] offerings typically give viewers of full-episode video content the choice between interacting with a 30-second ad or viewing a regular, multi-ad experience. It’s not hard to imagine the possibilities for e-commerce in the interactive setting. A good example is when BrightLine Interactive enabled viewers of an interactive ad on Hulu for the film TOMB RAIDER to order theatre tickets directly from their screen via Fandango. 

When it comes to six-second ads and interactive units, we are definitely in the test-and-learn stage. As creative iterations and how they are delivered continue to evolve, so too must audience measurement and attribution of advertisers’ business outcomes. 

In the meantime, the “viewer experience” will remain front and center, where it should be. As with most aspects of marketing and media, it’s really hard to go wrong when you put the consumer first.