Strategy Roundup | 12.18.2020
Ellen Dollard
TL;DR: Best guess is you’re probably reading this while eating Oreos, working on a puzzle, with Netflix playing in the background.
The rise of streaming ambient TV
“Here, there is nothing to figure out; as prestige passes its peak, we’re moving into the ambient era, which succumbs to, rather than competes with, your phone.”
We’re all guilty of putting on a show in the background while we do something else. But when streaming services first started, binge-watchers dedicated their full attention to the intricate plots of shows that lured them into their subscription. Now, whether we’re tired of choosing what to watch or feeling stuck in quarantine, we aren’t paying attention anymore and that passive engagement has given rise to a new kind of content: ambient TV. They’re the background shows that keep you company while you do other things, designed to be “as ignorable as it is interesting.”
Media’s Take: TV’s role in our lives has increased as our human contact has decreased, not to mention there is less new “top-end” content being released as productions have been limited. So, we expect this effect to decrease on streaming as people resume their social lives. That said, the media team is also close to rolling out a new, custom evaluation metric that, unlike other media planning approaches, accounts for a person’s attention level. This Ambient TV trend on streaming will need to be accounted for in our new model.
More Oreos anyone?
“Novelty Oreos…play a much purer role: They help drive consumers back to milk’s alleged favorite”
In the last three years, Oreo has introduced 65 new flavors worldwide. It’s an elaborate, lengthy & top-secret process. And while the novelty flavors do perform well, they do an even better job advertising the classics. An even easier sell during quarantine which has given rise to indulgent snacking.
I get by with a little help from my friends
“There are many great dishes from thousands of restaurants that deserve to be as famous as the Whopper”
Following stricter pandemic guidelines forcing restaurants to close, Burger King UK is lending their Instagram as a free channel for local restaurants to advertise until they can reopen safely.
Unsuspecting puzzle pranks
“While the holidays may look and feel different this year, we wanted to bring Smirnoff ICE fans some levity. And as a brand known for surprising fans with unexpected gifts and experiences, we wanted to deliver it in a way only Smirnoff ICE could”
This year, Smirnoff ICE created three puzzles designed to help fans ice their friends & family from afar. The seemingly wholesome gift only reveals the Smirnoff bottle once the puzzle is complete. Poor unsuspecting Grandmas everywhere.
Santa’s brand book
Lastly, some seasonal joy for this snowy Friday. Cheers!
Yours truly,
The A&G Strategy Team
