The term “interactive television” conjures visions of elaborate games, trivia opportunities and other pop-up overlays offering fun gateways to engagement.

But a recently launched advertising product geared toward TV networks is a reminder that sometimes the simplest usages of cutting-edge technology are the most effective.

PROMOTIONS+ was designed by Ensequence, a New York technology company. Launched in partnership with AMC’s WE tv and appearing only on Samsung Smart TVs (for now), PROMOTIONS+ makes the modern woman-themed network’s own promos interactive, offering a simple, branded option within spots for viewers to request a text reminder for an upcoming episode.

The app is both useful and simple. To activate it, viewers just point the remote at the TV and click to submit a request to remind them to watch.

According to data released by Ensequence, three early WE tv campaigns using the tool have seen 25% of the viewers who interacted with a PROMOTIONS+ interactive spot opting in to get the tune-in reminder. And, 3% of people who encountered the spots interacted with them, which seems low but is actually higher than response rates for other media such as Internet advertising and direct mail. When spread across 30-40 million households, the number Ensequence hopes to reach with its new product by the end of 2014, 3% starts to represent significant numbers.

According to Ensequence’s website, PROMOTIONS+ also allows viewers to set up their DVRs to record a given promo’s upcoming episode right from the screen, using nothing but the remote.

“Promotions+ makes our promotional tune-in inventory more effective and impactful,” said Jen Robertson, WE tv’s SVP of digital media and business development, in a statement. “The initial results have been strong and we believe – as Ensequence rolls out the product across distributors – it will continue to help drive viewership.”

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