Channel 4 is fighting back against the slump in advertising revenues with a number of new streaming ad innovations designed to enhance advertisers’ impact across the network.
A UK-first public trial run across 15 different brands and using thousands of viewers has revealed that streaming ad formats can deliver a boost in long-term brand recall by as much as 81%.
The success of the public trial will see Channel 4 offering the new ad formats to the market from next year, boosting the broadcaster’s position in leading commercial and advertising innovation around streaming.
Initially run as a closed ‘lab’ test earlier in the year, the second wave of the project explored new-to-market high-impact streaming ad formats, looking at whether options such as solus takeovers and reduced ad loads can optimise effectiveness.
Some 40 brands have taken part in the project in total, including Boots, EE and Just Eat, with a reported 72% increase in ad recall, rising to 98% for 16- to 34-year-olds.
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It marks another step forward for Channel 4’s digital-first strategy, Future4, as it looks to bring all Channel 4 services under a single brand across streaming and linear channels.
The results found that ‘Solus‘ advertising (where the advertiser is the only ad in the pre-roll, plus the first ad in mid-programme ad breaks) returns a 73% increase in brand recall immediately after exposure, compared with a regular ad break, and an 81% increase several days after exposure.
The trial also found that ‘Lite’ advertising (where the advertiser will run in breaks that are limited to 60 seconds) boosts brand recall by 44%, with a 23% increase in brand affinity, compared with a regular ad break.
Nine in ten Channel 4 viewers also said that short breaks are memorable and effective, with 55% less likely to avoid the new ad formats , and, 54% noting they pay more attention to the new takeover ad breaks.
“These results underline why Channel 4 is the best partner to do business with – we are continually innovating to give our partners the best ways of reaching viewers,” said Channel 4’s head of commercial innovation and partners, Jonathan Lewis.
“Our streaming ad innovation further sets us apart in the industry as we generate the commercial returns from our work to prioritise digital growth and become the UK’s public service streamer.”
