Backchannelmedia

Revolution

By Rigby, Emma

Interactive TV has come a long way from those early response- based campaigns and can now be used for brand-building, says Emma Rigby

It seems strange that the very first interactive TV campaign on Sky, back in March 2000, was for Unilever's Chicken Tonight cooking sauce. Strange because, on the whole, FMCGs have been slow to adopt online, and even slower to use iTV.

Chicken Tonight's red-button push represented the kind of direct- response campaign that was popular when iTV first arrived. It drove users to a DAL (dedicated advertiser location) to view recipes and order a cookery book.

But, times have changed. "It's true to say that, when it started, when iTV was cutting its teeth, response was how everybody judged the success of a campaign." explains Robert Leach, head of interactive services at Sky Media.

There is still great value in response-based campaigns, and sample offers and promotions remain popular. A recent effort by beer brand Grolsch in January 2005 gave away 23,000 branded pint glasses through a mmiDAL application across ITV, C4/E4, Five and Sky. which achieved a response rate of 6.6 per cent in the first three days.

iTV investors

However, clients have since realised that iTV can boost the brand- building benefits of linear TV ads, and the market has developed to include more brand-based video applications. The automotive sector, in particular, has made the most of the brand opportunities, one of the best examples being Volvo's Mystery of Dalaro campaign.

The car industry has been one of the biggest investors in iTV, says Leach, although he adds that the finance sector has run the most campaigns. He highlights a miniDAL built by Chrysler to show case the Voyager model's 'Stow and Go- system. It attracted about 3.000 responses, with users spending an average of two minutes in the application. 'Spontaneous brand awareness' was six times higher for those who had pressed red, compared with those who had viewed the linear ad, and 'purchase intent' rose eight times.

Nevertheless, it's a funny time for iTV. The media landscape has changed since the arrival of redbutton advertising and, while iTV has better functionality, and broader usage than ever before, it has also been criticised for being clunky compared with the web. The TV audience is also becoming increasingly fragmented. IPTV (internet protocol TV) is just around the corner and expected to offer more sophisticated ways of targeting people, according to Honda manager of customer communications Ian Armstrong.

It is also impossible to ignore topsy-turvy moves like Channel 4's plan to drop red-button content services, only to announce that it has services planned for the next series of Big Brother. Newcomers may well wonder where iTV fits in. "In many ways, I would argue that if you were just getting into interactive now. you need to be thinking a bit further ahead." advises Armstrong.

Mass medium

Indeed, Honda planned to run its first IPTV push in May to allow viewers to hold a video conversation with dealers: the customer would be able to see the dealer, but not vice versa. The move allows Honda to exploit the increasing shift of TV consumption to the internet. Eventually, commentators expect the web to be the chief delivery channel for all TV content.

However, it is going to be a while before IPTV becomes a mass medium and. in the interim, providers argue that iTV still has an important rale to play.

Sky Media's Leach cites evidence that more than three-quarters of the top 50 UK advertisers (by spend) have used iTV advertising, with 70 per cent running repeat campaigns, as proof of iTV's value and popularity.

Armstrong also sings its praises and points to Honda's current activity, which combines a brochure and test-drive push. He reckons iTV, used alongside online and other channels, can engage customers for longer. "We believe that, if we can talk with you for 15 minutes, we will convince you about Honda." he says. "InteractiveTV is a perfect vehicle for that.

"There's a principle of generating desirability with consumers and we do that through broadcast com munications. This generates a level of interest and then there's an activation to request a brochure or a test-drive," he continues. "The channel lets consumers research and explore at their own pace before visiting a dealership, while brands can engage with audiences beyond the scope of a conventional media spot."

Leach believes iTV's appeal is simple. It makes TV ads work harder by adding layers; for example, explaining a complex product, as illustrated by Orange's campaign to explain 3G, or brand- building.

"TV is still the most powerful mass-media branding tool in the world, despite the knockers going on about it not being what it used to be," says Leach. "Whatever a brand is trying to do on TV, whether it is retail or brand-building or to generate response, iTV amplifies the message."

It follows then that the way to get the most out of iTV advertising is to plan it in the same way as a linear TV ad, reckons Leach. But, it is important to consider the role of red-button advertising in the overall marketing strategy. Like all potential marketing channels, it should be considered right at the start of campaign planning.

Nigel Sheldon director of digital at media agency Staruom, says that, once iTV has been chosen as suitable for a campaign, there is more to discuss in the planning stages.

For example, he says it is vital to ensure that iTV matches the concept for the TV commercial. Also, the brand should consider how it wants users to navigate the interactive content and give real thought to what data it wants to collect.

Users are invariably put off by any requests for personal information, so a balance must be struck between what data is essential (for example, postal address for a product offer) and what the brand would like to get. "Understanding the consumer context - mode and likely behaviour - are hugely significant too," says Sheldon.

