Carlton Active will offer advertisers discounted rates as well as
technical and creative advice as part of a new incentive scheme to build
confidence in interactive TV.
The interactive Development & Education Alliance (iDEA) - set up by
Carlton Active commercial director Peter Birch - will ask agencies to
hand over a hit-list of clients that have never used the medium.
Birch, a former ITV salesman, will then put together 'starter packages',
guiding advertisers through each step of airing an interactive ad.
For pounds 24,500, clients will see their interactive ads broadcast
across digital terrestrial channels on London weekday TV for one
year.
Birch told Media Business that iDEA will give agencies first refusal on
a number of ad opportunities that are being developed for ITV, as well
as case studies and research on interactive advertising.
Workshops designed to give technical and creative advice on the
fledgling medium will be scheduled to take place once a month over the
12-month period.
Birch said that with greater understanding of the sector, agencies would
be better equipped to pitch interactive advertising to clients. He is
hoping to sign up five agencies to the scheme.
'Offering the agencies discounted rates should encourage massive growth
in the interactive ad sector,' said Birch. 'We also need some guarantee
of revenue and volume to grow the market and, in return, we will share
our technical and creative understanding. Until now, the perception has
been that the interactive market is too expensive. This scheme will
change things,' he added.
Carlton Active - a spin-off Carlton company that handles interactive TV
- has already created interactive ad campaigns for a range of companies
including Unilever, SmithKlineBeecham, Virgin Mobiles, Procter & Gamble,
the AA, Onken and M&G Financial Services.
The company also this month aired the first interactive TV ad on ITV for
Colman's Two-in-One-Sauces.
Birch confirmed he had already signed up two London agencies to the
scheme and was waiting to receive their lists of clients.
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