Channel 4 launches two key developments for advertisers

15 September 2011

Channel 4's Future and Digital Media Ad Sales (FADMA) team are launching two key developments for advertisers this trading season - demographic targeting for VoD advertising campaigns and a new creative suite of online video formats to drive interactivity and engagement.

In a market first, Channel 4's FADMA team are to offer advertisers the opportunity to buy by demographic as well as genre, marking a completely new approach to trading over digital platforms.

Actual viewer data gathered by Channel 4 through registration profile information will be supplemented by third party data supplied by Quantcast, to deliver demographic breakdowns on Channel 4's VoD audiences.

And following the success of their Ad Elect Video format, which allows online viewers to choose between different creative executions of an advert, Channel 4's FADMA team are launching a new creative suite of online ad formats, all exclusive to Channel 4 - Ad Pop, Ad Bloom, Ad Social and Ad Interact - which will provide advertisers with the opportunity to have a more interactive relationship with the audience.

Ad Pop enables the product being advertised in a pre-roll to ‘pop out' of the constraints of the player area, meaning the viewer can explore the product's features through interactive images and overlays. The format offers advertisers the opportunity to give the viewer a dynamic experience of their product, couple with the opportunity to work in calls to action to tell viewers more about their product, or drive them to a website.

Ad Bloom allows the advert to evolve from an in-player ad pre roll and grow out into a microsite within the player, that the advertiser can populate with content videos, product features and photos, driving brand exposure and dwell time.

Ad Social 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 player.

Ad Interact delivers pre roll advertising with an interactive element, where viewers can enter in details for offers, competitions or sign up for coupons for example, without leaving the player page.

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.

Errol Baran, Head of Future and Digital Media Ad Sales said,

"Channel 4 recognises that standout and digital innovation remain key objectives for the agency community. Our new creative suite not only looks to address these key issues, but builds on Channel 4's digital proposition to remain the most innovative and engaging video destination in the marketplace.   As the leading commercial On Demand platform, considering ways in which to forge a greater connection with our audiences through content and advertising will form a key part of our 2012 strategy."

Channel 4 has begun to showcase the formats to media agencies, and will make an announcement shortly on the first advertisers to take advantage of the new video formats.