Attention-grabbing innovation in CTV advertising, paving the way to connect with viewers like never before!

Published: July 17, 2023

min read

Due to the ease of access to an array of content options, CTV’s popularity among consumers is only growing. Although it is already known that CTV viewers are mostly younger generations, the data from eMarketer shows that older demographics are not an exception, and they are also gradually switching from traditional TV to CTV.

With the rise of viewers migrating over to streaming services, CTV has become a bright spot in the ad industry, and as ad spend in Connected TV advertising is steadily increasing, so is the competition.

Recently, Brightline, the connected TV ad tech company, launched a new product called Proteus Experience Engine. This tool allows streamers to add interactive ads to the live broadcasts on the streaming apps.

One of the launch partners for Brightline’s Proteus XE is Allen Media Group's The Weather Channel TV app and its Local Now free-streaming app.

Although interactive advertisements, which allow viewers to take action while a commercial is playing, are not new, The Weather Channel, with this partnership, is integrating them into the content rather than reducing them to commercial breaks.

This is the first time Brightline has incorporated interactive ad tech from traditional ad breaks into the content stream itself.

It is also the company's first step towards expanding interactive advertising into branded content, making shows interactive, and even resolving elements of the ongoing media measurement turmoil.

In-stream ads on The Weather Channel app will run for seven to ten seconds at first and can take the form of a branded slide, QR codes, or reroute users to other channels.

What does it mean for CMOs?

With the rise of CTV’s popularity, the ad-supported streaming services significantly proliferated in this landscape, with Disney+, Netflix, and many others having introduced their ad-supported tiers. Although it broadens the possibilities for brands as more consumers embrace it because it is affordable, it also presents challenges. Needless to mention, PQ Media’s recent research on global media consumption emphasised the decrease in audience engagement in ad-supported media.

However, brands are in a position to find a way to make their advertising appealing as global adoption of connected TV devices continues at an astonishing pace.

In this situation, Brightline’s recent innovative move to incorporate interactive ads into the live broadcasts is indeed a remarkable breakthrough in the streaming space.

Here are the reasons why we believe so:

As CTV platforms allow brands to do advanced targeting, they will be able to deliver personalised interactive ads to specific audience segments based on demographics, interests, behaviour, or location. Thus, by making their ads more relevant to viewers, brands can enhance the likelihood of audiences engaging with their ads and maximise their reach.
By making use of this capability, brands can plan for more Interactive ads that include elements like surveys, polls, or feedback forms that allow users to provide their opinions or responses. As it serves as a direct source of interaction, it will be highly valuable for brands. Thus, by analysing the responses, brands can receive meaningful insights into audience preferences and sentiments. This qualitative data, in turn, can be significantly beneficial for brands to understand audience attention and perceptions of the ad.
Interactive ads have the potential to encourage audiences to actively engage with the content. By leveraging the power of interactive elements such as quizzes, games, or interactive product showcases, brands will be able to easily gain their attention and interest. This way, they can use this new capability to provide a seamless path for audiences to move from the phase of discovery to purchase and facilitate a frictionless conversion process.
As the viewers’ interactions can be easily tracked and measured in CTV campaigns, it can provide valuable data and insights for marketing teams. This, in turn, can help them evaluate the effectiveness of their ad campaigns, refine their advertising strategies, and optimise their marketing budgets more efficiently.

In a nutshell, given the prevalence of CTV in today's digital landscape, Brightline's innovative move to integrate interactive ads into livestreaming is unquestionably something marketing teams must pay attention to in order to gain a competitive advantage and drive meaningful results from their advertising efforts. Having said that, CTV ad fraud is also on the rise, making it even more critical for marketing teams to take extra precautions to avoid harms associated with it.

Author

Bill Walker

Bill is a marketing strategist who believes in the power of storytelling. He's known for his creativity, wit, and ability to connect with audiences across all channels. When he's not crafting marketing campaigns, you can find him hiking in the mountains or reading a good book.