As people consume more video content than ever, aided by the growth of connected TV, video ads can be found on any platform or device.
Netflix releasing an ad-supported tier may be a surprise for consumers, but for advertisers, Netflix is one of many streaming platforms pivoting towards ad-supported video on demand. However, our research reveals that CTV has an attention problem, which begs the question - how can advertisers succeed in a world dominated by video ads? In this post, we cover some research-backed ways streaming platforms can innovate on existing CTV ad formats.
The Human-Centric Approach
Streaming platforms will need to approach their testing with a human-centric approach that considers the viewer experience and not just pleasing advertisers. Especially for TV commercials, considering that 76% of consumers aren’t paying attention to their TVs, according to some of our latest research. Furthermore, 79% of people take out their phones when a commercial starts.
The combination of human-centric design with a focus on the viewer experience has driven success for all modern platforms, from Hulu to TikTok, that have introduced ads to their consumers. Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer, stated, the company expects to start monetizing with standard linear ad formats but “iterate fast” into ad experiences that are “better than TV.” What could those ad experiences look like?
Read More: How Ad Tech Can Benefit From Human-Centric Design — Sharethrough
9 Ideas for the Future of Ads on Netflix, Disney+, Prime and More
Let’s consider some modern ad formats Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming platforms might launch.
1. Virtual Product Placement
It’s not uncommon for streaming platforms to have brand partnership offerings, ranging from swag to product placements. In the past, product placements required months of planning ahead to include the product during the filming production. But now, advancements in image rendering technology can help make product placements more scalable and accessible.
For example, streaming platforms could offer replaceable product assets within their shows, like “coffee cup” or “laptop” that brands and advertisers can eventually insert their own offerings in real-time.
2. Shoppable Video Ads
Shoppable ad formats are on the rise with nearly half of consumers engaging with one. Streaming platforms could improve on the content quality of shoppable ads, but can also get creative with their existing ad offerings, considering that 70% of adults online that engaged with a shoppable ad also purchased a product.
Shoppable ads enable advertisers to promote products or services relevant to the content it appears next to, allowing viewers to purchase a product as soon as they see it on their CTV or mobile device. Similar to how social media platforms allow content creators to tag posts with “product tags”, users can click to get more information and add to cart.
For example, retailers and fashion brands can allow viewers to “steal-that-look” by promoting the clothes or accessories a character is wearing using shoppable ads. Advertisers can step it up a notch by using contextual targeting to target specific segments in content relevant to their products. Like a consumer packaged goods brand targeting a section in a show where the aftermath of a prank leaves behind a huge mess to promote their cleaning products.
3. QR Codes and Click-to-App
The flexibility of QR codes allows for some exciting applications in video ads. QR codes can bridge the gap between a viewer’s mobile device and their CTV. Viewers can simply scan and open the product on their phones. Furthermore, the scan rates can be used as a performance metric on CTV, similar to CTR. It can also help advertisers and brands create a device map for their users.
On Disney+, shows like Moonknight and She-Hulk have QR codes within their content, that when scanned, bring viewers to the first-issue comic book of the respective shows.
QR codes aren’t as prevalent on CTV as in other formats, yet QR Codes are showing success when used. Coinbase’s Superbowl ad of a colorful, bouncing QR code brought over 1.5 million hits to their site, and our own research revealed a 12% increase in the viewer’s attention when QR codes are present.
Read More: 4 Ways Programmatic CTV is Uniquely Suited to Improve Attention — Sharethrough
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Most importantly, QR codes are an effective way to acquire new customers. According to a study by NBCU, conversion rates were 73% higher than the industry average when they included a QR code within a shoppable ad.
Click-to-app and push notifications are also an option, considering that most streaming platforms also have a smartphone app. Viewers can be given the ability to buy products by clicking an overlay or button with their TV remotes that could send a notification to the respective phone app.
