In a trial, never before undertaken in the UK, Channel 4 is testing whether fewer adverts from a single brand in a “less cluttered advertising environment” can deliver more effective campaigns.
Around 30 brands have signed up to the 12 week trial on Channel 4’s streaming service. The companies, including Boots, John Lewis and Toyota are also being encouraged to test a range of new innovative advertising products, including dynamic ads, with more interactivity.
“At Channel 4 we have a reputation for delivering market leading commercial innovation. From launching the world’s first personalised broadcaster on-demand ads with Coca-Cola, to the launch of our Brandmatch product providing the UK’s first broadcaster data matching solution; we are always exploring new ways in which brands can most effectively reach our audience, with impact,” said Jonathan Lewis, Channel 4’s Head of Commercial Innovation and Partners.
“Improving the advertising experience on our streaming platform is critical to future growth both from a viewer and advertiser perspective. We are delighted to be leading the way again in such a hotly debated area and are confident this is something the market will want to embrace, particularly when they see the results.”
The broadcaster has commissioned research agency, BRDC, to examine the results. A similar experiment carried out by NBCU’s streaming service, Peacock, over the last 2 years has been such a success that it’s been rolled out across the NBCU ad network.
“The opportunity to trial a high impact digital ad campaign was instantly of interest to us,” added Richard Warren, Director, Marketing Communications, Lloyds Banking Group.
“We are always looking to evolve our AV planning, and Channel 4 is stepping into new territory through this experiment. The link between ad experience and efficacy of broadcaster on-demand advertising is so topical and Channel 4 taking the initiative in this space is great to see.”
