Interactive TV Is Here!
Find out how to use this high-impact new media

Interactive television advertising may seem like a thing of the future to many businesses. But the future is already here. Over 50 million American homes have the capability to participate in interactive television and that number grows daily with the expansion of digital cable. Vilocity recently completed an interactive TV spot and media buy for eTelecare.

What exactly is interactive advertising? It provides the opportunity for television audiences to interact with TV commercials. Though interactive advertising can cover a wide range of techniques available, most often it is applied to making broadcast commercials directly responsive to the viewer’s remote control. Advertisers capture the data, then quickly process it and respond to viewers’ interest in their product or service.

Interactive commercials add a call-to-action overlay on the screen from which the viewer can press a button on their remote control and request a brochure, a call from the advertiser, a free sample, further information, or even enter contests, and more. The viewer does not leave the broadcast stream and the technique is ideally suited for direct marketing campaigns as it enables the capture of viewer contact details and responses to simple questions.

Alternatively, there are more in-depth and communicative interactive advertising campaigns that allow the viewer to enter a dedicated advertiser environment that leaves them totally immersed in the interactive advertiser's content and brand. It is for this reason these types of interactivity are utilized more for brand dialogue rather than response activity. Viewers 'jump' to the advertiser’s environment from a broadcast commercial through an interactive button or from a banner in an interactive service. This interactive area can be like a poster consisting of one or two pages of text, graphics, and audio; or a more extensive and content-rich site using quarter screen videos and interactive functionality.

So, why should businesses consider interactive advertising? For one thing, interactive advertising extends the length of time a viewer spends with an ad. It can turn a 30-second commercial into a 30-minute brand interaction. It creates an immediate response from consumers and moves them closer to making a purchase decision. And by its very nature, only interested viewers participate, so they become high-qualified filtered leads and the advertiser builds a targeted database for future use in direct marketing efforts. Additionally, from a viewer’s perspective, interactive commercials are seen as an easy and convenient way to get more information about interesting products or services – all from the comfort of the couch.

Some key facts to know about interactive advertising:

• The interactive commercials that garner the highest response rates are those offering deeper content, coupons or vouchers, free samples, or high value products such as DVDs. Other offerings include brochures, contests, prizes, and requests for further information.
• Certain advertising categories have higher response rates than others. For instance, entertainment and retail ads have better response rates than education and finance ads.
• Studies show the longer an ad is on the air and the more time viewers have to click through, the more viewers that will do so. So consider a 30-second or even 60-second spot.

Don’t be left behind by your competitors. For more information on creating interactive TV advertisements, contact Vilocity at 216.522.0100 or 480.477.6404, or email info@vilocity.com