Hulu Advertising Strategy: Show More Ads to Binge-Watchers
The company is said to be working out the details as to which types of ads will be curated for which type of show, and currently has no set products to offer advertisers.
Hulu is reportedly exploring new innovative ways to pair non-intrusive advertising with viewers' watching habits. According to Adage, the streaming service is planning to insert brands into shows that subscribers tend to binge-watch the most.
According to Peter Naylor, head of ad sales, the company, which is a partnership between Disney which owns 60 percent, along with Comcast and AT&T which hold a 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
"We know if someone watched the first, second, third episode in a row, they're binging," Naylor says. "That's an opportunity to create some kind of binge advertising."
The company is said to be working out the details as to which types of ads will be curated for which type of shows, and currently has no set products to offer advertisers. Hulu, however, will most likely look to analyze interest on the consumer and ad buyers' side in the coming weeks.
Naylor had no details on what types of offerings are being considered but did say "That's an opportunity to create some kind of binge advertising."
Binge-based advertising is just one of the many creative options Hulu is looking at to fully monetize its current inventory of content. A move that is sure to place the company in a position to compete with the likes of Netflix and HBO.
In recent months, the company has experimented with pause-based ads. Here the viewer would see a pop-up ad when they pause a show. These Pop-up ads would display promotional messages from show creators and other partner entities. Binge ads would offer similar messaging opportunities for brands to offer premium content and extended viewing packages.
"It's a smart way to recognize viewing behavior on streaming platforms," says Noah Mallin, head of content, experience and partnerships at Wavemaker. "It gives advertisers a way to increase prominence with bingers while creating a better experience."
Azher Ahmed, director of digital at DDB U.S., says that ads tailored to binge watching could lead to new ways to think about campaigns on Hulu. For one, brands know they have a heavily invested viewer.
"You don't want to just blast the same creative at them; think about a series of ads that plays out in a binge-watching session," Ahmed says. "Also, put a creative lens on it; at some point they have to take a break, so have a message that is tailored for it."