4. Pause Screens
When viewers are most likely to have their phones out, pause screens can provide effective real estate on the screen. Currently, Hulu is one of the only streaming services that runs static banners during screen pauses, but Prime Video has a chance to provide something similar. Prime Video’s X-Ray feature gives viewers more details about the show, actors, and even trivia in pause screens. Taking that a step further, streaming platforms could show relevant products that are used in content while it’s paused, which can also display either a QR code or a push-to-app click option that allows viewers to buy the product.
5. Gamification Ads
Did you know that Netflix has over 17,000 titles in its catalog? A CTV gamification strategy can increase the memorability of ads by as much as 70%, according to some studies, by creating fun and engaging experiences for viewers.
TV commercials are traditionally a passive experience since there’s not much that a viewer can do to take action. However, more engaging formats like interactive or trivia ads offer an opportunity to expand video ads beyond the traditional 15-30 second ad spots that are often ignored by viewers.
For example, advertisers can adapt the interactive format to allow viewers to make decisions about what happens next in the ad. Like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, a travel agency could run an ad campaign asking viewers whether they want to go to Aruba or Jamaica.
Interactive and trivia ads could be especially popular for viewers on mobile devices. While selecting an option is easy, not everyone has their hands on a TV remote but most people do have their phone nearby.
Read More: New Research: Understanding Consumer Behaviors During TV Commercial Breaks — Sharethrough
And aside from the fan-favorite movie and tv show themed trivia, Trivia Crack, the precursor to Netflix’s interactive show Trivia Quest, became the most downloaded game at launch and is currently sitting at over 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store and on Apple’s App Store 7th most popular trivia app.
Advertisers can take advantage of trivia ads to challenge people’s knowledge about their products, product categories, or even the show they're watching. Correct answers could earn viewers rewards that can be redeemed with a QR code, which then ties users back to the CTV and video ad campaign through multiple devices.
The possibilities are endless with gamification. And if done right, it could both encourage more viewership and create interactive ad experiences that audiences and brands love.
6. Countdown Ads
For Stranger Things and Ozark, Netflix split the seasons into 2 parts, with weeks between the releases. And more recently, Netflix said they’d be moving away from their binge-watching model and releasing episodes weekly for their TV shows. But why is Netflix abandoning its long-standing viewing model? Aside from preventing viewers from canceling their subscriptions between releases, staggered releases help maintain viewer retention and generate excitement and buzz around the next release.
Brands and advertisers can leverage viewers’ anticipation by including a countdown timer until the next release of a previously watched piece of content or an advertiser’s promotion. According to our findings, viewers are 43% more likely to remember when a promotion starts with a countdown timer.
Viewers can form positive brand associations from the hype of the next release.
For example, while the video ad plays, advertisers and brands can display branded countdown timer that says “Summer Sale starting in: __ days __ hours __ minutes __ seconds”
Read More: Introducing New Research-Backed CTV Ad Enhancements — Sharethrough
7. Native Ads
Scrolling through Netflix or Disney+ for a show or movie to watch isn’t very different from scrolling through social media sites. The main difference is social media platforms use native ads to monetize their content. Streaming platforms could take inspiration from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. and utilize their catalog thumbnails as an ad placement. This is where Netflix could gain the upper hand. The Netflix AI is great at generating new, captive thumbnails to grab viewers’ attention based on their previous watches.
And since streaming platforms also know how to contact viewers through push notifications, the click could become a second-screen activation.
8. Sponsored Content
Streaming platforms can take native ad placements a step further and use them to promote sponsored shows or other long-form content. For example, as viewers are browsing the content catalog for something to watch, there could be a “top travel shows sponsored by WestJet” section. Going above and beyond, streaming services that own their studios can provide brands and advertisers with the option to create long-form content for them.
Additionally, brands and advertisers can use different overlays during their video ads to display other useful content for viewers. For example, Sharethrough’s Sports Ticker displays scores and games of ongoing and upcoming sports. Brands and advertisers can customize which sports and teams are displayed to better suit their audiences. Through our own research, we found that sports fans were 91% more likely to pay attention to CTV ads that included the Sports Ticker.
