Show our promotions on our quality tv’s, laptops and smartphones in an original and eye-catching way. Find a creative way to advertise our products (tv’s, smartphones and laptops) during the online episodes of programs on Vier.be.

Watching your favorite programs in a digital way is gaining in popularity. That’s a challenge for advertisers. Especially for big retailers like MediaMarkt that rely on promo ads to drive sales. Frustrating online viewers is not an option, since the products of MediaMarkt are all about offering the best viewing experience. So we found a creative way to showcase the products and promotions of MediaMarkt without interrupting the viewers. The Ad without a Break.

The insight for the campaign was found in addressing the core reason of ad breaks being perceived as irritating: they interrupt viewers when watching their favorite show or program. Interstitial ads suffer more from these kinds of reactions than pre-rolls. Psychology describes this as the “Zeigarnik effect”. As long as a story or experience is not finished, people stay mentally involved and interruptions cause irritation.

Our solution emerged from the product characteristics in the MediaMarkt ads. Close to 90% of products advertised in their online video ad formats were multimedia products. Often the same types of devices that customers used to watch their favorite shows and programs, and as a consequence, also the MediaMarkt promo ads. Could we advertise these products while letting users also experience what it is to watch their favorite show on this device?

Making this project happen did not only mean developing a new ad concept for MediaMarkt, but also developing a whole new video advertising format. SBS, one of the biggest broadcasting groups in Belgium liked the idea and worked together with us in creating and implementing this new ‘native’ advertising format. The ad without a break is a truly integrated advertising concept in many ways. A lot of effort was put into this project both on agency, advertiser and media side in developing the new advertising format, in adapting the OTT programmatic set-up and in negotiating with content provider that were prepared to let their content feature in our special ad breaks. We are especially proud of this project because it displays what kind of original concepts are made possible when media, agencies and ambitious brands work together.

This new way to show products and promotions, launched in partnership with SBS, one of the biggest broadcasting groups in Belgium, was loved by the public. 79% of the viewers appreciated the ad, with a 67% increase in likeability. 97% even remembered the ad after seeing it.