Over-the-top (OTT) advertising: You know it. You love it. But, if you’ve yet to get acquainted with this game-changer, allow us to introduce you.  

Now that you’re all friendly and familiar with what OTT advertising is, you might be wondering how your brand can make the most of it.  

With so many OTT platforms (from video to audio and even messaging), there are several strategic advertising paths brands explore in hopes of prospecting or retargeting their best audience. In fact, OTT platforms including the likes of Hulu, Disney+, and more have begun diving into the creation and delivery of unique ad units in hopes of engaging and entertaining consumers while still giving brands the data they need to succeed.  

Which ad experience would you prefer? 

5 OTT Ad Units to Know

When selecting an OTT ad experience, consider not only what’s best for your brand but what formats and messaging will improve engagement and retention with your top consumer. 

1. The Ad Selector

Offering consumers more control over their viewing experience, ad selector formats have taken Hulu by storm, resulting in 70% higher lifts than average campaigns on the OTT platform!  

Here, consumers are presented with 2-3 ad options and prompted to select which ad experience they’d prefer to peruse. If no selection is made after 15 seconds, the algorithm chooses for the consumer.  

This personalized option allows viewers to choose ads they want to see, which in turn has yielded a 29% increase in purchase intention compared to standard video ads. 

2. The Branded Entertainment Selector (BES) 

‘BES’ ads are designed to enhance your consumer’s viewing experience. Here, viewers can choose to enjoy their program with traditional commercial breaks or opt to watch a 15 to 30 second advertisement before their content begins in order to experience an uninterrupted viewing experience to follow.  

3. The GatewayGo

Designed with conversations in mind, GatewayGo ads utilize ‘action-oriented prompts’ and ‘second-screen enablement technologies’ (like QR codes) to shift conversations from TV to other smart devices in real-time.  

During a commercial break, viewers are presented with an interactive ad experience which invites them to use their phones to scan codes for exclusive discounts, in-depth brand information, and much more. 

Are consumers actually excited by this type of ad? Turns out: They are! In fact, 6 in 10 viewers like the experience of GatewayGo ads and the opportunity to explore brands and deals on other devices without having to pause TV content. 

4. The Binge Ad

With 70% of Americans identifying as a self-proclaimed binge-watcher, getting served the same brand ads over and over again can be repetitive and turn off your potential consumers. Enter binge ads! 

Binge ads are all about keeping brand safety and positive binging in mind. During a binge-watching spree (i.e. watching 3 or more episodes in succession), brands can serve ‘contextually relevant’ messaging that takes viewers on a journey.  

After three consecutive brand ads, the viewer is presented with their next episode ad-free, plus an exclusive offer like discounted products. This ad unit taps into the minds of binge-watchers, with unaided brand awareness increasing by 24% and ad recall up 25%. 

5. The Action Ad

OTT Advertising Best Practices 

Before you take your ad game over-the-top, there are a few best practices to keep in mind so your brand can make the most of these unique advertising opportunities!  

Access Your Audience 

Who are you trying to reach? What are you looking to communicate? 

Create a clear, concise campaign goal that efficiently target your best consumer to avoid confusing messaging that taps into too many objectives. 

Tell Your Story 

Captivate and compel! 

Engage consumers within the first three seconds of your advertisement to improve retention and keep their interest piqued during the entire run of your video. Include strong, action-oriented CTAs to underscore a sense of urgency.  

Test and Learn 

Brand-building campaigns often require 3-6 months to convert, so testing multiple variations of an ad can not only help avoid over-exposure and user fatigue, but A/B testing can also help your brand obtain key audience insights, like what resonates or how to best optimize future messaging. 

Foresee Formatting 

Remember, OTT delivers streamed content to a variety of different devices—from TVs to laptops to smartphones. 

Keep device sizing best practices in mind to increase visibility of values, CTAs, and more critical brand information across all screen types. 

Get Integrated 

Consider OTT as the centerpiece of your campaign—allowing you to further create cross-platform content across digital, search, and more.  

Consistency is key. Strive to maintain key messaging across platforms as needed. 

Learn, Earn, & Grow: Let’s Go Over-The-Top 

OTT streaming is the future of content consumption and can boast so many benefits for your brand! With OTT video advertising’s average revenue per user expected to reach $52.25 by 2025, it’s high time your brand takes advertising over-the-top!  

Check out how we helped our friends at AprilAire create an educational wildfire OTT ad that secured a goal-crushing 104% more hyper-targeted impressions. 

Wondering how your brand can make the most of OTT? Drop us a line at info@againinteractive.com!