Hulu Extends Viewer First Ad Experiences With Launch of GatewayGo, Connecting Viewers to their Favorite Brands with Personalized Offers

New Experience Brings Brands Closer to their Conversion Goals with Streaming TV

TV was once considered solely a lean-back experience, but with Streaming TV, that’s no longer the case.  Streaming TV gives viewers more control over their viewing experience and the ability to take action — with just a few clicks, viewers personalize their experiences by saving their favorite shows and movies to a list, provide feedback on content recommendations, and even engage directly with ads.

We know viewers are watching more television than ever before. In April, engagement on Hulu increased 60% year-over-year (as defined by hours watched). And as more viewers choose streaming TV as their primary source for television, we know now is the time to give these viewers a simpler way to interact and connect with brands while they watch.

That’s why today, Hulu, now part of The Walt Disney Company, is announcing the launch of GatewayGo, a new ad experience designed to allow viewers to connect and interact directly with a brand and take action on their second screen — like access personalized offers, while being minimally intrusive to the viewer. SmileDirectClub, The RealReal and Sweetgreen are among our exclusive launch partners for this new experience.

GatewayGo couples traditional living room video ads with new, action-oriented capabilities to facilitate seamless connections between viewers and advertisers — such as receiving more information from a brand.

“For our brand partners, the power of this ad experience lies in its ability to give viewers a simple way to engage with brands and take action on their mobile device,” says Laura Nelson, SVP, Cross Portfolio Solutions, Disney Advertising Sales. “Ultimately, this helps advertisers get closer to their conversion goals with Streaming TV.”

“The total addressable market for luxury consignment is massive. Hulu’s reach and platform has allowed The RealReal to capitalize on this opportunity. Through Hulu’s GatewayGo, we’re looking forward to expanding our innovation in the interactive ad space,” said Marc Viale, Chief Growth Officer at The RealReal.  

We know this format will resonate with audiences — in surveys, 6 out of 10 streaming viewers would likely consider purchasing from the brand after redeeming an offer, among other things.

When a viewer sees the GatewayGo experience, they can request to have more details about the company or an offer sent to their mobile phone or tablet via a push notification, email, or scan a QR code. By leveraging these channels to engage with a brand, we’re inspiring our viewers to take action while delivering on the promise of a better ad-supported viewing experience.

“Working in partnership with Disney Ad Sales, my team will continue driving innovation to extend our viewer-first advertising efforts and bring new formats to life,” said Jeremy Helfand, Head of Advertising Platforms at DTCI Technology. “This experience builds the foundation for more bottom of the funnel ad experiences that will enable action, and ultimately, transaction, from viewers.” GatewayGo joins Disney’s suite of advertising offerings that can address the entire marketing funnel. We know that a better ad experience equals a better viewer experience all around, and we remain committed to creating experiences that are better for the viewer and advertisers.