Leach adds: "You really need to understand the objectives and then pick the appropriate interactive advertising." Any ideas should be researched and pre-tested early on, through companies like iBurbia. which runs TV focus groups. "Most clients would never launch a broadcast ad without running some ideas across a focus group, but will happily do it with interactive." he says.

Early planning

Like many new channels, the iTV elements of a promotion are thought of as 'bolt-ons'. However, cam paigns considered in this way will give the same impression to users and are unlikely to succeed.

Thus, early planning meetings should take place and involve the planning agency, creative teams, the client and all the broadcasters and sales houses: Sky, Channel 4, Five. ITV. Flextech's Interactive Digital Sales (IDS) and Viacom. Since iTV straddles both digital and broadcast divisions, it's a good idea to involve both. This means specialist iTV agencies like Weapon 7 can be called in to work alongside the above-the-line teams, says Leach.

"All the best results come when there is a very genuine continuity between the TV ad and the interactive application." he adds.

A core project team needs to manage the activity. pulling in all the relevant parties, as appropriate, to help with specialist programming, fulfilment and research, says Sheldon. "This team is responsible for maintaining the right partnership with the platform provider and introducing the right specialists, such as gaming if the concept requires it," he adds.

Honda involves all agency representatives from above and below- the-lme when planning an iTV campaign. It calls this collective team its Dream Factory. "We don't discriminate between specialisms. Good ideas come from everywhere. And we measure them collectively as well. Part of [agencies' ] remuneration package is based on them achieving a collective objective." says Armstrong.

However, he also thinks iTV planning goes beyond copying linearTV campaigns. "I think the whole planning model is turning its head a little. Historically, the UK ad industry said: 'Here is an advertising idea: how do we make this work in different environments?1 Now advertisers are looking at it all from a consumer 'touch-points' perspective."

This means beginning with the overall objective of the campaign and choosing media based on where the target consumers will be. and then designing campaigns to fit with those media specifically. Since consumers have many different touch-points during the day with many different media channels, brands should consider what those points look like and how they can get their ideas across in different ways. "It's all led by the consumer in that sense," adds Armstrong.

It's also worth remembering that mobile may be chosen as the main response device, rather than the TV remote, particularly among younger audiences, adds Sheldon.

There is a quagmire of interactive platforms, channels and packages to be aware of. Different digital TV platforms offer different capabilities. Sheldon points out: "While cable offers great promise for richer interactivity, digital terrestrial will necessitate different tactics. Potentially, it will become more complex with the advent of ad opportunities with PVRs (personal video recorders) and closer links with broadband services."

Picking the broadcaster is simpler. "Buy i\t across as many channels as you can." says Leach. "It may sound strange coming from me, at Sky, but if you can drive more impact to that application, economies of scale suggest it will be more cost efficient."

The call-to-action on 30-second ads should be clear and concise, and tell consumers exactly what will happen when they press red.

In terms of content, it might be enough to run a simple pop-up box for a direct-response campaign with no emphasis on branding, suggests Leach. For example. Disney asks simple questions like 'Have you been to Disney before?', with the TV ad playing in the background. Consumers answer questions, and when they press 'send' the information is sent to Sky, where it is placed into an encrypted email and sent to Disney's fulfilment house. "There's no branding value, but all Disney wants to do is get its DVDs out to families who might want to go to Disney World," he says.

Honda tends to use a DAL. but experiments with the type of content. Armstrong explains: "We are still exploring the balance of copy against imagery and the types of information we get across. Do we have someone speaking as well as images or do we just give people a load of copy that they need to read?"

Ideal measurement

The way iTV is measured depends on campaign objectives. Honda measures them based on lead generation - people who have gone on to book a test-drive and make a purchase - and brand impact through surveys.

"My ideal measurement is how people feel as a result of interacting with Honda, but that's very fiddly to measure. I can't put an electrode in every consumer and see how the synovial fluid is crossing the fine line into their brain," says Armstrong.

Measurement remains a big challenge for the industry. "In many ways, I'm not sure if 15 minutes on our interactive site is good or bad. I might be sitting here in a couple of years' time thinking that two hours is really poor." he adds.

Sky measures how many people respond to campaigns, what channel they arrive from, and collects data like email addresses. "When we say ITV makes TV more accountable, that's what it does," says Leach.

Sky is just about to launch measurement panel Skyview across 20,000 homes through TNS. This will record every button pressed on the remote to reveal exactly what channel viewers watch, when they've seen an ad, when they interacted with the ad and for how long. This includes 5,000-6,000 'superpanel' homes, where consumers scan all their shopping on the way into their house. In theory this will reveal whether consumers buy a product as a result of interacting with an ad and requesting a voucher.

