Disney is serving up advergaming and shoppable connected TV (CTV) ad formats with help from partners BrightLine and KERV Interactive.
The media company previously introduced a suite of advertising innovations, including a shoppable ad beta program dubbed Gateway Shop, during its annual Global Tech & Data Showcase in January.
On Thursday Disney shared more specifics around new ad formats available and launching on its streaming properties, which are meant to drive greater engagement and commerce for advertisers while maintain a positive viewer experience.
“Brands come to Disney with the intent of delivering new, unique advertising experiences for consumers that both drive engagement and provide a seamless viewing experience,” said Jamie Power, SVP of Addressable Sales at Disney, in a statement. “Offering expanded shoppable ads and advergaming formats to marketers will allow them to connect with audiences in a more differentiated and dynamic way.”
Interactive ad formats are being powered by BrightLine, a vendor that’s worked with several players in the media and CTV space including NBCU’s Peacock, WBD’s Max and Discovery+, Dish’s Sling TV, and FAST services from smart TV OEMs Samsung and Vizio, among others. Disney’s utilizing BrightLine to introduce two custom advergaming formats, which are exclusively launching on Hulu and ESPN.
Quiz Show, a multi-question and answer trivia game, is one of the formats from BrightLine. The second is called Beat the Clock, which is a format that centers around a brand to showcase individual aspects or theme through a fast-paced challenge that viewers engage with directly on-screen using their TV remote. That format launched in June with media agency Mediahub featuring a branded version for charter advertiser Topgolf.
It's the latest format Disney’s tapped BrightLine for, having worked with the vendor previously on earlier ad formats. The advergaming formats were more recently introduced by Brightline in December.
“At BrightLine, we believe in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in advertising, and these interactive advergaming experiences are a perfect example of how we can engage viewers in new and exciting ways,” said Michael Bologna, Chief Accelerator at BrightLine, in a statement.
As for KERV, the ad formats and partnership work with Disney’s previously introduced Gateway Shop, which is a commerce-led effort that utilizes viewers’ second screen. Announced in January, Gateway Shop launched as a beta program for its first native streaming shoppable ads, where viewers watching Disney content receive personalized prompts for products that are sent to their mobile device through push notifications or email. Disney’s using three formats from KERV including Sync, L-Bar and Impulse, which are now available across the company’s properties including on Disney+ and through programmatic channels. Each format from KERV incorporates dynamic QR codes, custom graphics or individual product carousels.
Disney noted that the Impulse ad format is new to market and launched exclusively with the company in April, with partners Target and Nespresso.
Ad formats from KERV utilize AI technology, which is also leveraged to scan, identify and match products in content for shoppable TV experiences. Like BrightLine, KERV’s another vendor that has been making a name for itself in the CTV space, including work with NBCUniversal for shoppable content TV experiences within certain Bravo series on Peacock.
“AI-powered shoppability is the magic wand that bridges the gap between consumers and brands, allowing them to connect effortlessly in the moment,” said Marika Roque, Chief Innovation Officer at KERV, in a statement. By bringing together KERV's technology and Disney's shoppable ad experience, we can instantly correlate premium on-screen moments to the best in-stock products, making our consumer's commerce experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible.”