Major brands sign up for interactive TV ad trials

Cable and satellite TV company Flextech has signed up AA Insurance, Bass, Peugeot, Vauxhall, Orange, Barclaycard, Honda, Tesco and Goldfish to take part in interactive advertising trials being run in conjunction with Microsoft’s WebTV.

Flextech Interactive, the new media division of Flextech Television, is one of the main content providers supplying WebTV’s interactive TV trials, which began operation in 100 households in Liverpool and London last December

Viewers of Flextech’s Bravo and Trouble channels on the trial are being invited to access additional promotional information during commercial breaks by clicking on screen icons which will take viewers to Web addresses specified by the advertiser partners in the trial.

The broadcaster is planning a full launch of digital interactive services later this year, offering advertising partners a range of interactive advertising and e-commerce services.

According to Flextech Interactive general manager Ashley Highfield: “Our involvement in at this early stage will offer us the opportunity to explore synchronised interactive content, and gain access to dedicated focus group reports and trial statistics prior to launch.”

AA Insurance sales and marketing general manager Peter Fisher adds: “The Internet is fast increasing its importance among our channels, and we fully expect interactive TV to be the great outlet in the foreseeable future.

“It has all the potential of being convenient for the consumer and giving the advertiser rapid results. This is our opportunity to put it to the test.”