Channel 4 announces first brands to come on board with new ad formats

18 October 2011

Channel 4's Future and Digital Media Ad Sales team are pleased to announce that Mikado and McCain will be the first brands to take advantage of their new interactive ad formats.

The deals with Mikado and McCain were negotiated by Andrew Samms and PHD, the media agency who represent both brands.

Mikado will be the first brand to run an advertisement using the new Ad Bloom format - a format which allows the advert to evolve from an in-player ad pre roll and grow out into a microsite within the player, that can be populated with content videos, product features and photos, driving brand exposure and dwell time.

The Mikado Ad Bloom campaign will run throughout October and November on 4oD.  The new format will include teaser video clips, Facebook links and editorial content on the different variants of the brand.  All the information will be housed within a bespoke microsite which sits within the 4oD player.

Charlotte Clayton, Media Manager at PHD said: 'Mikado needs to utilise digital platforms that enable it to showcase multiple creative executions alongside driving increased brand awareness through interaction. The launch of the Channel 4 Ad Bloom format signifies a step change in the way consumers view and interact with content online. It's an innovative format that offers a perfect platform to showcase our product creatively, as well as offering a high level of brand engagement.'

McCain are the first brand to run an advertisement using the new Ad Social format, which offers a pre roll experience that drives awareness in social media - by offering viewers the opportunity to show their appreciation for, check in with, recommend, or follow a brand, from the 4oD player. The McCain Ad Social campaign will also run throughout October, on 4oD.

Ad Social and Ad Bloom are two formats within our new creative suite of online ad formats, all exclusive to Channel 4 - Ad Pop, Ad Bloom, Ad Social and Ad Interact - which are designed to provide advertisers with the opportunity to have a more interactive relationship with the audience.

The creative suite of four new ad formats compliments the highly successful Ad Elect, which launched in December 2010. Red Bull, L'Oreal, Cadburys, Marks and Spencer, HTC and Adidas are among the brands who have carried campaigns through this format - offering the user a choice between two different adverts, which drives engagement as viewers are able to choose the ad most relevant to them.