​30.04.2019

Promotion campaigns for VoD and OTT content – An interview with BDA Creative

by Eyes & Ears of Europe

BDA Creative, a communications and branding agency based in Munich, has produced campaigns for Viacom (MTV, Nick, Comedy Central) and rebranding for 3sat, as well as several audiovisual content campaigns for VoD providers. These include, for example, the Prime Original series "Beat" and "You are Wanted".

Eyes & Ears asked BDA Creative what specifics campaigns for VoD providers require, what current projects they are working on and what challenges they are facing.

Benjamin Kerneck, Co-Managing Director of BDA Creative, answered Eyes & Ears' questions in an interview. 

What special features does a campaign for streaming content require?

First of all, we usually have to deal with a different media mix than for linear TV channels. TV channels have on-air promo areas, which is not the case with streaming providers. Nor does it have an audience flow. Every content retrieval is a conscious, active decision of the viewer. That's what we do with all our campaign elements. We design the key arts in such a way that they can assert themselves against other offers on the website and make the special features of the series easily comprehensible. The same key art has to prevail and differentiate OOH against strong competition - fast, promising, entertaining and clear.

In addition, we provide many different impulses in digital and social to make the content as interesting as possible and to keep it interesting. We often deliver different, tailor-made and up-to-date messages to different sub-target groups. This is where our interdisciplinary approach with a permanent in-house team pays off. The conception and production of so many and often daily updated campaign assets in this rhythm can only be achieved if copywriters, editors, designers, sound people and digital experts blindly understand each other and assume joint responsibility.

A major difference to linear broadcasters that cannot be ignored is that our streaming customers have precise viewing figures compared to the TV ratings. This means that if a campaign doesn't work, it's easy to see. And the fun is far from over after the first broadcast. Our campaigns need perseverance and constant renewal in order to win new viewers even after the release date and to invite existing viewers to keep watching.

You were recently responsible for the TVNOW campaign "M - A city seeks a murderer". What was the challenge in this project?

"M - a city seeks a murderer" is a series that David Schalko could not have staged more up-to-date: Cynical politicians, the stirring up of fear, right-wing agitation, the search for scapegoats - all against the background of a gripping criminal case. This makes "M" a contemporary, but also very sophisticated content that meets a mainstream audience at TV NOW. An audience that loves exciting stories, but has little reference to Fritz Lang's original from 1931. Here, too, our viewers must actively decide on the content because we don't have an audience flow. That's why we focus on the cast, which is made up of stars through and through. The actors of the series turn to me on the posters and social media assets with a direct, activating and personal approach and invite me to participate in the murder search. So that not only one city is looking for a murderer, but the whole country. 

The rebrand for Magenta Sport also comes from your creation. Could you tell us something about the specifics & challenges?

Magenta Sport is a hybrid provider of a linear sports channel and a live sports streaming portal. Together with the production company thinXpool, the colleagues are responsible for more than 1,000 live sports events a year, so most of the graphics have to be assembled directly on the broadcast truck. For us, the redesign therefore involved closely linking the live graphics with the broadcaster's brand presence and at the same time meeting the requirements of the Telekom umbrella brand - a brand that hadn't exactly been known for its moving image appearance. In terms of design, we were guided by the existing sports in the portfolio. Magenta Sport stands for Basketball, Ice Hockey and 3rd League Soccer - all three very authentic sports with a long tradition that are lived regionally in Germany. The design picks up on this authenticity and also adapts to the essential play out channels such as tablets and smartphones: modern, fast, easy, accessible - without baroque staging and exuberant VIP lounge luxury.

Many thanks to Benjamin Kerneck for the exciting insight into the creation of audiovisual content campaigns for VoD and OTT.

Further information on BDA Creative can be found at: http://www.bdacreative.com/