Samsung Ads sees a chance to challenge the dominance of the 30-second TV ad and have a little fun while doing it, as streaming has made TV less confined to the living room.
After launching GameBreaks, a gamified advertising format, in the U.S. and Canada earlier this year, the business is now bringing it to the U.K.
On Samsung TV Plus, the ad-supported streaming service built into Samsung smart TVs, these brief interactive games that are controlled by the TV remote show up as the first advertisement within premium commercial ad pods.
READ MORE: Samsung Advertising Launches Interactive Games For Promoters
The main trend: Samsung’s campaign capitalizes on interactive advertisements, which are currently one of the most popular forms of connected TV (CTV) advertising. Major streaming services are vying to set themselves apart from the competition with pause advertisements and shoppable ads.
The specifics: According to Samsung Ads’ head of product marketing EMEA, Minai Bui, the rollouts in the US and Canada were “very successful.” Later this summer, the quiz game The Six will be the first to be released in the United Kingdom for alpha testing. This year, more than eight games will be released.
By the numbers: Samsung has a substantial presence throughout Europe. In the five main European markets—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom—three out of five customers possess a Samsung product. And that’s not all. Recently, Samsung Ads declared that it would use user activity data from more than 20 million handsets that had opted in to its CTV campaigns around Europe.
READ MORE: Samsung Television Proprietors Can Now Obtain Enhanced 4K HDR On Netflix
To find out why Bui believes that interaction is the next big thing in CTV advertising, The Current spoke with the company.
Why are you coming to the UK with this format?
One excellent illustration of the opportunities that CTV presents for TV advertising is GameBreaks. Why is a 15- or 30-second video clip required for a TV ad?
It makes sense to us as well. We know gaming, which is why Samsung is a forward-thinking firm. No longer is gaming a niche market. Everyone became a casual gamer thanks to Candy Crush, and now we’re bringing the genre to television.
READ MORE: The Connected TV Market Is Dominated By Roku, Samsung, And Amazon
Do younger audiences find these forms more acceptable than older ones?
Actually, I don’t think so. Indeed, a Gen Zer playing Fortnite is the conventional image of a gamer, but if there is one thing we know from the vast amount of data on the gaming community and gaming industry at large, it is that gamers of all ages enjoy playing games.
Could you provide some stats that demonstrate the efficacy of this format?
According to independent study from MediaScience in the United States, GameBreaks advertisements beat traditional video ads by 1.5 times and increase unaided brand recall by 53%.
Additionally, 89% of viewers said they preferred GameBreaks to conventional commercial breaks. Additionally, 98% of viewers watched the entire advertisement.
How do you think shoppable advertisements, QR codes, pause ads, and interactive CTV ads like this one will develop?
While QR codes and pause advertising are a good development, formats like GameBreaks go one step further and offer the spectator a genuine value exchange. This is consistent with our stance as a consumer brand that prioritizes creating experiences and services for our final consumers.
What should interactive CTV advertisements aim to achieve?
The user experience is crucial. In addition to adding a little entertaining gameplay to their viewing experience, it should feel natural and smooth.
It all comes down to providing brands with chances that enable more in-depth interaction with viewers in a high-end, brand-safe setting.
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