9. Votes and Polls
Along with ads, Netflix was also considering live streaming content. This presents an opportunity to create video ads that allow viewers to vote for contestants or answer polls. Live streaming content often gets the most engagement from viewers because of its ephemeral nature, only exceeded by sports. However, this isn’t limited to live streaming.
Like how viewers could vote for their favorite contestant on shows like American Idol, advertisers can sponsor the voting segment of the show with their video ads. Furthermore, reality TV shows could be the perfect chance for advertisers to gather viewer sentiments by asking them who is their favorite contestant, or who has the most chance of winning. Maybe the least chance of winning? Either on CTV or mobile, voting is easy to do by a simple press.
The Future of Video Ads
Like the wheel, you don’t have to reinvent video ads to innovate, when simple changes can go a long way to solving the attention problem weighing down the success of TV commercials. But as viewers crave more video content and Netflix’s turning point to introduce an ad-supported tier, alongside Disney+, video ads are here to stay. Let’s make the most of them.
Make the most of your video ad campaigns with Sharethrough today!
As people consume more video content than ever, aided by the growth of connected TV, video ads can be found on any platform or device.
Netflix releasing an ad-supported tier may be a surprise for consumers, but for advertisers, Netflix is one of many streaming platforms pivoting towards ad-supported video on demand. However, our research reveals that CTV has an attention problem, which begs the question - how can advertisers succeed in a world dominated by video ads? In this post, we cover some research-backed ways streaming platforms can innovate on existing CTV ad formats.
The Human-Centric Approach
Streaming platforms will need to approach their testing with a human-centric approach that considers the viewer experience and not just pleasing advertisers. Especially for TV commercials, considering that 76% of consumers aren’t paying attention to their TVs, according to some of our latest research. Furthermore, 79% of people take out their phones when a commercial starts.
The combination of human-centric design with a focus on the viewer experience has driven success for all modern platforms, from Hulu to TikTok, that have introduced ads to their consumers. Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer, stated, the company expects to start monetizing with standard linear ad formats but “iterate fast” into ad experiences that are “better than TV.” What could those ad experiences look like?
Read More: How Ad Tech Can Benefit From Human-Centric Design — Sharethrough
9 Ideas for the Future of Ads on Netflix, Disney+, Prime and More
Let’s consider some modern ad formats Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming platforms might launch.
1. Virtual Product Placement
It’s not uncommon for streaming platforms to have brand partnership offerings, ranging from swag to product placements. In the past, product placements required months of planning ahead to include the product during the filming production. But now, advancements in image rendering technology can help make product placements more scalable and accessible.
For example, streaming platforms could offer replaceable product assets within their shows, like “coffee cup” or “laptop” that brands and advertisers can eventually insert their own offerings in real-time.
2. Shoppable Video Ads
Shoppable ad formats are on the rise with nearly half of consumers engaging with one. Streaming platforms could improve on the content quality of shoppable ads, but can also get creative with their existing ad offerings, considering that 70% of adults online that engaged with a shoppable ad also purchased a product.
Shoppable ads enable advertisers to promote products or services relevant to the content it appears next to, allowing viewers to purchase a product as soon as they see it on their CTV or mobile device. Similar to how social media platforms allow content creators to tag posts with “product tags”, users can click to get more information and add to cart.
For example, retailers and fashion brands can allow viewers to “steal-that-look” by promoting the clothes or accessories a character is wearing using shoppable ads. Advertisers can step it up a notch by using contextual targeting to target specific segments in content relevant to their products. Like a consumer packaged goods brand targeting a section in a show where the aftermath of a prank leaves behind a huge mess to promote their cleaning products.
3. QR Codes and Click-to-App
The flexibility of QR codes allows for some exciting applications in video ads. QR codes can bridge the gap between a viewer’s mobile device and their CTV. Viewers can simply scan and open the product on their phones. Furthermore, the scan rates can be used as a performance metric on CTV, similar to CTR. It can also help advertisers and brands create a device map for their users.
