Not all ad inventory needs to interrupt something to be effective. In fact, much of CTV’s most exciting ad space can actually be found when virtually nothing else is happening – when someone has paused a show, when their screen has gone idle, or when someone has scrolled past all available options.
These are not traditional ad breaks but rather behavioral moments. And they are incrementally becoming some of the most valuable places to advertise on streaming.
Spaces That Were Once Ignored
For years, pause screens, home screens, and idle states were treated as dead zones, which were functional, not commercial.
This assumption has changed.
– A pause is not an empty slate; but rather a moment of intent.
– A screensaver is not a blank screen; but rather a usable, uninterrupted visual.
– Menus and navigation are more than just where to go; they provide a user with active consideration.
The change occurs not in or on the screen but in the thought about user behavior on that screen.
Why This Inventory Is Different
The new category of the ad formats – pause/screen savers/menu – do not compete with content; they rather sit around it.
It’s a key distinction.
1. Ads in the Pause Position – Attention has been “captured”
Once the user has paused the content, the user’s mental state of being “in” the program has not changed. The fact that the user is no longer viewing will not cause your advertising to need to restart, instead you will be borrowing the user’s attention. This is a very different ask.
2. Ads in the Screensaver Position – No Clutter
Unlike other forms of commercial break advertising; there is no sound competing; there are no quick cuts involved; only a screen with sufficient time to display your commercial. This is a unique occurrence with most advertisements.
3. Ads in the Menu Position – Active Decision Making
This is where the user is actively contemplating what is next. In comparison to mid-roll advertising; menu advertising is much closer to an active decision point.
This Isn’t Just New Placement – It’s New Behavior Mapping
What’s changing here isn’t merely how advertisements show up, but rather how advertisements align to user behaviour. Traditional television did not have to think about advertising that way because it was created with fixed breaks and a timeline shared between all programming.
Connected TV does not function in a similar way. Connected TV creates separate context for all forms of activity within the medium such as pausing, browsing or having the television remain idle.
Regardless of whether or not there was a pause in the program, it is a clear sign to the user that they are stepping away from the television for a short period of time while still being mentally present.A menu on connected television does not simply list all potential selections for viewing – users are intentionally choosing between options; thus, each selected option is an opportunity for a user to consider.
Having an idle screen is not just a passive action by the user, but rather an uninterrupted visual space where the user continues to focus their attention at a lower intensity than if there was content on the screen.
Even though each of these individual actions may seem insignificant on their own, their collective significance provides all actions associated with a user in totality the value that is provided by caring for how to move forward.
Creative Needs a Reset Here
Advertising tends to still be designed based on interruption; when making an ad, the goal is to get the audience’s attention very quickly with something powerful and then use force (or storytelling) to keep their attention. This method does not work well in environments that require a softer approach.
For example, if an audience is having a moment of pause, the audience has already given their attention to you, so you only need to use a softer approach. If there is a menu of options to choose from, the audience does not want a story; they want to make a decision on what option to choose. When an audience is idle, loud, complicated messages tend to feel out of place.
In restrained situations, the best advertising utilizes clean images, clear simple words, and an appreciation for the emotional state of the audience at that moment. Therefore, the creative has to do the same as above but has to be aligned with that moment.
Less Intrusion, More Recall
It is commonly regarded that advertising should not push too hard for visibility. Advertisement that does not interrupt your moment does not create an immediate desire to avoid it; therefore, there is potential for engagement based upon the starting point of your moment.
These types of advertising formats in some cases tend to positively impact their effectiveness due to the fact that they are less aggressive in their approach. They are integrated into your existing experience rather than interrupting your experience. This ultimately creates a perception that these advertising formats are easier to comprehend and therefore retain within your long term memory.
This opportunity is not only about gaining access to new inventory, but also about realizing that the value of digital inventory isn’t always where you would expect it will be.
The gaps between moments (gaps between pauses, idle screens, browsing flows) are now some of the most stable and predictable touchpoints in CTV, and occur more frequently.
Brands that will benefit from this opportunity are not necessarily those that do the most, but rather those who are able to determine when it is appropriate to show up, and when it is best to not overcomplicate the moment.
(Views are personal)
