Hulu’s NewFronts Presentation Unveils Interactive Ad Format ‘GatewayGo,’ Nielsen Ad-Targeting Integration

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YouTube isn’t the only platform doubling down on interactive ads.

At Hulu‘s NewFronts presentation, the Disney-owned streamer unveiled GatewayGo, where viewers see an ad, and then are prompted to seek more information through things like scanning QR codes or tapping to sign up for push notifications.

“The power of this ad experience lies in its ability to give viewers a simple way to engage with brands and take action on their mobile device,” Laura Kuhn Nelson, SVP of advertising solutions and performance advertising at Disney, said during the livestreamed presentation. She added that interactive ads “help advertisers get closer to their conversion goals.” (That’s in line with what YouTube’s saying about direct-response marketing; it recently ran a test where a brand showed nine times more view-to-sales conversions with interactive ads than non-interactive.)

Hulu says it’s introducing GatewayGo based on survey information from its subscribers, which showed that 50% of them have their phones with them while watching TV, and that 60% of them would consider purchasing from a brand that gave them an offer to redeem, such as a scannable coupon or free trial.

The first advertisers to be part of GatewayGo are teledentristry company SmileDirectClub, luxury consignment shop The RealReal, and fast casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen.

More reveals: increased targeting options, cross-platform campaigns

Hulu also revealed it’s integrating Nielsen Media Impact, a service that, in general, looks at viewer behavior to target ads beyond traditional demographics like age and gender. A Hulu spokesperson tells Tubefilter that the integration “will help the advertising community understand Hulu’s audience overlap with other TV and digital publishers.”

Nielsen Media Impact will apparently be a key part of the final new ad product Hulu introduced today: Disney Hulu XP. Launching Oct. 1, the portal is “the first unified video ad product for marketers spanning the entire Disney platform,” Hulu said. XP will offer Nielsen’s “enhanced targeting options” for placing ads across services like Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+.

“We pride ourselves on being home to the best sports, entertainment, and streaming TV brands in the business and have the unique ability to deliver both massive scale and specific audience targets,” Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales at Disney, said in a statement.

In addition to introducing advertising developments, Hulu gave marketers a rundown of the upcoming original productions on which their ads could be airing. Notable projects it touted include The Dropout, starring Kate McKinnon as infamous Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, Nicole Kidman’s 2021 drama Nine Perfect Strangers, Steve Martin and Martin Short’s comedy Only Murders in the Building, and a swathe of originals from FX.

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