On Disney+, shows like Moonknight and She-Hulk have QR codes within their content, that when scanned, bring viewers to the first-issue comic book of the respective shows.
QR codes aren’t as prevalent on CTV as in other formats, yet QR Codes are showing success when used. Coinbase’s Superbowl ad of a colorful, bouncing QR code brought over 1.5 million hits to their site, and our own research revealed a 12% increase in the viewer’s attention when QR codes are present.
Read More: 4 Ways Programmatic CTV is Uniquely Suited to Improve Attention — Sharethrough
Most importantly, QR codes are an effective way to acquire new customers. According to a study by NBCU, conversion rates were 73% higher than the industry average when they included a QR code within a shoppable ad.
Click-to-app and push notifications are also an option, considering that most streaming platforms also have a smartphone app. Viewers can be given the ability to buy products by clicking an overlay or button with their TV remotes that could send a notification to the respective phone app.
4. Pause Screens
When viewers are most likely to have their phones out, pause screens can provide effective real estate on the screen. Currently, Hulu is one of the only streaming services that runs static banners during screen pauses, but Prime Video has a chance to provide something similar. Prime Video’s X-Ray feature gives viewers more details about the show, actors, and even trivia in pause screens. Taking that a step further, streaming platforms could show relevant products that are used in content while it’s paused, which can also display either a QR code or a push-to-app click option that allows viewers to buy the product.
5. Gamification Ads
Did you know that Netflix has over 17,000 titles in its catalog? A CTV gamification strategy can increase the memorability of ads by as much as 70%, according to some studies, by creating fun and engaging experiences for viewers.
TV commercials are traditionally a passive experience since there’s not much that a viewer can do to take action. However, more engaging formats like interactive or trivia ads offer an opportunity to expand video ads beyond the traditional 15-30 second ad spots that are often ignored by viewers.
For example, advertisers can adapt the interactive format to allow viewers to make decisions about what happens next in the ad. Like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, a travel agency could run an ad campaign asking viewers whether they want to go to Aruba or Jamaica.
Interactive and trivia ads could be especially popular for viewers on mobile devices. While selecting an option is easy, not everyone has their hands on a TV remote but most people do have their phone nearby.
Read More: New Research: Understanding Consumer Behaviors During TV Commercial Breaks — Sharethrough
And aside from the fan-favorite movie and tv show themed trivia, Trivia Crack, the precursor to Netflix’s interactive show Trivia Quest, became the most downloaded game at launch and is currently sitting at over 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store and on Apple’s App Store 7th most popular trivia app.
Advertisers can take advantage of trivia ads to challenge people’s knowledge about their products, product categories, or even the show they're watching. Correct answers could earn viewers rewards that can be redeemed with a QR code, which then ties users back to the CTV and video ad campaign through multiple devices.
The possibilities are endless with gamification. And if done right, it could both encourage more viewership and create interactive ad experiences that audiences and brands love.
6. Countdown Ads
For Stranger Things and Ozark, Netflix split the seasons into 2 parts, with weeks between the releases. And more recently, Netflix said they’d be moving away from their binge-watching model and releasing episodes weekly for their TV shows. But why is Netflix abandoning its long-standing viewing model? Aside from preventing viewers from canceling their subscriptions between releases, staggered releases help maintain viewer retention and generate excitement and buzz around the next release.
Brands and advertisers can leverage viewers’ anticipation by including a countdown timer until the next release of a previously watched piece of content or an advertiser’s promotion. According to our findings, viewers are 43% more likely to remember when a promotion starts with a countdown timer.
Viewers can form positive brand associations from the hype of the next release.
