As smart TVs become a mainstay in homes, Vizio is focusing on the home screen to keep viewers engaged and make ads on the platform more engaging.
Vizio gave a glimpse of the redesigned interface that will roll out to consumers in the coming months at its NewFronts presentation. The updated UI aims to streamline the user experience as well as allow brands to create more immersive ads on his Vizio.
According to Sean Booker, senior director of sales for Vizio's media and entertainment division, the so-called hero unit is “the first stop and touchpoint for millions of consumers when they turn on their TV.” is. New His OS features for advertisers include video autoplay functionality, direct deep links to storefronts for content or movie purchases, and QR code integration.
Additionally, Vizio's new “Discover, Reveal” row block extends the Hero unit to provide advertisers with multiple touchpoints and initial ad spot locations, making brands “an integral part of the search and discovery process.” booker said.
Vizio noted that time spent on the home screen has more than doubled (53%) in the past six months, as users spend more time browsing curated carousels and genre hubs. Alison Clark, head of general market advertising sales at Vizio, said the time spent serves as a “flexible sponsorship opportunity to advance multiple media goals.”
Ahead of NewFronts, Vizio announced its new Branded Content Studio division. The division is tasked with creating data-driven programming, including sponsored messaging across a variety of formats. The home screen is your conduit to that new department.
“For the first time ever, Vizio is empowering advertisers to be entertained,” said Katlyn Wilson, director of branded content, sales and strategy at Vizio. She mentioned “3 Pointers,” a short-form series that Vizio and her BetMGM launched in conjunction with March Madness. The show was aimed at attracting not only Vizio's sports fans, but also gourmet lovers.
“We leveraged the home screen hero autoplay unit to target food lovers and sports viewers, acquiring content with a geographic focus on the exact areas BetMGM wanted to reach,” Wilson said. he said. Vizio users will see different brands of programming on their home screen, depending on their viewing habits and preferred genres.
During the presentation, Vizio announced several new partnerships for Branded Content Studio. The first is to collaborate with Modern Luxury to launch a collection of lifestyle series focused on travel, food, art and fashion. The smart TV maker has also partnered with Golf Nation and Spirits Network to promote shoppable content from those brands.
Wilson gave another example where Vizio created a branded series with a “sports-adjacent advertiser.” It consisted of unique episodes and was promoted on the home screen as well as on WatchFree+, Vizio's free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service.
For the overall audience, purchase intent for its branded series increased by 120%, she said.
“Among viewers who have not used a similar service in the past, purchase intent was 153%,” Wilson added. “Good content is only as valuable as the distribution behind it.”
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Vizio executives also took time to discuss how the FAST service, which remains the second most-watched free service on Vizio's platform, will enhance its advertising strategy.
Katherine Pond, Vizio's group VP of platform content and partnerships, touted the value of WatchFree+'s single-series channels and how they appeal to advertisers. Vizio recently introduced single-series channels like “Project Runway” and “Family Feud” in its spring showcase.
“Unlike traditional cable, we have the reach and penetration of the largest screen in the home, plus the ability to identify unique audiences and speak directly to them,” she said.
Vizio also offers a series of pop-up channels throughout the year to coincide with seasonal tent poles. For International Women's Day, Vizio launched Herstory, a channel focused on women's empowerment in March.
Pound said such channels serve as “meaningful messaging opportunities for our advertising partners to communicate the events and moments that matter most to our viewers.”
At the end of 2022, Vizio introduced interactive advertising to WatchFree+ through a new partnership with Brightline. NewFronts' Vizio noted that interactive ads drive greater lift and brand metrics than traditional passive 30-second spots.