Interactive TV: Taking TV advertising to a new level

Ford used the launch of their new Ford Bantam commercial to entice viewers into a Dedicated Advertiser Location, (DAL), on DStv's Channel 76, which showcased a variety of Ford brands. Potential buyers used their remote control to navigate the DAL and explore statistics, pricing and views of their preferred models. Test-drives could be booked via an on-screen phone number with Ford offering movie tickets to all respondents over the period.

"The Ford campaign was an exciting first for South African television," says Chris Hitchings, GM Oracle Airtime Sales. "Interested viewers had the opportunity to drill deeper into a standard commercial, and interact with the Ford brand at their convenience." Nielsen data indicates that approximately 13 per cent of the
650 000 DStv households accessed the Ford DAL during the three-week period, for an average of one minute-and-52 seconds per household. Ford dealers noted a significant increase in test-drives over the period.

Equally impressive is the amount of time and total number of interactions, generated by the Cell C sponsored 'Brain vs Brawn' Interactive Quiz. MultiChoice launched the quiz in November to stimulate viewer interest and participation in Interactive TV. Viewers were invited to answer a number of entertainment related trivia questions to win cell phones, airtime contracts and cash prizes donated by Cell C. When participants had answered enough questions correctly, a code was released on screen, which served as the entry to be phoned through to a Cell C Interactive Voice Response system(IVR). 168 000 entries were received over the 27-day period - an average of 6200 per day. Nielsen data recorded unique penetration levels between 29 - 38 per cent of the 650 000 DStv households. The average DStv household interacted three times with the channel, with each visit lasting an average of seven minutes-and-54 seconds. The application also contained a mini DAL with an entire section dedicated to Cell C screens and information.

"Interactive TV advertising brings increased accountability to advertisers, and the opportunity to communicate with large audiences on a one- to-one basis," Hitchings goes on to say. "These initial interactive campaigns prove that the consumer appreciates the opportunity to choose whether or not they would like to interact or receive additional information about specific products or services at a time convenient for them."

Concludes Richard Fyffe, GM Interactive TV at MultiChoice Africa," Interactive TV offers a dynamic and unique marketing channel to their existing and potential customers. The Ford and Cell C campaigns generated very exciting response rates amongst DStv households and pave the way forward for future innovations, limited only by the creativity of brands and their advertising agencies. Advertising, interaction and infotainment all rolled into one is a very powerful mix."