For example, while the video ad plays, advertisers and brands can display branded countdown timer that says “Summer Sale starting in: __ days __ hours __ minutes __ seconds”
Read More: Introducing New Research-Backed CTV Ad Enhancements — Sharethrough
7. Native Ads
Scrolling through Netflix or Disney+ for a show or movie to watch isn’t very different from scrolling through social media sites. The main difference is social media platforms use native ads to monetize their content. Streaming platforms could take inspiration from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. and utilize their catalog thumbnails as an ad placement. This is where Netflix could gain the upper hand. The Netflix AI is great at generating new, captive thumbnails to grab viewers’ attention based on their previous watches.
And since streaming platforms also know how to contact viewers through push notifications, the click could become a second-screen activation.
8. Sponsored Content
Streaming platforms can take native ad placements a step further and use them to promote sponsored shows or other long-form content. For example, as viewers are browsing the content catalog for something to watch, there could be a “top travel shows sponsored by WestJet” section. Going above and beyond, streaming services that own their studios can provide brands and advertisers with the option to create long-form content for them.
Additionally, brands and advertisers can use different overlays during their video ads to display other useful content for viewers. For example, Sharethrough’s Sports Ticker displays scores and games of ongoing and upcoming sports. Brands and advertisers can customize which sports and teams are displayed to better suit their audiences. Through our own research, we found that sports fans were 91% more likely to pay attention to CTV ads that included the Sports Ticker.
9. Votes and Polls
Along with ads, Netflix was also considering live streaming content. This presents an opportunity to create video ads that allow viewers to vote for contestants or answer polls. Live streaming content often gets the most engagement from viewers because of its ephemeral nature, only exceeded by sports. However, this isn’t limited to live streaming.
Like how viewers could vote for their favorite contestant on shows like American Idol, advertisers can sponsor the voting segment of the show with their video ads. Furthermore, reality TV shows could be the perfect chance for advertisers to gather viewer sentiments by asking them who is their favorite contestant, or who has the most chance of winning. Maybe the least chance of winning? Either on CTV or mobile, voting is easy to do by a simple press.
The Future of Video Ads
Like the wheel, you don’t have to reinvent video ads to innovate, when simple changes can go a long way to solving the attention problem weighing down the success of TV commercials. But as viewers crave more video content and Netflix’s turning point to introduce an ad-supported tier, alongside Disney+, video ads are here to stay. Let’s make the most of them.
Make the most of your video ad campaigns with Sharethrough today!
Behind Headlines: 180 Seconds in Ad Tech is a short 3-minute podcast exploring the news in the digital advertising industry. Ad tech is a fast-growing industry with many updates happening daily. As it can be hard for most to keep up with the latest news, the Sharethrough team wanted to create an audio series compiling notable mentions each week.
As people consume more video content than ever, aided by the growth of connected TV, video ads can be found on any platform or device.
Netflix releasing an ad-supported tier may be a surprise for consumers, but for advertisers, Netflix is one of many streaming platforms pivoting towards ad-supported video on demand. However, our research reveals that CTV has an attention problem, which begs the question - how can advertisers succeed in a world dominated by video ads? In this post, we cover some research-backed ways streaming platforms can innovate on existing CTV ad formats.
The Human-Centric Approach
Streaming platforms will need to approach their testing with a human-centric approach that considers the viewer experience and not just pleasing advertisers. Especially for TV commercials, considering that 76% of consumers aren’t paying attention to their TVs, according to some of our latest research. Furthermore, 79% of people take out their phones when a commercial starts.
The combination of human-centric design with a focus on the viewer experience has driven success for all modern platforms, from Hulu to TikTok, that have introduced ads to their consumers. Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer, stated, the company expects to start monetizing with standard linear ad formats but “iterate fast” into ad experiences that are “better than TV.” What could those ad experiences look like?
Read More: How Ad Tech Can Benefit From Human-Centric Design — Sharethrough
9 Ideas for the Future of Ads on Netflix, Disney+, Prime and More
Let’s consider some modern ad formats Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming platforms might launch.
1. Virtual Product Placement
It’s not uncommon for streaming platforms to have brand partnership offerings, ranging from swag to product placements. In the past, product placements required months of planning ahead to include the product during the filming production. But now, advancements in image rendering technology can help make product placements more scalable and accessible.
