The way viewers discover programming has changed. What used to be flipping channels to find a show, evolved to scrolling through a programming grid, which has evolved to what today is a home screen with clickable shows, channels, and apps.
So it stands to reason that the best way to capture viewers’ attention is to feature an upcoming show prominently on a smart TV homescreen. What’s more, the greater the presence on the homescreen, the greater the benefit.
We’ve outlined previously how homescreen promotions in rotational placements can drive significant tune-in lift. But a full home screen takeover consistently generates the best results.
Here’s an example. We recently ran a promotion for a sitcom on the SmartCast home screen. This consisted of a rotational placement on the home screen, video promotions on both CTV and Household Connect formats, and a complete home screen takeover. A takeover is when a single advertiser owns every impression in the Hero 1 placement, the first high-impact Hero placement on our home screen. This eye-grabbing placement is the first thing a customer sees when they power on their VIZIO smart TV.
We then compared the conversion rate of those viewers exposed to these tactics vs. the control group of those who hadn’t. Overall, the campaign drove 82% lift vs. the control group. But the real story lies in the details.
The CTV and Household Connect results were impressive, with lift vs the control group at 69% and 54% respectively. The results for the rotational units proved even with the control group.
But the rates for the home screen takeover were dramatic—131% lift vs. the control group.
Considering that 98% of the audience exposed to the VIZIO campaign never saw a promotion for the sitcom on linear TV, this highlights the power of VIZIO’s incremental reach.
So when it comes to promoting a new show, look to the SmartCast homepage.
