Title	THE BELGIAN COMMERCIAL BREAK
Brand	SBS
Product/Service	MEDIAGROUP
Category	F01. Media Insights & Strategy
Entrant	HAPPINESS BRUSSELS / AN FCB ALLIANCE, BELGIUM
Idea Creation	HAPPINESS BRUSSELS / AN FCB ALLIANCE, BELGIUM
Media Placement	SBS BELGIUM Vilvoorde, BELGIUM

Name	Company	Position
Steve Brouwers	SBS	Creative Director
Karen Corrigan	Happiness / An FCB alliance	Executive Creative Management
Fred Levron	FCB Global	Worldwide Creative Partner
Geoffrey Hantson	Happiness / An FCB alliance	Chief Creative Officer
Katrien Bottez	Happiness / An FCB alliance	Creative Director
Philippe Fass	Happiness / An FCB alliance	Creative Director
Roxane Schneider	Happiness / An FCB alliance	Concept Provider
Pieter Claeys	Happiness / An FCB alliance	Concept Provider

Why is this work relevant for Media?

With this idea, Belgiums biggest broadcaster, SBS, illustrated the power of media. More specifically the power of its daily most valuable and most watched commercial breakdown. By turning it into a ‘Belgian commercial break’ with nothing but local brands. Every single day, 3 months in a row. And by doing so, turning it into a commercial breakdown that Belgians were actually proud to watch. With phenomenal solidarity and results, all leading to the support that local businesses so much need in times of crisis.

Background

The impact of the Corona crisis in Belgium is unprecedented. Especially for the local brands and the small businesses. Because paradoxically, in any crisis, companies need to invest to survive. Unfortunately, it’s the big dogs, the multinationals that have the capacity and the buffer to do so. And the smaller local brands, they don’t. So, local businesses will have a huge problem to survive. A wave of bankruptcies is expected. As a matter of fact, by the end of 2020, 40% of all Belgian local businesses are at risk of disappearing. So, helping out local brands in times of crisis is not an act of protectionism, it’s an act of survival.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

In times of crisis, local resilience and local solidarity is key. So, what if media company SBS dedicated the media power of its daily most valuable and most watched commercial break, to help local brands to get through this unprecedented crisis? And what if by doing so, we would incite all Belgians to spend their money more purposefully? To help achieving all of this Belgium’s biggest broadcaster SBS launched: the ‘Belgian commercial break’. Turning the most watched and valuable commercial break of the day into a break with nothing but Belgian brands. Everyday again. During the entire lockdown – 3 months. Every ‘Belgian commercial break’ was introduced and closed off by a CEO of a local brand, inciting all Belgian to buy Belgian in this period of crisis. A small step for SBS, but a giant leap for all local advertisers.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The biggest national TV channel is ‘channel 4’, one of the TV channels that is part of Belgium’s biggest broadcaster SBS. In peak time, 75% of the population is watching the most popular commercial break of channel 4, on a daily basis. 85% of those people watching are the ‘responsible of purchase’, between 18 and 45 years old. Even more, this daily media peak time window on channel 4 is responsible for 65% of all media buying in Belgium. So, as you can imagine, these breaks are extremely valuable and the best way for brands to seen and bought. And it is exactly those most valuable breaks that were turned into ‘Belgian commercial breaks’, showcasing nothing but Belgian brands.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

March 18th 2020 is when the first Belgian lockdown started. Barely three weeks later SBS managed to turn its daily most valuable commercial break on Channel 4 into ‘Belgian commercial breaks’, with nothing but local brands. And this during the entire lockdown, till May 18th. Every ‘Belgian commercial break’ consisted of 7 to 10 different paid local ads. Resulting in 184 different local brands advertised! Once everything went back to normal, the ‘Belgian commercial break’ stopped. This being said, Belgium is back in lockdown, so the Belgian commercial break will be re-installed. And since SBS is an international broadcaster, they are also preparing to import the ‘Belgian commercial break’ in the Netherland, France, etc.

List the results (30% of vote)

83% of the population saw the ‘Belgian commercial break’ and at a time when a lot of local advertisers were cancelling their media buy, SBS and the ‘Belgian Commercial Break’ managed to increase the number of Belgian advertisers by 126%. But there’s more: 83% of the ‘responsible for purchase’ found the initiative very useful (source Ipsos) and 45% of them indicated the ‘Belgian commercial break’ as the incentive to buy Belgian (source Ipsos). Another striking result: there was 25% less channel surfing compared to other commercial breaks (source CIM tv Belgium). With another lockdown hitting Europe, the ‘Belgian commercial break’ is now ready to also become ‘The Dutch break’, ‘The French break’, etc.