Landing a spot on TV can be a real game-changer for a brand. It offers instant impact, unrivalled trust and great value (Thinkbox). But it’s not always feasible for smaller businesses.
That’s where Channel 4’s brand new service comes in. Hoping to tackle this inequality, they’ve introduced a way for brands who aren’t usually represented on the small screen, to create TV ads without the need for big budget production.
And we’re thrilled to have played a part in the creation of the first ever ad made by them in this way.
How it works
The new service uses AI, provided by Streamr.ai and Telana, to create TV-ready ads for Channel 4’s streaming platform. The creative is purely generative, which means its built entirely from material which is already available, like the brand’s website and social media content. They’ve even introduced a hybrid option, which allows brands to harness the brilliance of Channel 4’s creative teams, alongside the cutting-edge technology, to deliver big results fast.
The broadcaster has been testing the solution with two advertisers, with the first, from Spirit Studios, hitting screens last week. The ad is for ‘The Good, The Bad & The Healthy’ – a brand-new foodie podcast with Sunna van Kampen, featuring real talk, healthy hacks, and supermarket truth bombs.
Why it’s needed
Currently, only 7,000 out of the UK’s 3 million advertisers run campaigns on TV. The new service aims to help brands of all sizes tap into streaming audiences which were once out of reach due to budget, to “democratise access to TV” as Patel puts it. “We’re using Gen AI to support the under-represented advertisers and creative teams, not to displace them.”
How we ensured compliance and trust
With new ground broken, it was essential for Channel 4 to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. So, they got us involved from the early stages, right through to delivery. It served as a great example of collaboration from concept to screen, and showed how cherry-picking from our menu of solutions can help brands to secure quality, trust and peace of mind when trying new things. They chose to enlist help from our Copy Development, Commercial, and Fast Track services, to make sure that the ad was compliant, cleared, and delivered on time.
Read more about our involvement in the case study:
You can also read more about the ad in The Times and Campaign.
Thank you to the team at Channel 4 including Nicola Griffin, Sean Griffin and Casey Bird.
