ThinkTV captures attention with 30sec ad spots

ThinkTV has launched a television campaign to demonstrate how TV ads capture and hold viewers’ attention.

Despite evolving audience behaviour, and an ever-changing array of online advertising options, television advertising remains remarkably effective in New Zealand.

The reasons, supported by evidence, examples and expert opinions, were presented at length in a special ThinkTV edition of NZ Marketing Magazine in April last year. Titled The TV Advertising Paradox, the myth-busting issue and follow-up LinkedIn posts sparked much debate with digital media champions.

In this year’s follow-up, ThinkTV is practicing what it preaches.

Attention’s the star of the campaign

“The numbers show that, on average, New Zealand marketers spend too small a proportion of their budget on linear television, so they’re not getting the best bang for their advertising buck,” says Jacqueline Freeman, ThinkTV’s general manager communications.

“There are many reasons why TV still leads for effectiveness, but a few big ones really stand out.”

ThinkTV’s website lists those as reach, attention and shared viewing, but it’s attention that’s the star of the new campaign.

“We picked attention, largely because it’s the most interesting, entertaining and easy to explain,” says strategist and creative David (DT) Thomason.

“People watch ads for longer when they’re on television, and every second they watch makes your ad significantly more effective.”*

*Peter Field’s article, “Five Charts to End the TV Debate,” last year cited research from Dr Karen Nelson-Field showing that the longer ads are viewed, the longer they stay in memory.

Designed to last

The campaign consists of a series of 30-second ads, each beginning very differently.

The 17 second intros are designed to create intrigue and hold your attention. They then each cut to the same ‘gotcha’ scene, where a young woman points out how many seconds the ad has held your attention.

‘We’ve broken some advertising rules,” says DT. “We’ve intentionally made each intro feel completely different, so viewers will be trying to guess who it’s for.”

A hybrid method

The campaign is designed to last, with three versions out now, and more to come. 

The production approach was also unusual. Blacksand cast and filmed a fresh new face to play the mysterious behind-the-scenes ThinkTV woman at the end of each ad. Meanwhile, the many varied 17-second intros – also created by Blacksand – were all produced using AI.

Creative director at Blacksand Shannon Addison says: “The idea for each intro was created with AI’s strengths in mind, so we’ve been able to produce very convincing scenes, with real voices adding the natural human element and humour.”

“AI is an inevitability for the industry. This hybrid method has been a great way to experiment, maximise our budget, and demonstrate how we can dramatically lower the cost of entry for new TV advertisers,” Freeman adds.

Credits

• Client: Jacqueline Freeman
• Strategy and creative: David (DT) Thomason
• Creative: Paul Taylor
• Production company: Blacksand
• Director: Ryan Mansfield
• Music: Larry Killip

The post ThinkTV captures attention with 30sec ad spots appeared first on stoppress.co.nz.

stoppress.co.nz