Last week, myself and the Space & Time team had the pleasure of attending the ITV Showcase at HOME Theatre in Manchester, one of the standout events in the UK advertising calendar. With over 500 agency partners and advertisers in one room, it was a fantastic evening full of inspiration, celebration, and networking.
We first heard from the Mancunian hero Dr. John Cooper Clarke, who performed some of his latest work, posing the thought-provoking question: “Where would we be without ITV?”, inviting us to consider the impact of television advertising in influencing culture and building brands. A theme that became more resonant as the evening continued.
The brilliant Lindsey Clay (Thinkbox) and Jo Arden (Ogilvy) then took us on a nostalgic journey through the ads that shaped generations, helping us unpack what makes an advert truly powerful. We revisited Cadbury’s beloved Gorilla, flashed back to 1985’s shrink-to-fit Levi’s jeans, and gawped at Honda’s ingenious “The Cog” ad. The common denominator? Exceptional creativity, of course. But as Clay and Arden showed, there are also factors like unconventional ideas, entertainment value, and extraordinary craft, that have allowed these ads to stand the test of time.
Next came a look at the future. It’s no secret that TV adverts have an impact, from sparking awareness to driving measurable outcomes, it is a trusted and effective platform within the industry, however the possibilities at ITV are even greater than we initially anticipated. ITV unveiled a trio of exciting innovations in the form of a highly competitive ‘pitch battle’. Audiences saw Abul Noor, Caroline Clear, and Nadine Warren fight it out to inform us of ITV YouTube Affinities, ITV Outcomes Planner, and the ITV Lead Gen, all designed to help brands reach the right audience, at the right time, more effectively than ever.
First came ITV YouTube Affinities, a powerful new targeting opportunity based on real insights. Combining ITV’s content with Google’s search and audience data, enabling brands to reach relevant users based on their interests and behaviour. This would mean more than ever, brands can position themselves in front of the target audience, that they may not have even known they had.
Next came the Outcomes Planner, a new forecasting tool designed especially for small to medium sized brands ready to scale but cautious about where to place their spend. The new planner is able to predict the short-term impacts of TV campaigns based on variables like budget, brand size and campaign length. Whether you’re at the start of your TV advertising journey, or looking to move in a new direction of TV advertising, this is for you.
Finally we saw the launch of Lead Gen Ads on ITVX, an interactive ad format that allows viewers to register interest from the comfort of their sofas, using just their remote control. For performance-driven agencies like ours, this is a game-changer, bridging the gap between data capture and brand building. With viewers opting in via pre-filled forms linked to their ITVX accounts, brands can now capture qualified leads mid-programme in a way that is convenient for the viewer.
The evening concluded with a sneak peak at ITV’s forthcoming programming, showcasing that more of the same exceptional reality, drama, and comedy is ahead of us. Thank you so much to ITV for an evening of nostalgia, creativity, and forward-thinking innovation, reminding us just how powerful television advertising continues to be. To echo Dr. John Cooper Clarke, “Where would we be without ITV?”.