Such advances suggest the future still looks interesting for iTV advertising. Many believe it is just a stop-gap as broadcast content is shifted to the internet. However, the rise of digital TV continues and the audience for iTV campaigns is growing fast.

Leach thinks convergence will lead to consumers being able to click on areas of the screen for more information, and do for TV what 'As seen On Screen' has done for the internet, although regulation may restrict how often it happens.

"TV delivered though a broadband box will enable you to watch a programme and then flip to the internet. It's inevitable things like that will happen."

Masterclass panel

Ian Armstrong manager of customer communications at Honda, is responsible for the car brand's advertising, including creative and media, CRM and brochures. Prior to joining in July 2003, he worked at Britvic, handling clients such as Tango and Pepsi.

Robert Leach Sky Media's head of interactive services, joined BSkyB as client sales manager in 1997, following a decade in advertising. He became controller of interactive airtime sales in 2000, and was responsible for the sales of Sky Active's interactive ads.

Nigel Sheldon director of digital at btarcom, offers strategic advice on digital to clients ranging from Morgan Stanley to Honda. He began his career as a media planner, principally managing Rolex's multi-million-dollar global business, and set up JWT's interactive arm.

Disney uses iTV site to widen appeal to entire family

Disney wanted to dispel the idea that only children enjoy Walt Disney World Florida, so it developed a campaign to promote it as a family destination.

Agency Arc Worldwide developed an ITV site. The brief was to develop ads that would ooze charm and attract the whole family, using exclusive video clips of the top rides and attractions at each of its six parks.

The campaign targeted parents with children aged five to 15 who were considering a trip to Florida.

Research had found this audience's enjoyment of Disney comes through their children's enjoyment of it.

Awareness of Epcot park, MGM Studios and the Animal Kingdom was low and confused, while understanding of the water parks was non- existent.

Disney decided to target this audience via iTV, based on findings that the whole family is involved in deciding where to go on holiday and what to do when watching programmes together. So, TV was the perfect medium for the campaign.

The idea was to use iTV to bring the brand to life in the living room and allow the whole family to explore the parks in more detail and engage with the larger scope of Walt Disney World.

The campaign aired three times a day: during morning TV to reach mums; an afternoon slot to target kids, and early evenings to target the entire family with the message of there being six unique magical Disney Parks in one destination.

The iTV campaign was limited by the fact that, due to licensing restrictions, it was not possible to use any Disney characters.

The households that responded gave information on their holiday purchasing patterns, when they last visited a Disney resort, if applicable, their purchase intention, and the number and age of their children in their household.

As this information was acquired through a double opt-in process to a Disney UK marketing database, the company can now share this data with various tour operators and conduct ongoing direct-mail activity.

iTV content: the campaign targeted parents with kids aged five to 15 with video clips of rides

Top tips on interactive TV

1 Give viewers a clear, simple and compelling reason to press red. Free stuff, vouchers and exclusive content are often used.

2 Work out how much fulfilment will cost before you start. By the time you've booked the last slot in the break, paid for bandwidth and the creative director's lunch, it may turn out to be a very expensive way of sending out a brochure.

3 Even on the latest hardware there's a delay between pressing red and arriving at the advertiser location. Don't disappoint them there.

4 If viewers are using iTV to ask you to post stuff, make the process quick and painless. Filling in a form using a TV remote is quite fiddly, but Sky will have their details in their subscriber database: it charges for it, but it's worth using.

5 Don't put too much text on the screen - this is TV, not the web.

6 Obey the rules for safe areas and safe palettes for TV.

7 Check your creative on a real TV. The beautiful fine keylines and tints that web designers envisage don't mix well with video interlacing.

8 Be honest to people about what you are offering - don't lie.

9 If you've got something interesting to say, you can take as long as you like. The bandwidth might cost, but this only limits the screen dimensions of your footage. Video clips can run as long as your audience's patience. Brand engagement on this level is marketing gold dust.

10 Don't bore people. I think this now applies to all TV advertising.

Thanks to Robin Garms, interactive creative director, Publicis

Checklist

Questions that should be considered when planning an interactive TV site

* What are your long-term campaign objectives?

* Do you have a clear reason to use ITV?

* How will it fit into your media mix?

* Is there a clear creative concept that can translate across all channels and seamlessly align with the linear TV commercial?

* What data do you want to collect?

* How do you plan to measure the campaign?

* How will viewers respond to your advertising?

* What are your audience's touch-points during the day and where does iTV come in?

* Will there be a mobile element?

* What interactive packages suit your campaign? Would a DAL or simple pop-up work best?

* How will you drive ads to the interactive slot?

* Have you briefed everyone from the start?

* Does your planning team include reps from digital, above-the- line, media and creative?

* Have you involved those behind the TV ad?

Copyright Haymarket Business Publications Ltd. Jun 2006

(c) 2006 Revolution. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.