Orange begins commericalising interactive advertising

France Télécom/Orange is launching interactive advertising on its IPTV platform, allowing advertisers to target all Orange TV customers with interactive campaigns.

The launch follows a successful trial carried out with car maker Citroën in November last year. Orange said that Citroën planned to run further interactive campaigns between now and the end of the year.

The platform allows advertisers to use interactive banners superimposed on the screen during ad spots. Viewers can connect to the advertisers’ dedicated website via their TV sets, a format marketed by Orange as Showcase or Dedicated Advertiser Location (DAL). Viewers can also use their remotes to access mini interactive sites featuring additional product information including presentations, photos and videos. They can ask to be contacted and request documentation or book (in the case of Citroën) a test drive.

Interactive advertising is currently available on the Orange Sport Info channel and will be added to the main Orange Sport channel by the end of the year. Orange is also planning to trial interactive advertising in other markets including Poland and Spain. According to the company, the Citroën campaign produced an average click rate of 2.54% on interactive spots.