How do brands make themselves seen and heard by customers who are bored, irritated or simply disinterested in ads due to overexposure? What if you could showcase your brand without forcing yourself on unsuspecting viewers through the annoying pre-roll or mid-roll?
In a first, OTT giant Disney+ Hotstar has introduced pause ads for connected TVs (CTVs) — they appear only when a consumer takes a break from the content, wherein a pop-up appears on the right-hand side of the screen touting the advertised brand. Studies show users pause content four to five times during a day’s viewing, with 90% of these pauses lasting less than 10 seconds. So now Disney+ Hotstar will incorporate advertisements into these user-initiated breaks. “A CTV is a household device that allows multiple users to consume the content. A common user behaviour we see on CTV is pausing a video. We identified this as an opportunity to help brands reach out to these households in a seamless fashion,” says Dhruv Dhawan, head of ads, Disney+ Hotstar.
Are such ads effective?
Some analysts say the new feature could be a game changer for streaming experiences. Says Tejas Maha, group head, paid media, White Rivers Media, “This viewer-centric approach can lead to higher engagement.” Adds Chandrashekar Mantha, partner, media & entertainment leader, Deloitte India, “Pre-roll and mid-roll ads can sometimes feel intrusive, as they appear just as the viewer is about to start watching or is deeply engaged in the content. Pause ads, on the other hand, are not scheduled at fixed intervals like pre-roll and mid-roll ads, which make them appear less intrusive.”
Not everyone is buying that argument though. For one, Siddharth Devnani, co-founder & director, SoCheers, says such ads might end up being a huge waste of advertiser money. “When you and I pause a video, we are probably pausing it for a reason. This could be to answer a call or a doorbell ring or to attend to a crying child. Am I receptive to an ad at that point of time? If that ad has audio and I am answering a call, it will end up annoying me,” he says.
For now at least, the streamer appears confident. In fact, Disney+ Hotstar has priced pause ads at a premium and is banking on their design to draw viewer attention. “Pause ads are a culmination of extensive user research, focus group discussions, advertiser needs, and deployment of latest technology,” says Dhawan. “Our design guarantees that the ad format is seamless and doesn’t interfere with the content or player control while simultaneously being impactful enough to drive brand metrics.”