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Beyond the TV advert block – alternatives to the traditional TV spot
TV continues to be highly relevant due to its wide reach and presence. But are there alternatives to the tried-and-tested traditional TV campaign, which is often associated with high costs? At the JOM IMPULSE on 17 July 2024, Diana Glashagen (Teamlead Media Consulting, JOM Group) and Guido Modenbach (EVP Research, Analytics & Consulting, Seven.One Entertainment Group and Managing Director, Seven.One Media) showed how brands can also benefit creatively, unconventionally and credibly from the large TV reach beyond the advertising block and achieve great advertising impact with a comparatively small budget.
JOM IMPULSE in a Nutshell
Diana Glashagen: What forms of TV advertising are there without commercials?
Special advertising formats can be used to generate reach and attention without traditional adverts. One advantage of special formats is that they are often perceived by recipients as editorial content and therefore less as traditional advertising. In addition, it is possible to interact with viewers and strengthen the connection between the brand, the audience and the medium of TV.
But what do these alternatives look like? Cut-ins are shown during the ongoing TV programme and can therefore draw attention directly from the programme to the content of the advertisement. These insertions usually last 10 to 15 seconds and can be designed in various frames and orientations. With cut-ins, it is possible to display adverts in a particularly appropriate way for the programme’s target groups. There are also charming ways of integrating advertising content directly into the programme flow, for example by using the cut-in to directly pick up on a theme of the programme, thus creating a seamless transition to the advertising content. For ATV and CTV, these measures can also be transformed into the digital world via the Switch-In-XXL. Both are uncomplicated and effective forms of advertising that do not require a specially produced advert and are priced similarly to standard TV advertising.
Product placement, on the other hand, is the direct, physical integration of products into a format. Depending on whether a product is only to be integrated or whether an actual interaction takes place, the lead times and coordination for this type of advertising measure vary greatly. Virtual product placement often only requires two weeks’ lead time, as a programme that has already been produced is subsequently provided with advertising – for example, by digitally adapting visible advertising space in the background of a programme. Product placement in the lead role, on the other hand, requires long lead times and a high degree of coordination, as the product – through integration into the storyline and interaction with the protagonists – becomes an integral part of the programme. The advantages of such an elaborate measure are a high level of attention, long-term placement and lasting loyalty to the viewers.
Sponsorship is another proven and multifaceted advertising medium. Long-term sponsorship of TV formats – e.g. through 7-second openers and closers before and after a programme – generate a lot of attention with simple implementations and ensure an associative link between the brand and the programme. By contrast, sponsorship across multiple channels is much more complex and cost-intensive. If classic sponsorship is combined with product placement, influencer sponsorship, competitions and branded content, this generates a high level of expenditure, but in return creates an all-round successful advertising package.
These examples clearly show that special advertising formats can be used very well to utilise the reach of TV. In an unusual, creative and credible way, attention can be drawn to the advertising message and the brand can interact with viewers.
Guido Modenbach: How do special advertising formats work?
Why is TV still so interesting for advertisers? Thanks to its high reach and presence, TV offers the opportunity to have an impact on both sides of the sales funnel. This means that TV can positively influence brand building and mental availability as well as activation and short-term sales. Not only can special forms of advertising be used to generate attention in a creative and unconventional way. With alternatives to traditional commercials, brands can utilise the advantages of TV as a medium and achieve a high advertising impact with relatively little effort, even with popular formats such as Germany’s Next Top Model. But even beyond prime time and ProSieben, it is possible to generate a large advertising impact with a manageable budget through skilful placement.
The product placement of the handbag brand Zoé Lu on Germany’s Next Topmodel, for example, demonstrated the high level of activation that can be achieved with special forms of advertising. Two placements of the brand led directly to a significant increase in visits to the brand website – both during the programme and in the subsequent advertising break. In addition, the advertising research carried out following the campaign showed a strong increase in brand awareness and a significant improvement in brand image. The brand also recorded a large increase in new customers. A strong performance by the advertising measure, which – with a classic product placement and a presentation of the founders, the product and the brand in the programme – was still significantly cheaper than a classic TV campaign.
The case of the food discounter Penny on Promi Big Brother is an example of the deep integration of a brand into a TV format. In this case, a Penny store was located directly in the ‘Big Brother’ house and thus became a fixed and integral part of the programme itself. The contestants could regularly buy products in the store with the winnings they earned and then consume them. Although such an advertising measure is not entirely inexpensive, it also means that the brand plays a recurring role at the centre of the programme over the course of 15 prime-time programmes. The unaided advertising recall, the recall of the placement and the evaluation of the placement proved the success of this elaborate advertising measure.
In the programme The Masked Singer, two special forms of advertising for different brands were convincing. A cut-in of kinder Überraschung was not only tailored to the programme and target group in terms of content, but also had an auditory element during the insertion. Particularly in terms of advertising recall, the special advertising format performed better than a conventional cut-in thanks to this additional feature. The WC Ente brand, on the other hand, opted for an elaborately staged advert in the show setting of the format – with extraordinary success in all KPIs relevant to the brand.
Finally, a study by Seven.One Media shows that when comparing different campaigns, the highest advertising impact is achieved with combinations of several special advertising formats. A concrete example of this is the combination of cut-in and sponsorship of the Eubos brand at Paula kommt. Both brand awareness and willingness to buy benefited significantly from the combination of two special advertising formats – especially when both were remembered.
Conclusion
The same applies to ‘simple’ cut-ins and elaborate product placements: Advertising that creatively and authentically picks up on the affinity of the respective target group and fits intuitively and appealingly into the programme flow of the show works. There are virtually no limits to creativity when designing special advertising formats. The alternatives to the classic advert offer new and unconventional opportunities to create charming and lasting advertising experiences and – with a comparatively low budget and effort – to achieve great advertising impact.
