Knowing the context of the Hulu pre- and mid-roll environment was what drove these extensions of our brand broadcast spots. We knew that advertising creative on Hulu generally follows the same monotonous cadence: Every ad pod is the same as the last — and every ad is the same.

Just having a multi-pod narrative would probably have been enough. But we wanted to be disarming. And we had Kevin Spacey, known for his fourth-wall breaking style in Netflix’s House of Cards.

E*TRADE’s “Staring Contest” lived exclusively on Hulu as a multi-pod ad, initially during Aaron Paul’s new drama, The Path. As mentioned above, the context of this spot is key, but so is the nature of the experience and the behavior of our audience.

People cannot fast-forward through a Hulu ad pod; they are required to view it. Typically, Hulu ads are cut-downs of their broadcast counterparts, but we created a bespoke experience that not only evolved with each pod, but spoke directly to the audience through the fourth-wall.

Spacey introduces the concept of “seizing opportunity” with a challenge to have a staring contest. And then he just…stares. And stares. When the viewer see the next pod, he’s still staring, though his eyes are a bit worse for wear.

To come; results are only beginning to come in from the placements.