Native has arrived on LG smart TVs.
Yesterday, LG Ads launched a full-screen “Native Screensaver” ad unit. It’s essentially the PC screensaver experience that we’re all familiar with, now migrated to smart TVs with the LG operating system. The unit will work across LG TV Home Screens, LG Channels, and their Content Store.
Why This Matters:
Screensaver ad units are not new. Amazon, for example, offers a Sponsored Screensaver for its Fire TV OS. What’s interesting about them, however, is that they are based on the idea that the viewer is not engaged with the content on screen. This is “idle time,” basically. Maybe the viewer got up and went to the bathroom or is writing a post for AdTechRadar.com.
Therefore, does it make sense to show an ad at a time when attention, which is commanding so much interest as a new metric, isn’t at its peak?
LG Ads is addressing that head on and directly pushing back on the premise. In conjunction with its product launch, the company has also released research indicating that “the assumption that a viewer’s attention is limited once the television screen is idle” is not true. In fact, LG Ads claims that, when they ran tests they “found that Screensaver ads drove on average a 2.5 times higher lift in brand awareness.”
Dave Rudnick, Chief Technology Officer at LG Ad Solutions, says, “Through testing, we validated that Screensaver ads present a valuable opportunity for brands to be front and center on the largest screen in the room.”
So, while screensaver ad units aren’t new, what is new here is that LG Ads is working to change advertiser perception so that brands recognize the value of the screensaver format. They’re also one of the world’s leading smart TV operating systems, owning 7.4% of overall market. This scale makes screensaver ads on LG TVs an attractive option for brands.
Experts React:
“Feedback and study results have validated that these ads capture attention and drive meaningful interactions, making them an integral part of our ad offerings,” added Chris Weiland, Director of Product Marketing at LG Ad Solutions. He also called the launch a “milestone” for LG Ads.
Our Take:
What we’re seeing more in CTV advertising is a rapid evolution of formats, where OS leaders and third-party vendors are working to create more high-impact and immersive ads, as well as more situational ads based on viewer behavior. The rise of pause ads is a good example of this, and screensaver sponsored ads are an extension of that, in the same family.
Improving our understanding of the CTV viewer experience and creating ad formats that match it is a smart move that benefits advertisers. In this way, CTV is very different from other channels and, clearly, there is more room for ad innovation.
