AD WITHOUT A BREAK

TitleAD WITHOUT A BREAK
BrandMEDIAMARKT
Product/ServiceHOME ELECTRONICS & AUDIOVISUAL
Category B01. Use of TV & Other Screens
Entrant WUNDERMAN THOMPSON Antwerp, BELGIUM
Idea Creation WUNDERMAN THOMPSON Antwerp, BELGIUM
Media Placement SBS BELGIUM Vilvoorde, BELGIUM
Credits
Name Company Position
Sam De Volder Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Creative Director
Pieter Staes Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Creative Director
Manuel Ostyn Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Creative Director
Patrick Vermeylen Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Art Director
Jan Denys Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Copywriter
Catherine Hermans Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Copywriter
Tom Thijs Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Account Director
Ena Stevens Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Account Manager
Sarah Savoir Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Account Manager
Lowie Fokke MediaMarkt Online marketing manager
Davy Claeys MediaMarkt Advertising Manager
Yannick de Bièvre Wunderman Thompson Antwerp Head Of Marketing BeLux at MediaMarkt-Saturn
Steve Brouwers SBS Belgium Creative Director
Elissa Betrains SBS Belgium Account Manager

Why is this work relevant for Media?

For electronic retailers like MediaMarkt, online promo ads are necessary to generate sales. They frustrate viewers, especially when they’re unskippable. And that’s not good for brand likeability. Especially since products of MediaMarkt are all about offering people the best viewing experience, like quality tv’s, tablets and smartphones.For Ads without the break we used the online tv platform of vier.be in a completely new way. While people watched online tv, instead of a traditional commercial break, viewers got to see a 15 sec. video ad allowing them to keep on watching their favorite show while the promotion is shown.

Background

Show our promotions on our quality tv’s, laptops and smartphones in an original and eye-catching way. Find a creative way to advertise our products (tv’s, smartphones and laptops) during the online episodes of programs on Vier.be.

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

Watching online has its downsides: unskippable ads. We used a creative way to hack these unskippable ads, using the packshot as a different screen to continue watching the program.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

"We improved an existing media plan targeted at an online audience of 19+ Dutch speaking adults. We found a creative way to showcase our products and promotions without interrupting the viewers. Instead of showing our ads during the program, we continued showing the program during the ad in a screen-in-screen kind of way. When the ad break was about to start, the screen zoomed out until you saw a television, tablet, laptop or mobile phone accompanied by its specs and price. All while the program kept on playing on the screen of the advertised device. The use of the distinctive MediaMarkt red color as the background and the MediaMarkt logo in the corner ensured that viewers, even without a voice over explaining the promotion, immediately knew it was MediaMarkt that was the sender of the ad. The ‘the Ad without a Break’ was born. "

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Making this project happen did not only mean developing a new ad concept for MediaMarkt, but also developing a whole new online video advertising format. SBS, one of the biggest broadcasting groups in Belgium liked the idea and worked together with us in creating and implementing this new ‘native’ advertising format for mid-roll promo ads on online video platforms and OTT services. The ad without a break is a truly integrated advertising concept in many ways. A lot of effort was put into this project both on agency, advertiser and media side in developing the new advertising format, in adapting the OTT programmatic set-up and in negotiating with content provider that were prepared to let their content feature in our special ad breaks. The initial campaign ran from October-December 2019. Yet, MediaMarkt will use it as a permanent format to advertise promotions online.

List the results (30% of vote)

This new way to show products and promotions, launched in partnership with SBS, one of the biggest broadcasting groups in Belgium, was loved by the public. 79% of the viewers appreciated the ad, with a 67% increase in likeability. 97% even remembered the ad after seeing it.