For example, streaming platforms could offer replaceable product assets within their shows, like “coffee cup” or “laptop” that brands and advertisers can eventually insert their own offerings in real-time.
2. Shoppable Video Ads
Shoppable ad formats are on the rise with nearly half of consumers engaging with one. Streaming platforms could improve on the content quality of shoppable ads, but can also get creative with their existing ad offerings, considering that 70% of adults online that engaged with a shoppable ad also purchased a product.
Shoppable ads enable advertisers to promote products or services relevant to the content it appears next to, allowing viewers to purchase a product as soon as they see it on their CTV or mobile device. Similar to how social media platforms allow content creators to tag posts with “product tags”, users can click to get more information and add to cart.
For example, retailers and fashion brands can allow viewers to “steal-that-look” by promoting the clothes or accessories a character is wearing using shoppable ads. Advertisers can step it up a notch by using contextual targeting to target specific segments in content relevant to their products. Like a consumer packaged goods brand targeting a section in a show where the aftermath of a prank leaves behind a huge mess to promote their cleaning products.
3. QR Codes and Click-to-App
The flexibility of QR codes allows for some exciting applications in video ads. QR codes can bridge the gap between a viewer’s mobile device and their CTV. Viewers can simply scan and open the product on their phones. Furthermore, the scan rates can be used as a performance metric on CTV, similar to CTR. It can also help advertisers and brands create a device map for their users.
On Disney+, shows like Moonknight and She-Hulk have QR codes within their content, that when scanned, bring viewers to the first-issue comic book of the respective shows.
QR codes aren’t as prevalent on CTV as in other formats, yet QR Codes are showing success when used. Coinbase’s Superbowl ad of a colorful, bouncing QR code brought over 1.5 million hits to their site, and our own research revealed a 12% increase in the viewer’s attention when QR codes are present.
Read More: 4 Ways Programmatic CTV is Uniquely Suited to Improve Attention — Sharethrough
Most importantly, QR codes are an effective way to acquire new customers. According to a study by NBCU, conversion rates were 73% higher than the industry average when they included a QR code within a shoppable ad.
Click-to-app and push notifications are also an option, considering that most streaming platforms also have a smartphone app. Viewers can be given the ability to buy products by clicking an overlay or button with their TV remotes that could send a notification to the respective phone app.
4. Pause Screens
When viewers are most likely to have their phones out, pause screens can provide effective real estate on the screen. Currently, Hulu is one of the only streaming services that runs static banners during screen pauses, but Prime Video has a chance to provide something similar. Prime Video’s X-Ray feature gives viewers more details about the show, actors, and even trivia in pause screens. Taking that a step further, streaming platforms could show relevant products that are used in content while it’s paused, which can also display either a QR code or a push-to-app click option that allows viewers to buy the product.
5. Gamification Ads
Did you know that Netflix has over 17,000 titles in its catalog? A CTV gamification strategy can increase the memorability of ads by as much as 70%, according to some studies, by creating fun and engaging experiences for viewers.
TV commercials are traditionally a passive experience since there’s not much that a viewer can do to take action. However, more engaging formats like interactive or trivia ads offer an opportunity to expand video ads beyond the traditional 15-30 second ad spots that are often ignored by viewers.
For example, advertisers can adapt the interactive format to allow viewers to make decisions about what happens next in the ad. Like a choose-your-own-adventure novel, a travel agency could run an ad campaign asking viewers whether they want to go to Aruba or Jamaica.
Interactive and trivia ads could be especially popular for viewers on mobile devices. While selecting an option is easy, not everyone has their hands on a TV remote but most people do have their phone nearby.
Read More: New Research: Understanding Consumer Behaviors During TV Commercial Breaks — Sharethrough
And aside from the fan-favorite movie and tv show themed trivia, Trivia Crack, the precursor to Netflix’s interactive show Trivia Quest, became the most downloaded game at launch and is currently sitting at over 100 million downloads on the Google Play Store and on Apple’s App Store 7th most popular trivia app.
