Viewers can now “Pause Ads” While Streaming on Hulu, Peacock, and Max

Summary

Every viewer of Hulu, Peacock, and Max is a target of “Pause ads.” These are the ads that pop up as a static picture when you pause a video. It only needs a bit of your attention to get you hooked.

Have you been taking notice of the little ads that pop up when you pause watching The Kardashians on Hulu? That’s called “Pause Ads,” a new marketing strategy that has been gaining popularity over time that shows the ad in a creative manner.

Instead of loud booming ads, the advertisement industry is turning towards silent, readable ads that get the message across and still don’t ruin the streaming experience.

Any subscriber of the ad-supported tier of Hulu has seen such ads appearing with creative sentences. Here’s how it works: When you pause the video for whatever reason, whether you go to the toilet or answer the door, you see a quiet pop-up ad, like a Nestle KitKat ad reading “Have a Break.”

Following the price hike of Hulu’s plan, many subscribers are shifting towards ad-supported plans. Analyzing that, the marketing industries are taking advantage of it. According to Josh Mattison, the senior vice president of revenue management and operations for Disney Advertising, tiny pauses for whatever reasons during the streaming is an advertising opportunity.

“There are hundreds of millions of pauses, done for all the reasons we hit pause at any moment,” says Mattison. “We look at that as an opportunity for advertisers.”

These graphic ads are a huge opportunity for marketers to get their product well known, especially taking into account the younger generation. As Gen Z enters the workforce and gains financial independence, advertisers reach out to this audience to influence their spending decisions.

Not only that, Gen Z is the class of youth that are digital natives, which means they spend most of their time on digital platforms. Sneaking small, graphic ads on such platforms is another way to get the target’s attention.

Moreover, being the trendsetters, younger people are more inclined to bring a wave of trends. This is another reason why streaming platforms like Peacock, Hulu, and Max are introducing Pause Ads that happen dynamically.

Capitalizing on the moments when viewers pause the screen is a genius way to introduce the public to new products while keeping a low profile. Although nobody stays after pausing to look at the ad, the brief look at your device you do to check whether your video is paused is the moment when you are influenced by the ad.

However, it is also crucial to have the perfect balance between the ads. The graphic ads don’t appear each time you pause the video, but it happens on its own. Research shows that viewers can actually cancel their subscriptions when they see too many ads. Streaming platforms “having a lot of ad clutter erodes the impact of ads and is really bad for users,” as described by Kara Manatt. She is the executive vice president of intelligence solutions at Magna, a media research unit of advertising giant Interpublic Group.

This is respected heavily by Max, of course, as they are walking on this tread. When you watch Max, you will see that you only get one pause ad throughout the video, because it allows one pause ad “per user per session,” according to Gould, the Warner Bros. Discovery Executive.

In some cases, pause ads have also influenced the kids on the streaming platform, when they watch something and upon pausing, the ad appears, that signals them to stop and think. This is leading people to question if pause ads will appear without warning, to which we would say no. Pause ads are called that for a reason, and such ads are supposed to come when you pause the video.

Safe to say, this unique pursuit of advertising the product has garnered great attention from the targeted audience. Let us know if you’re experiencing these ads as well by reaching out to us.