The Ad without the Break
MediaMarkt
Issue 54 | March 2020
Agency
Wunderman Thompson Antwerp
Creative Team
Creative Directors Sam De Volder, Pieter Staes, Manuel Ostyn Creative team Patrick Vermeylen, Jan Denys, Catherine Hermans
Other Credits
Account team Tom Thijs, Ena Stevens, Sarah Savoir, Matti Verhaegen Mediapartner Creative Director SBS Steve Brouwers Accountmanager SBS Elissa Betrains Client contact Fokke Lowie, Yannick de Bièvre, Davy Claeys
Date
November 2019
Background
As more and more TV viewers switch to streaming services, commercial broadcasters can’t afford to stay behind.
However, advertising without chasing away viewers remains a challenge. MediaMarkt wanted to reach their target audience in ways that would not damage brand likeability.
Idea
Break-free ad-breaks on VIER.be allowed MediaMarkt to talk about its latest products and promotions in a less intrusive manner during the popular game show, ‘De Slimste Mens ter Wereld’ (The Smartest Person in the World) on VIER.be.
The way it worked was at key moments, the TV action was squeezed into the shape of a Samsung smartphone. The show continued within the phone screen. A title popped up, reading: Continue watching your favourite show on this Samsung Galaxy Smartphone.
Similar ads ran for widescreen TVs and laptops.
Results
The new format actually enhanced brand likeability. A survey carried out by the commercial broadcaster SBS showed a striking 67% increase in likeability with 79% of viewers appreciating the new format. Even better, 97% of viewers remembered the ads afterward.
Our Thoughts
Media owners seem reluctant to innovate in terms of the space they sell to advertisers. TV spots come in precise packages of 10, 20, 30 or 40 seconds. Take it or leave it.
Given the disruption of digital, you’d imagine that television stations and print-based publications would be doing whatever they can to woo clients back.
Congratulations to SBS Belgium, owner of TV channel VIER.be, for working with MediaMarkt to create a completely new format of TV ad. If MediaMarkt had tried anything similar in the UK, I am pretty sure they would have been told to take a hike.