Advertisers can take advantage of trivia ads to challenge people’s knowledge about their products, product categories, or even the show they're watching. Correct answers could earn viewers rewards that can be redeemed with a QR code, which then ties users back to the CTV and video ad campaign through multiple devices.
The possibilities are endless with gamification. And if done right, it could both encourage more viewership and create interactive ad experiences that audiences and brands love.
6. Countdown Ads
For Stranger Things and Ozark, Netflix split the seasons into 2 parts, with weeks between the releases. And more recently, Netflix said they’d be moving away from their binge-watching model and releasing episodes weekly for their TV shows. But why is Netflix abandoning its long-standing viewing model? Aside from preventing viewers from canceling their subscriptions between releases, staggered releases help maintain viewer retention and generate excitement and buzz around the next release.
Brands and advertisers can leverage viewers’ anticipation by including a countdown timer until the next release of a previously watched piece of content or an advertiser’s promotion. According to our findings, viewers are 43% more likely to remember when a promotion starts with a countdown timer.
Viewers can form positive brand associations from the hype of the next release.
For example, while the video ad plays, advertisers and brands can display branded countdown timer that says “Summer Sale starting in: __ days __ hours __ minutes __ seconds”
Read More: Introducing New Research-Backed CTV Ad Enhancements — Sharethrough
7. Native Ads
Scrolling through Netflix or Disney+ for a show or movie to watch isn’t very different from scrolling through social media sites. The main difference is social media platforms use native ads to monetize their content. Streaming platforms could take inspiration from Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. and utilize their catalog thumbnails as an ad placement. This is where Netflix could gain the upper hand. The Netflix AI is great at generating new, captive thumbnails to grab viewers’ attention based on their previous watches.
And since streaming platforms also know how to contact viewers through push notifications, the click could become a second-screen activation.
8. Sponsored Content
Streaming platforms can take native ad placements a step further and use them to promote sponsored shows or other long-form content. For example, as viewers are browsing the content catalog for something to watch, there could be a “top travel shows sponsored by WestJet” section. Going above and beyond, streaming services that own their studios can provide brands and advertisers with the option to create long-form content for them.
Additionally, brands and advertisers can use different overlays during their video ads to display other useful content for viewers. For example, Sharethrough’s Sports Ticker displays scores and games of ongoing and upcoming sports. Brands and advertisers can customize which sports and teams are displayed to better suit their audiences. Through our own research, we found that sports fans were 91% more likely to pay attention to CTV ads that included the Sports Ticker.
9. Votes and Polls
Along with ads, Netflix was also considering live streaming content. This presents an opportunity to create video ads that allow viewers to vote for contestants or answer polls. Live streaming content often gets the most engagement from viewers because of its ephemeral nature, only exceeded by sports. However, this isn’t limited to live streaming.
Like how viewers could vote for their favorite contestant on shows like American Idol, advertisers can sponsor the voting segment of the show with their video ads. Furthermore, reality TV shows could be the perfect chance for advertisers to gather viewer sentiments by asking them who is their favorite contestant, or who has the most chance of winning. Maybe the least chance of winning? Either on CTV or mobile, voting is easy to do by a simple press.
The Future of Video Ads
Like the wheel, you don’t have to reinvent video ads to innovate, when simple changes can go a long way to solving the attention problem weighing down the success of TV commercials. But as viewers crave more video content and Netflix’s turning point to introduce an ad-supported tier, alongside Disney+, video ads are here to stay. Let’s make the most of them.
Make the most of your video ad campaigns with Sharethrough today!
Founded in 2015, Calibrate is a yearly conference for new engineering managers hosted by seasoned engineering managers. The experience level of the speakers ranges from newcomers all the way through senior engineering leaders with over twenty years of experience in the field. Each speaker is greatly concerned about the craft of engineering management. Organized and hosted by Sharethrough, it was conducted yearly in September, from 2015-2019 in San Francisco, California.
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